I.C.O.N.

Membership: Berserker android, Cardinal, Indigo, Rainbow (reportedly Ludwig Frankenstein), Werner Schmidt, Strand, Zandor

Purpose: World Conquest

Affiliations: Operation: Marauder

Enemies: Ralph Caccone, Frankenstein monster, Jigsaw Monster, Peregrine, Eric Prawn, Shamrock, Veronica von Frankenstein

Base of Operations: Unrevealed. Agents are mobile throughout the world

Aliases: International Crime Organization Nexus

First Appearance: Frankenstein Monster#14 (January, 1975)

History: ICON is one of those evil international organizations bent on world conquest. Their major plot observed thus far was to create an army of undead warriors, who would strike fear into their opponents just by their presence and appearance. ICON developed Operation: Marauder in New York City, which was their primary center for creating these undead warriors. They were successful, but found that their creations lacked the capacity for independent thought. They were strong, and could follow orders, but ICON wanted a little more bang for their buck. Learning of the existence of the Frankenstein monster, they decided to seek him out, that they might cut open his skull and examine his brain, to see why it worked so much better than their own creations.

(Frankenstein Monster#14, 15)-Knowing that Veronica Frankenstein had hired private investigator Eric Prawn to locate the Frankenstein monster, ICON agent Cardinal followed Prawn. Cardinal and Zandor waited for Prawn to locate the monster, and then broke into Prawn's apartment. They waited for him there, and then Zandor grabbed Ralph Caccone, a teen who'd befriended the monster, and used him to force the monster to obey them. Prawn escaped in the initial struggle, but Cardinal and Zandor brought Ralph and the monster to the warehouse base of Operation: Marauder, where they were prepared to open up the monster's head. However, Prawn then dropped through the skylight and attacked, at the same time that the Jigsaw Monster/Night Creature/Clone Creature burst in. The creature had been following the trail of the Frankenstein monster. In the ensuing battle, the Frankenstein monster through the Jigsaw monster into the gaslines, causing the entire warehouse to burst into flames. While the Frankenstein monster, Prawn, and Caccone made it to safety, Cardinal was the only member of ICON to make it out alive.

(Frankenstein Monster#16-18)-Prawn brought Ralph and the Frankenstein monster to Switzerland to Veronica Frankenstein's castle, where she performed surgery to enable the monster to speak again. Cardinal met up with Indigo, another ICON agent, and traveled to Veronica's chalet as well. There they sent an army of undead warriors to assault the chalet, in an effort to retake the monster. During the surgery, Prawn and Caccone managed to fight off the undead warriors. Cardinal then sent in the Berserker android, which quickly overpowered the two men. However, Veronica finished up the surgery, and the monster recovered in time to incapacitate the Berserker.
Cardinal contacted ICON's leader, Rainbow, who gave them new orders. Cardinal contacted Werner Schmidt, an ICON agent who worked at Veronica's chalet, and gave him instructions on how to reactivate the Berserker. The android set out after the Frankenstein monster, which had wandered out into the snow-covered mountains. Ralph and Prawn realized that Schmidt had betrayed them, and as Schmidt got into the ICON helicopter, Ralph blew it out of the sky with a rocket launcher he had claimed from the undead warriors.
How many other agents of ICON exist in the world is unknown, but their leader, Rainbow, remains at large. Cardinal had claimed that ICON was the focal point for a great many globe spanning operations.

(All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update#3) - At some point the heroes Peregrine and Shamrock fought ICON.

COMMENTS: Created by Doug Moench and Val Mayerik.

The ties holding the stories of the Frankenstein monster to the modern era are tenuous, but existent. Chief among these is the reference to Giant-Size Werewolf by Night, which occurred b/t#12+13.

So whatever became of ICON, and who was its secret leader, Rainbow?
Guess who knows?
You will if you're reading this profile. Jean-Marc Lofficier was kind enough to send me the unpublished plot intended for a Marvel Comics Presents story. It's not canon (yet) because it was never published, but here it all is...http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/jmlshamrockperegrinemcpstory.htm
One can only hope that this info would trickle into mainstream. Casual mention of a relationship between Shamrock and Peregrine, perhaps?
The identity of Rainbow from Lofficier's story was included in the Frankenstein monster profile in OHotMU Horror 2005.

Lofficier's story with Shamrock and Peregrine was mentioned in Peregrine's entry in the All-New OHotMU Update#3.
--Markus Raymond

CLARIFICATIONS:
ICON, has no known connection to:

The Berserker android has no known connection to:

 

Cardinal has no known connection to:

Indigo has no known connection to:

 

Rainbow has no known connections to:

 

The Berserker android was sent into Veronica Frankenstein's chalet to bring back the monster. The monster, although physically outmatched (while recovering from anesthesia), managed to incapacitate the android by overloading its circuits with a live electric cable.
The android was revived by Werner Schmidt, after which it forced its way out of the chalet, and then trailed and located the monster. After a short battle, the monster ripped the Berserker's left arm off. The monster felt sympathy for the injured android, and the two established a rapport. The Berserker disregarded its programming, and accompanied the monster on its wandering through the mountains. The android was overwhelmed and decapitated by the Children of the Damned, who ambushed them suddenly.
--Frankenstein Monster#16 (17, 18

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cardinal was the agent in charge of the Frankenstein monster's capture in Manhattan. He used Zandor as a his muscle, and attempted to trick the Frankenstein monster and Ralph into believing that Veronica Frankenstein wanted to kill the monster. He escaped the destruction of Operation: Marauder's warehouse, and then met up with Indigo and flew to Switzerland. He appeared to direct the assault on Veronica's chalet, but it's unclear whether he or Indigo was in charge. He was apparently killed when Ralph blew up their helicopter.
--Frankenstein Monster#14 (15-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indigo met up and flew with Cardinal to Veronica's chalet. He and Cardinal argued somewhat, but it appeared that Indigo was following orders from Cardinal. After the deactivation of the Berserker, Indigo took the initiative to contact Rainbow. He then contacted Werner and directed him on the repair of the android. He, too, met his end when Ralph blew up their helicopter.
--Frankenstein Monster#16 (17, 18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operation: Marauder-based in a warehouse in Manhattan's South Ferry District, it was the main center for ICON's creation of undead warriors. It was destroyed as a result of the battle between the Frankenstein and Jigsaw monsters.
--Frankenstein Monster#15

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rainbow was the mysterious leader of ICON. From his private base, hundreds of miles away, he gave orders to Cardinal and Indigo. He was not present at Veronica's chalet, and so survived the death of the other agents. His subsequent activities are unknown.
--Frankenstein Monster#16 ([14, 15], 16, 17, [18]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Werner Schmidt acted as both assistant and lover to Veronica Frankenstein, but was secretly an agent for ICON. He broke his cover by following orders from Cardinal and repairing the Berserker android. He tried to escape into Indigo's helicopter, but was discovered by Ralph Caccone, who blew them out of the sky.
--Frankenstein Monster#16 (17, 18

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strand drove the van for Cardinal to transport dead bodies to the Operation: Marauder warehouse. It's unclear whether he was in the warehouse when it blew up.
--Frankenstein Monster#15

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zandor was the first undead warrior successfully created by Operation: Marauder. He was originally a professional wrestler who was killed in a match that got out of hand. They found that they had restored life to his body, but unfortunately most of his intellect remained dead. He was obedient, but essentially stupid, lacking self-determination and autonomous thought...as were all of their subsequent experiments. He was presumed to have been destroyed in the explosion of the Operation: Marauder warehouse...although what it takes to kill the undead is uncertain.
Zandor possessed exceptional, if not superhuman (enhanced human) strength. He was not particularly quick, nor did he demonstrate impressive fighting skills. He knew that his master wanted him to hit his enemies, but became very frustrated and wasn't sure what to do if they were too far away for him to hit.
--Frankenstein Monster#14 (15

 

 

 

 

Appearances:
Frankenstein Monster#15-17 (March-July, 1975) - Doug Moench (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils), Klaus Janson (#15) & Bob McLeod (#16-17) (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Frankenstein Monster#18 (September, 1975) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Val Mayerik (pencils), Val Mayerik & Dan Adkins (inks), Len Wein (editor)

Last updated: 04/12/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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