On January 3, Daken looks to break the ice.

In ICEMAN #9, Bobby Drake and the son of Wolverine face off in an all-out brawl! Written by Sina Grace with art by Robert Gill, Iceman must temporarily put aside his travails with his family and love life in order to fend off a razor-sharp opponent in Daken. So how will the two mutants fare?

We caught up with Grace to hear more about the combatants.

Marvel.com: Sina, how would you characterize Bobby and Daken’s relationship at this point in time?

Sina Grace: In a word: contentious. Neither really respects the other’s approach to life.

Marvel.com: Doesn’t sound like a basis for a lasting friendship. So, what makes this clash inevitable? And what major factors will decide which way the fight goes?

Sina Grace: Bobby and Daken had a pretty heated match in ICEMAN #4, when Iceman had to go rescue a runaway student. The altercation ended up being pretty embarrassing for Daken—he got impaled by a large snowflake.

Little known fact: Daken lives with a Death Seed inside of him, dormant until another Horseman dies…or so you’d think. Daken successfully kidnapped one of Iceman’s students and has been training him. For what? We’ll find out in ICEMAN #9.

Marvel.com: What makes Bobby a good bet in this showdown?

Sina Grace: Iceman is an Omega-level mutant who does not fear his own potential…so he has that going for him. Also, I think now more than ever, Bobby has everything to live for.

Marvel.com: Conversely, what might give Daken the edge?

Sina Grace: Daken’s about to try and activate the Death Seed, so he could become near-Apocalypse powerful. That, and in complete contrast with Bobby, Daken’s got nothing to lose—which makes for a scary opponent.

Marvel.com: And, on top of everything, Bobby’s moving to Los Angeles. Does he truly feel like it’s the best thing for him right now?

Sina Grace: I feel like Bobby’s therapist answering this question [Laughs]. His wanting to move might be complicated because the Los Angeles trip he took with the Champions turned out to be such a special one. He kicked ass, he met someone he really likes, and he ran away from his own context for a bit. It’s the right amount of familiar with just enough upheaval to feel like a sound decision. But Kitty’s not supportive. You’ll see.

Marvel.com: What can you tease about any guest stars in ICEMAN #9? Who can we look forward to seeing?

Sina Grace: Northstar fans will be excited to see that Jean-Paul and Kyle have a little moment in the issue, and there are like a dozen cute little cameos readers will have to keep their eyes open for. Beyond that, expect to see the Generation X kids as well!

Marvel.com: What do you love about artist Robert Gill’s work in these issues?

Sina Grace: Robert seems to have a great handle on Daken—the kind of menace I want him to play in this arc. I know that Robert’s a legit X-fan like me, so I tried to sneak in some pretty cool X-moments. Marvel released a pretty awesome spread of X-MEN: GOLD fighting some…“purifiers.” Robert’s one of those rare comic artists that can draw everything, so I’ve been having a blast making him handle comedy, drama, horror, and action!

Sina Grace and artist Robert Gill’s ICEMAN #9 drops on January 3!