Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville was a fun lark of a book, a superhero sitcom set in Smallville, focusing on former Justice League International members Fire and Ice. A lot has changed for the duo since then, thanks to the events of Absolute Power — and writer Joanne Starer and artist Stephen Byrne use those changes to deliver a series that is even more riotously funny and fun than the first one.
In the first issue of the new DC Comics series, Fire and Ice are back in Smallville, and have switched powers, per the end of Absolute Power. So Fire has ice powers, and Ice has fire powers. You get it! Basically, they’re not handling it well, and as usual, things go from bad to worse when they try to fix the problem. Or, more specifically, Fire tries to fix the problem by wishing on a monkey’s paw she steals from Zatanna that they could be matched back with their own powers. What happens? They wake up in each other’s bodies, instead.
Full disclosure, I’m a total sucker for body-switching comedies, so I’m an easy mark for this sort of thing. But the body switch isn’t introduced until the final pages of the issue, so what makes this work is the fun and light character dynamics threaded throughout the book. Fire and Ice are well-established, of course, through decades of comic books. But the supporting cast that was introduced in the first series really gets to shine here now that Starer has hit her groove. It’s comparable to the second season of a sitcom, when the comedic voices of the characters and their recurring bits have been solidified (see: any sitcom in history). It’s less about setting up the jokes than hitting those notes over and over.
Byrne is an able conspirator here in this, with his light, cartoony designs playing into the comedy while not forgoing some more dramatic moments as well. It’s a fun book to look at that, if you handed to someone off the street, might make them think it was based on an animated series (and hey, maybe it should be).
Starer has been on a roll lately at DC with the excellent Harley Quinn Fartacular (yes, really), and now this book. There’s an opening for character drama and comedy that’s missing in most mainstream comics, and it’s exciting to see it thrive under her pen. Here’s hoping there’s plenty more to come.
Fire And Ice: When Hell Freezes Over #1 Rating:
Fire And Ice: When Hell Freezes Over #1 Official Synopsis:
SPINNING OUT FROM THE PAGES OF ABSOLUTE POWER AND THE DC ALL IN SPECIAL! In the pages of DC’s Absolute Power event, Fire and Ice had finally achieved what Fire always wanted. The dynamic duo made a glorious return to the ranks of the Justice League — and during a major world crisis, no less! But when the crisis was overcome, the smoke had cleared, and all the superpowers were restored, Ice found herself shooting off uncontrollable spurts of fire, and Fire had ice crystals forming at her fingertips. Oops. With their powers switched and no solution in sight, Fire and Ice tuck tail and regroup in Smallville, where they realize their predicament makes them something worse than has-been heroes: menaces to the local community they’ve come to love. But Fire’s always got a plan, no matter how shortsighted! And when she goes digging around in Zatanna’s bag of tricks for a quick fix in the middle of karaoke night… what could possibly go wrong? Aside from, y’know, everything. Again. Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville writer Joanne Starer teams up with fan-favorite artist Stephen Byrne, returning Fire and Ice to Kansas for another raucous romp full of heart and humor in the midst of their own personal hell!
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