Warning! Contains spoilers for Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1!Lighthearted fun and humor have returned to the DC Universe with Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1. This easygoing adventure for the Justice League International heroes provides a much-needed levity amid the DCU’s dramatic events.
Fire and Ice are classic members of Justice League International, the dramatic shakeup of the iconic team in the late ’80s. Fire, aka Beatriz da Costa, is a model/entertainer turned secret agent who gained pyrokinetic powers. Ice is Tora Olafsdotter, a young woman from a Norweigan tribe who can control ice and snow. Recently, the two landed in a bit of hot water in the backup story of Power Girl Special #1, which saw Fire get into a confrontation with Ice’s ex, Green Lantern Guy Gardner. After nearly endangering Baltimore, Superman recommended the two take some time off and work out their issues in a more relaxed environment: Smallville.
Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville Brings the Heart and the Laughs
Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1 by Joanne Starer and Natacha Bustos picks up right where things left off for the duo. Bea and Tora take over a salon, and while Ice is happy for the fresh start, Fire looks for ways to earn the respect of the superhero community. Ice adapts to the quaint town and hires a stylist named Tamarind to help run the salon. Meanwhile, Fire puts out an open challenge to the world’s supervillains and winds up bringing King Shark to town. The stunt drives a major wedge between the two as Bea’s impulsiveness goes too far for Tora to defend anymore. As the two friends begin drifting, Ice opens up the salon and is welcomed into the community. Meanwhile, Fire begins working on her next superhero fight: A bout with Ambush Bug.
Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville gets a lot of mileage out of its two main characters’ radically different personalities. Fire drives much of the story’s comedy, from her cringe-worthy challenge video to her misguided plan to beat up a D-Lister. But beyond the book’s humorous side, there’s an earnest, emotional core that explores the difficulties of friendship and the challenges of starting over. That’s saying nothing of Bustos’ charming art that really gives life to Smallville and its down-home nature. With so much drama going on in the DCU, Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville is a pleasant break from the norm.
Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1 Gives Fans A Simple, But Lovely Story
Between Knight Terrors ending and the “Gotham War” crossover just getting started, there have been a lot of high-stakes events in the DC Universe. Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1 is a simple slice-of-life story that eschews the traditional drama of superhero stories. Instead, it’s a cozy little tale that examines the ups and downs of friendship using a fan-favorite pair of superhero BFFs. It’s not a story that’s going to see Fire and Ice teaming up to save the world, but it’s a fun opening to a story that’s new-reader-friendly and offers comic book readers a lighter change of pace from some of the heavier comic book offerings. DC Comics’ Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1 is on sale now.
