Script: Joanne Starer
Art: Natacha Bustos
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Ariana Maher
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 5th, 2023
If you’ve been itching to see a book with both Lobo and Ma Kent (AKA Clark Kent’s mom) in it, your day has come! In Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #4, as Ice cleans up the disaster that happened last issue and Fire continues her quest for a million views on YouTube, Lobo shows up and the disaster’s just starting! Also, Ma Kent goes to a drag brunch! Fire gets a sponsor! Gentleman Ghost reveals a secret! And is Rocky getting a little TOO friendly with Ice?
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #4 Review.
The Story
Fire & Ice’s friendship becomes even more strained in Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #4, with Ice frustrated by Fire’s willingness to do anything to become a popular influencer. I’ve been loving this series and looking forward to each new issue. If an issue doesn’t make you laugh at least a couple times each issue, you’re deader than Gentleman Ghost. The supporting characters really make the book and give the series the feel of an ensemble show like “Gossip Girl”. There’s Rocky, the waitress at Smallville’s best diner, who’s spunky, pushy and is constantly trying to worm her way into Ice’s life, and if Ice kicks Fire out of her life, what’s the problem?
Tamarind is a shy anxiety-ridden hair dresser who Fire hires to work in her salon. Honey, one of the villains that Fire hired for her YouTube videos, has fallen in love with Tamarind and can control people’s minds, which makes for an interesting dilemma. Then there’s Ma Kent. Yep, Ma Kent, who’s more interesting here than she’s ever been. The way she’s written here reminds me of Ma Kent from the 90’s “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” show. She’s always looking for a new fun experience and has become like a mom to Ice. She’s forever trying to keep Fire from going off the rails too. She’s one of the most enjoyable characters in the series and it’s great to see her in a book where Clark is nowhere to be seen. Then there’s L-Ron, Ambush Bug, Gentleman Ghost and all the other wacky characters Fire brought in to help her with her Tik Tok and YouTube goals. It makes for an almost infinite number of situations and plot points that could easily carry the book through years of fun stories.
Lobo shows up this issue and threatens to become another thorn in Fire’s side. This was my only problem with the issue, it seems like there’s no good reason for him showing up other than he wanted to get in on Fire’s scheme to become the biggest social influencer. Why would he care about that? The guy can cruise the stars and go anywhere he wants. Still, it’s hilarious watching him come in like a gorilla in a glass-blowing factory and wreak havoc on Fire’s plans. Ice and Fire’s characters and eccentricities make them wonderfully complex characters, with Fire’s quick temper and impulsiveness always on display. If the main characters were dull the book would fall apart, but the duo are always a joy to read, and the series has managed to make them individuals that you care about rather than “that cold/flame duo” that they’d been known as in the past, and I appreciate that.
The Art
Natacha Bustos’s art on Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #4 enhances the sitcom style of the book, adding physical humor and character quirks to many areas of the book. There are a few hilarious visual gags this issue, including one where Fire has her sponsor’s logo in the most amusing place possible, and it adds another level to the book.
Final Thoughts
Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #4 is another fantastic issue of the series. It’s full of fun and fascinating characters, has a lot of hilarious moments and feels like those DeMatteis/Giffen Justice League comics that were so enjoyable in the 80’s and 90’s. It bucks the current trend of every comic having to be grim and dark, and hopefully DC will do more series like this in the future. Highly recommended.