The legendary collaboration between Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta, Fire and Ice is a story of swords, sorcery, and rotoscoped adventure. But before that story, there was this one. Your Major Spoilers review of Fire and Ice #2 from Dynamite Entertainment awaits!

FIRE AND ICE #2

Writer: Bill Willingham
Artist: Leonardo Manco
Colorist: Leonardo Manco
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 6, 2023

Previously in Fire and Ice: To save Darah and Teegra, Darkwolf faces off against the witch Roliel’s son, Otwa, in a deadly duel to the death. At Icepeak, Juliana discovers her beloved son Kaledan has been murdered, and Nekron blames it on assassins from the Fire Realm. Now any chance at peacefully resolving the conflict between Fire and Ice has died with Kaledan.

At Fire Keep, King Jarol convenes a war summit with the leaders of all the free peoples – but is it too little, too late?

CHAPTER II: THE PRICE OF POWER

We open with the hero, Darkwolf, in the midst of a pitched battle with an angry giant. Though overpowered, he manages with axe and spear to bring the giant down. He uses his magic to heal his horse, Thunderheart, leaving the wounded giant behind. He laments that he can’t kill a helpless foe, even worrying that he’ll come to regret it, setting out once more.

In the citadel of Icepeak, the wizard Nekron returns home, carrying the body of his brother, Kaledan. She is horrified that her favorite son is dead, while he is bitter that she doesn’t hide that fact. When he offers to send out their forces to avenge Kaledan, she orders him to send… everything. All their armies, all their allies, all the monsters in their dungeon. She’s also having problems with a spell she has cast, problems which suddenly have her racing the clock. Oh, and as for the Fire Keep and their allies, they don’t see the trouble brewing, but young Larn does.

A TRIBUTE TO FRAZETTA

It’s been a long time since I’ve watched the 1983 film, but when this story was promoted as a prequel, I didn’t think that they meant that we’d see everything the movie told us had already happened in such a straightforward manner. There is some nice dialogue here, especially from Otwa the Giant and Queen Juliana, but the plot feels a little bit bare-bones to me. Of course, that’s not the point. This issue is a chance to see Manco fully embrace Frazetta’s style, going fully painted crazy on these pages. The opening splash page features Darkwolf dropping from the trees onto an already-bleeding Otwa, and gets better from there. Everything is beautifully rendered, from Juliana’s anguish-into-madness, to the stoic face of Larn, who is totally NOT Conan, on the final page. It’s a visual tour de force, worth your four dollars by itself.

BOTTOM LINE: WORTH LOOKING INTO

In short, while I don’t usually like to recommend a comic book based solely on the art or the story, Fire and Ice #2 is a book where the art is so lovely, you don’t care that the story is a little paint-by-numbers, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. If you’ve never seen the film, this may be a little bit hard to parse at first, but there’s nothing bad enough that you can’t continue being amazed at the images on the page.

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FIRE AND ICE #2

83%

83%

The art is beautiful and even the most bizarre moments of the plot work thanks to that, including a coloring job that's first-rate work.

• Writing

  5
• Art

  10
• Coloring

  10
• User Ratings (1 Votes)
  9