Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville Teases New Romances in Issue #2 Preview (Exclusive)

As the Dawn of DC initiative has continued across this year, it has brought some entertaining and unexpected books to new readers — and Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville is no exception. The six-issue miniseries, written by Joanne Starer with art by Natacha Bustos, ushered in a new normal for Beatriz da Costa / Fire and Tora Olafsdotter / Ice last month, and it looks like things are only heading up from there. DC has provided ComicBook.com with an exclusive glimpse at Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #2, which is available wherever comics are sold this week. As Starer tells ComicBook.com, the blend of absurdity and romance will hit a new peak in Issue #2, and will definitely reverberate into future issues.

"Issue #2 of Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville is where things start to get really zany," Starer explains. "Fire threw down a challenge to the villains of the world, but Superman put a stop to that. So now she's looking for other ways to remain relevant and in the public eye. So she's enlisted the help of L-Ron and…Ambush Bug?? Ok, look, she's a 30-something superhero trying to get famous on the internet. The phrase "hijinks ensue" has never been more applicable." 

As far as romances go, Starer teases that Fire will have no shortage of potential love interests — including Charlie Rhoades, a newly-created "himbo" character whose approach to being in a wheelchair is inspired by her own real-life experiences with a disability.

"Things are also heating up on the romance front," Starer shares. "Tam, our local hairdresser, has quite a crush on someone you'll meet in this issue—someone a little dangerous. You'll also meet Charlie Rhoades, who owns a bar in town. He would absolutely like to get to know Fire better. And Ambush Bug is fighting for Fire's attention as well. But right now, Fire is mostly in love with herself. So who knows what will happen? Will Lobo change any of that when he comes to town in issue 4?" 

"Charlie is a character that really came from my own experiences with a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos," Starer adds. "While I'm fully mobile some days, I've had a number of joint surgeries and go through periods where I'm heavily reliant on mobility aids. And I've learned that people certainly have an expectation of what disability looks like. When I request a wheelchair at the airport, for instance, 9 out of 10 times, I'm met with an incredulous, "For you??" Because many people expect the disabled to look sick, or old, or weak. So I wanted to have Charlie be just this HOT dude—he knows he's hot and everyone else does too. The wheels don't change that. And honestly, I didn't want it to be a huge thing we talked about in the book or otherwise, because your disability shouldn't define you. I think Charlie's defining characteristic is that he's a himbo."

What Is Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #2 About?

FIRE & ICE: WELCOME TO SMALLVILLE #2

• Art by JOANNE STARER
• Cover by TERRY DODSON
• Variant cover by GREG SMALLWOOD
• 1:25 variant cover by JOSHUA "SWAY" SWABY
• $3.99 US | 32 pages | 2 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
• ON SALE 10/3/23
• What's a Smallville fight club without any fighters? While Ice discovers the magic of community heroism—no superpowers required—Fire's latest scheme to restore their former glory brings Ambush Bug(?!) to town, but their violent attempts at viral fame go unnoticed by the world. Could a chance encounter with Smallville's hottest bartender show Fire the light? Or will the sparks that fly between them burn the town to the ground? It's Fire we're talking about, so…probably the latter?

What do you think of the newest look at Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #2 will be released wherever comics are sold on Tuesday, October 3rd.