Absolute Power set a number of smaller but no less compelling stories in motion thanks to Amanda Waller’s power tampering, including everyone’s favorite Justice Leaguers Fire and Ice. Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over picks up the story as the two best friends attempt to handle everyday life with their powers switched, and spoiler, it’s not going so well. The fun of Fire & Ice is in the complicated feelings that the power switch opens up and the powerful friendship at the center of it all, and the issue sets the table well for even bigger things to come.
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As with any #1, it’s important to give newcomers a chance to catch up, and Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over #1 does this brilliantly. Not only does it provide quick descriptions of the key characters, but it gets you up to speed on what happened in the last series in a succinct and lighthearted way that rolls you right into the next chapter. It’s a small thing, but it makes a huge difference.
While Fire and Ice are obviously the book’s main draw, enough can’t be said about the supporting cast of characters that writer Joanne Starer has surrounded them with. Tamarind, Linka, and L-Ron are constant highlights throughout the issue, as is Martha Kent, and some of the book’s most critical moments involve those three in some form or fashion.
On the art side of the equation, Byrne and Maher are a killer duo and couldn’t be more perfect for Fire and Ice’s power set and abilities, especially now that those abilities have been switched over. Fire and Ice are walking pops of color in every single scene thanks to Byrne’s vibrant work, while Maher’s stellar lettering allows their powers to leap off the page. The expressiveness found on those pages is immensely impressive as well, especially as Fire gets a bit more of a spotlight in the book’s closing pages.
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One of my favorite aspects of the issue is a conversation that dives into assumptions made about a power switch and the unfortunate realities of why it’s not as easy to deal with as it might seem. Those conversations lay the groundwork for a major switch up towards the book’s closing moments that promises much bigger things moving forward. While Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over #1 sets the table well, the future is even brighter.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Published by DC Comics
On April 9, 2025
Written by Joanne Starer
Art by Stephen Byrne
Letters by Ariana Maher
What did you think of Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things comics with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
