Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over #3 – Joanne Starer, Writer; Stephen Byrne, Artist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Now that Fire and Ice’s bodyswap adventure has gone from bad to worse – putting their friends in each other’s bodies as well – the two mismatched friends are forced to take desperate measures. They contact Jason Blood (who rooms with a talking pillow, apparently) for help in heading to Hell and reversing the curse. There’s just one problem – they’ve been there before, and it was to retrieve Tora’s soul from Hell. And the demons still want them back. The demonic realm is gorgeously rendered by Stephen Byrne, and some of the tests they face there are deeply creepy. Back on Earth, there are some interesting segments involving the characters in their new bodies – tackling topics like ableism and racism – and others that are just plain silly, mostly dealing with the ridiculous character of Smarty Pants, the supervillain with his parents’ brains in his butt. Overall, this comic has a very specific vibe that’s growing on me by the issue.
DC vs. Vampires: World War V #10 – Matthew Rosenberg, Cecil Castellucci, Writers; Otto Schmidt, Marley Zarcone, Artists; Pierluigi Casolino, Marissa Louise, Colorists
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: As we get close to the second year finale of this series, Matt Rosenberg gets to indulge some of his darkest instincts. Scott Free has returned to Earth with his child and the heroes and their vampire allies are seeking to parlay with Darkseid. While at first he resists, he eventually chooses to confront his greatest fear – his father. Meanwhile, Damian and his two grandfathers rescue Black Alice, who might be the key to the whole thing. While the banter between Alfred and Ra’s Al Ghul is probably the funniest part of this comic, the tone of the book as a whole is almost unceasingly black. Characters like Damian do things that are unfathomable for them to do in continuity, and it’s treated largely with a shrug. Then comes a betrayal that resets the entire field of battle for the series, and the issue ends with a death that I definitely did not see coming.
There’s also a short backup by Castellucci and Zarcone, focusing on Loma – better known as Shade the Changing Girl. This is a direct follow-up to Castellucci and Zarcone’’s series of the same name from the now-defunct Young Animal line. It’s brilliantly surreal, with Loma using her hallucinogenic powers to lure vampires and allow them to be staked – but this tactic is wearing on her, and the hope for a better destination seems further and further away. This feels so different from the rest of the series that it’s worth the purchase alone.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
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