Fire and Ice #2 expands on the world of the 1983 animated film with the beginning of the war! between two kingdoms! Re:cap Fire and Ice #1 - Kaledan, the son of Queen Juliana, ruler of Icepeak, has killed a hunting party from Firekeep. The only survivor, Larn, is sent to the witch, Roliel. In the jungles of the Riverlands, the raiders are watched by Teegra and her mother.
Roliel has allied to Juliana, and also in her hut is her Sub-human son, Otwa. In a two page spread, Teegra’s mother and her sabertooth tiger, Forest Ghost, burst into the hut! She has thrown her spear into the side of Otwa. In the chaos, everyone runs with Otwa following Teegra and her mother. Otwa stops the pursuit to battle a horse with his club. The rider of the horse, Dark Wolf, leaps down with his axe!
The cover of the second issue is by Joseph Michael Linser who has Queen Juliana summon an image of Kaledan! “The Price of Power” is by the creative team of Bill Willingham and Leonardo Manco. It opens with a splash page of Dark Wolf bringing down his axe on Otwa! The next page is a splash page of Otwa’s grisly fate! Dark Wolf pulls free his axe and Otwa groans, still alive! He bashes Dark Wolf and even his horse is thrown by the Sub-human! He collapses afterwards. At Icepeak Citadel, Juliana’s other son, the white-haired Nekron, carries in the body of Kaledon. He explains that he was going to contact him when he saw an assassin over his body.
Queen Juliana is stunned rising from her throne. Nekon explains that the assassin had the red cloak of Prince Taro’s dragonhawk riders. Um, not with his jealousy of Kaledon. He presents his mother with a severed finger with a ring which he says is from the assassin. He explains the dragonhawk is how the assassin escaped. Juliana says that Nekron couldn’t have been a match of a warrior who could defeat Kaledon. At th jungle, we see Darkwolf recovering and finding his fallen horse. Dark Wolf gives some of his life to revive Thunder-heart, a healer!, and they follow the blood trail of Otwa. Dark Wolf is about to crush the bleeding Sub-Human who cries out for his mommy. He takes pity on the brute and leaves him.
At a ceremony for Kaledon, Juliana says Nekron is now crown prince, but she staggers because of a “transfer” connected to Roliel! There is a stunning look at the castle of Firekeep right above flows of lava with pterandon-like dragonhawks on patrol. Teegra explains what happened to her father, King Jarol. She says they were saved a protector which Jarol thinks is out of the storybooks. He says that their only defense is to “release the fire.” His queen warns him against using it.
This opens to a two page spread of the Firekeep royal court! The court includes the envoys of the Underdeep fish people with King Opan Kar, along with Dread Lord Mohn of the snake-like Ophidi Kai, and other tribes! Great world building! This feels like the court of Ming in Flash Gordon (1980)! Jarol acknowledges Kal, chief of the Auricrine people which is Larn’s tribe. Also, the people of Teegra’s mother, Panetra Kai, and their chief, Saltu. The alliances are formed, but the war between fire and ice is about to begin! Fire and Ice #2 has savage violence, sorcery, and more of the people in this world before the war breaks out!
Five Spears out of Five!
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