REVIEW: 'Fire And Ice' #1 by Bill Willingham and Leonardo Manco

 

FIRE AND ICE #1 

Writer: Bill Willingham

Artist: Leonardo Manco

Letterer: Taylor Esposito

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Release Date: August 2, 2023

Cover Price: $3.99

In stores August 2

A FANTASY CLASSIC RETURNS TO LIFE WITH AN ALL-NEW PREQUEL SERIES!

More than four decades ago, two iconic creators came together to bring to the silver screen an amazing new world of magic and adventure. In their classic animated film Fire and Ice, legendary artist FRANK FRAZETTA and famed director RALPH BAKSHI crafted a unique vision of beauty and danger, of good versus evil, all cast against a hypnotic backdrop of savage prehistoric splendor. Now, at long last, this timeless vision is expanding into comics with the first new story to revisit Frazetta and Bakshi's remarkable realm since 1982!

Before the fire waned and the ice spread across the world...before Teegra met Larn...before everything you know about the unforgettable animated movie came to be, there were the before times - times when evil might still be blunted, times when innocence was not yet lost. In Fire and Ice #1, acclaimed comics writer BILL WILLINGHAM (Fables, Legenderry) joins forces with artist LEONARDO MANCO (Hellstorm: Prince of Lies, Blaze of Glory) - making his triumphant return to comics - and a new legend is about to be born!

Score:

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

QUICK REVIEW: It's no easy task to create a prequel comic to the seminal animated dark fantasy classic, 'Fire and Ice,' which was made by two legends, Frank Frazetta and Ralph Bakshi. Who better to write this than 'Fables' creator Bill Willingham who knows a thing or two about fantasy. Bill wastes no time in immersing readers into the world of 'Fire and Ice' with a brief exposition spoken by the leader of a band of hunters providing all the context you need to get started. Between the warring factions of the Fire and Ice kingdoms, tribes like these are caught in the middle and in danger of becoming collateral damage. With a power-hungry Ice queen, Juliana, nothing will stop her from crushing the Fire kingdom. Part Shakespearean drama, part primal sword & sorcery, Willingham offers a dense story that is fast-paced and surprisingly light on its feet. Once the action gets going, it's a freight train of action and intrigue. Artist Leonardo Manco does an admirable job of paying homage to Franzetta while making the design of the series his own. It's incredibly dynamic in its action sequences with a rawness to it that's visceral. Willingham and Manco do justice to Franzetta and Bakshi with this exciting and beautiful new series that adds to the lore of 'Fire and Ice' that is simply captivating.