Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1 (2023)

Fire and Ice's chance to start a new life in Smallville has literally gone up in flames. The Big Tease, the beauty salon they had bought together, is on fire and Ice blames Fire for this, while Fire complains that Ice and Superman will never let her hear the end of it. Two weeks ago, Fire and Ice had just arrived at Smallville. At Superman's suggestion, Fire and Ice were gonna stay at the Kent farm so they could think about what they wanted to do with their lives, but Fire instead decided to buy their house and had asked their robot companion, L-Ron, to find a suitable headquarters. Unfortunately, the only place L-Ron could find was a beauty salon, the Big Tease, which Fire and Ice bought with their life savings. Ice is excited over a fresh start and even thinks they can make the Big Tease with her background in fashion, but Fire feels like their journey at Smallville feels like a huge step backwards for her. Bea thinks Superman sent them to Smallville the same way a stern parent would send his unruly children to their room, but Tora replies that Superman just wanted the girls to have change of perspective, something that Bea clearly needs after she started a fight with Guy Gardner and endangered innocent bystanders. Martha Kent has come to visit the girls at their new home and even brought a fresh apple pie for them. She also thinks it's nice for Smallville to have its own superheroes, especially after the entire world no longer knows that Clark and Superman are the same person. Fire is frustrated that nothing excited ever happens at Smallville, and Ice apologizes for her friend's behavior, but Martha thinks the two girls balance each other. Martha also introduces Ice to Tamarind, a girl who previously worked at the Big Tease before the bank closed it down. Tamarind asks for a job at her old place and Ice agrees to hire her, even though Tamarind doesn't have a good first impression of Fire and L-Ron. As Fire goes to her room to film a video with L-Ron, Martha invites Ice to a diner, where Ice admits that she envies Martha's life with Jonathan and Clark. When Martha asks Tora if she wants a normal life, however, Tora admits that she doesn't know. Martha's friend, a waitress named Rocky, joins the conversation and shows Ice a video that Fire posted on social media. In the video, Fire proclaims Ice and herself to be veteran superheroes and thus, challenges any fame-hungry supervillain to go for Smallville for a fight. Later that night, King Shark arrives at Smallville, having paid attention to Fire's video. Before Fire and King Shark can exchange blows, however, Superman easily captures King Shark, much to Fire's disappoint, as she saw this as a chance to be taken seriously as a superheroine. Ice is disappointed and outraged that Fire's thirst for attention would lead her into provoking a fight with a supervillain. Fire is angry that Superman ruined her chance to be taken seriously, but Ice replies that it was thanks to Superman that the situation didn't get any worse and maybe they should consider the possibility that superheroism isn't for them. Surprised by Ice's words, Fire just goes back to her room. The next day, Martha has invited her book club into the Big Tease and while Tora tends to their new customers, Tamarind goes to Bea's room to see if she's okay. Bea, however, is too busy planning her next step to become famous and it involves filming a fight with Ambush Bug.