DC Comics has been creating content lately, making it look like the company is intentionally trying to sink itself. From Mariko Tamaki writing a self-insert Supergirl Special where Kara struggles with imposter syndrome and depression to Tom King’s Wonder Woman, where Diana is grooming a cancer-laden child, comic book fans wonder how things can get worse. Look no further than Fire & Ice: Welcome To Smallville #5 for the answer.
It’s been a running joke about DC Comics among comic book fans to try to name a DC character who hasn’t been turned gay, and Fire & Ice is no exception. While the two leads have awkward moments where it implies they have a secret lesbian romance, they also have a side character who openly engages in black lesbian fornication while Fire looks on, smirking about it like she’s into the situation.
This flies in the face of the original character, Beatriz da Costa, who was introduced in DC Comics Presents #46 in 1982. The character was a devout Catholic before it was taken over by this modern YA writer, Joanne Starer, who is writing similar self-insert characters and not paying attention to the history of DC Comics, much like other DC writers.
Fire & Ice comes off the heels of Alan Scott Green Lantern, where Tim Sheridan turned Alan Scott into a degenerate who trolls for male prostitutes down at local hookup points in the most recent issue #3. Beyond both being terrible books, Fire & Ice and Alan Scott Green Lantern have more in common—they were initially slated to be ongoing series and then revised to limited series upon poor sales.
DC Comics seems to care little for sales as Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #5 gets even cringier than the lesbian lip-smacking in issue #4. In this issue, first reported by Wes from Thinking Critical on YouTube, a wheelchair-bound disabled character gets robbed by a transgender gorilla and is forced to apologize for “using sex as a weapon” even while he’s getting held up.
Wes reported, saying, “Most people can’t write this bad on purpose. FML.” Hundreds of comments followed echoing the YouTuber’s sentiments about the poor quality of the book.
The page features the gorilla prominently, and it’s very clear the animal is a male of the species, while the characters make a point of calling him “she” repeatedly to gaslight the readers into accepting their narrative.
Fire & Ice Welcome To Smallville’s bad writing isn’t just noticed by right-wing culture war commentators. It’s universally panned across the internet. Even access reviewers like Weird Science: DC Comics report that “this comic is a mess.”
Writer Joanne Starer is undeterred with her push for sexual fetishes in comics that are geared toward kids with their Archie-style art. She commented to one reader on X, stating, “Oh thank you! I really hope there will be more Linka! MORE FEMALE GORILLAS!” indicating her desire for more transgender animals in the comic’s future.
Fire & Ice: Welcome To Smallville has to be one of the worst examples of DC Comics identity politics destroying characters, which says a lot given its recent history.
What do you think of Joanne Starer’s Fire And Ice: Welcome To Smallville from DC Comics? Leave a comment and let us know.
NEXT: Rosario Dawson Indicates Star Wars: Ahsoka May Not Be Back For A Second Season
That looks so terrible. The art is childish and the writing is agenda driven, not story driven. It looks like a tract that a groomer might hand out to childr…Ohhhh.
I was gonna say. That’s the worst art since the original detective comics. I mean, I don’t necessarily approve of the ‘anime-esque’ crap that a lot of titles have been pulling lately since I think Japanese and American superheroes have very different cultural styles and should maintain it, but this… That art is awful.