Riri “Ironheart” Williams is carving out a niche for herself as a superhero specializing in missing person cases. The first arc of the Ironheart ongoing had Riri searching for an old friend from high school who had disappeared, and now she’s embarking on a solo mission to find her Champions teammate, Miles “Spider-Man” Morales. That opening storyline reinforced Riri’s connection to her hometown of Chicago, putting Riri in the middle of a local political scheme tied to a larger organization trying to add Riri to its ranks. It also gave Riri a new supporting cast and status quo, putting her in charge of an after-school safe space for the youth she rescues.
As the writer of the current Marvel Team-Up revival, Eve Ewing is exploring how younger heroes in the Marvel Universe interact with each other and their adult colleagues. This preview of next week’s Ironheart #6 establishes that Riri and Miles are in a much more dire situation than the body-swap shenanigans Kamala Khan and Peter Parker are dealing with in MTU. Ewing sets high stakes early by starting the story in media res, and the art by Kevin Libranda and colorist Matt Milla creates a strong sense of urgency before lightening the mood for the flashback set-up.
Libranda returns to Ironheart after drawing the majority of the first issue and then handing off art duties to artists Geoffo and Luciano Vecchio, who did fantastic work imbuing Riri’s story with dynamic energy and rich personality. Those qualities still hold true with Libranda, whose animated style enriches both action and expression. The opening two pages of this excerpt takes readers on an intense journey in rapid time, opening with a serene panel of snow-covered trees before jumping to Riri’s panic and revealing the burning wreckage around her and Miles. Milla’s coloring intensifies those shifts by alternating warm and cool palettes, building to a dramatic splash page that puts readers right in Riri’s frightened mindset.
17 Comments
I really can’t get over how bad Riri’s armor looks. She looks like a Mandalorian Baseball Umpire. Her old look with the big clunky looking samurai armor was a lot cooler.
Isn’t her tech based on the Iron Man suit? The clear faceplate is a bad choice
I was just about to comment and ask wtf is she wearing?
Right? She looks like a Gobot.
Me too. It’s hideous. No way this lasts for a long time.
EH I think it works to more clearly differentiate herself from IronMan, unlike her first suit
Second suit. Her first one looked like this: Which isn’t a bad look at all. I love the dichotomy of a cute girl piloting an aggressive looking combat mech. It’s why I always play female characters in games like Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Anthem.
Penni from Spider-verse?
Totes.
Gosh, you dudes are so catty.
Her armor tends to look a little different in the story than on the cover, like her faceplate is usually opaque gold (unless it’s been very recently changed).She looks fine. It’s great that the Ironheart armor is so distinct from the Crimson Dynamos, or Rescues, or Iron Patriots, or even Iron Men of the Marvel universe, because she’s a very different person from the Ivan Vankos, Tony Starks, and Toni Hos that made them. Initially she was inspired by the heroes that came before, now she’s her own hero using her own tastes, experiences, intellect, and culture to shape her world. If you don’t like it, there are a great many more armored warriors to choose from.
Initially she was inspired by the heroes that came before, now she’s her own hero using her own tastes, experiences, intellect, and culture to shape her world. No, she’s a corporate product designed to be as broadly appealing as possible and presently falling flat appearance wise. I happen to enjoy Riri’s character and have done so since her introduction. Doesn’t mean I can’t criticize her look if I don’t enjoy it. If you don’t like it, there are a great many more armored warriors to choose from.lol, wut? Sorry, are you Kinja’s ambassador to Marvel or something?
I’m sorry, is a fan not allowed to enjoy all the heartfelt, yet action packed adventures of Marvel’s many heroes, including the latest wild crossover event “War of the Realms”, available in comic book stores or though your favorite comic buying app without being accused of being a corporate plant?But, sorry, I did overreact. Of course it’s your right to criticize, but the samurai look doesn’t make any sense for her character; she’s not Japanese, and now that Tony Stark is back, she doesn’t need to be Iron Man anymore.She looks more like street art, compared to the sport car look Tony has. I think it’s a good direction to take, if they do modify the art further. I do absolutely agree that the clear version of the helmet looks odd though.
i think the look is fine – it gives me a real Hardware-vibe, kinda clunky and idiosyncratic.speaking of Hardware: anyone hear anything on that Milestone revival they’ve been teasing for like two years now?
The attempt to differentiate Riri’s armor from Iron Man’s is getting worse.
Does anybody really give a shit about Riri, Miles Morales, or Kamala Khan?
kudos and continued success for both these characters and the writer!