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A review by bookgazing
Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart, Volume 1: Riri Williams by Brian Michael Bendis
3.0
There were so many things I loved about Ironheart! I loved the idea of Riri as a kind of anti-Loki; the smart child that does get all the love and validation they need to keep them on the right path. I loved how real Riri's emotions, and the emotions of those around her, felt. This is very much a superhero origin story welded out of grief, love, and science. I loved that the comic let her make some comments about feminism. I loved that Riri is yet another kid shaped by the mentor-ship of Tony Stark, as benevolent, beleaguered adult Tony Stark is the only Ironman I really care about outside of the RDJ incarnation. However, it was great to see that she is also very much on the same level (probably even on a higher level as she still has so much growing up to do) as Tony intellectually and technically. I would kill for Riri to get to team up with Shuri now and learn even more from her. And, on that note, I'm really glad there are so many significant women in her life, especially her mother who reminds her to eat. The set of panels focusing on her mother's feelings were full of such strong emotion, and it's almost a shame we don't get to see more of her inner thoughts throughout the comic.
There have been some criticisms of this comic - namely that sometimes Riri and Natalie look like they've been drawn older than their years; a particular concern after Paul Williams' awful variant cover surfaced. While I agree that in the shooting scene Natalie and Riri look like they've been drawn a little too old for their age, I also think Riri and Natalie generally look like the teens they are. Very cool teens, but teens nonetheless. The detail paid to Riri's facial expressions is wonderful, and I think that's part of what makes her instantly such a distinct character with such a youthful vibe. She can't yet keep what's in her heart from appearing on her face, and that shows in the comics.
The other big critical point I've seen people make about Ironheart is that Riri and her family's lives are informed by gun violence, and that this may be a lazy, stereotypical tack to take when creating a black superhero character. And while shootings are typical in superhero origin stories I think that criticism is really worth bearing in mind. I'll be continuing on with this comic, and will be interested to see how it evolves.
There have been some criticisms of this comic - namely that sometimes Riri and Natalie look like they've been drawn older than their years; a particular concern after Paul Williams' awful variant cover surfaced. While I agree that in the shooting scene Natalie and Riri look like they've been drawn a little too old for their age, I also think Riri and Natalie generally look like the teens they are. Very cool teens, but teens nonetheless. The detail paid to Riri's facial expressions is wonderful, and I think that's part of what makes her instantly such a distinct character with such a youthful vibe. She can't yet keep what's in her heart from appearing on her face, and that shows in the comics.
The other big critical point I've seen people make about Ironheart is that Riri and her family's lives are informed by gun violence, and that this may be a lazy, stereotypical tack to take when creating a black superhero character. And while shootings are typical in superhero origin stories I think that criticism is really worth bearing in mind. I'll be continuing on with this comic, and will be interested to see how it evolves.