Writer: Eve Ewing
Artist: Luciano Vecchio
Release Date: August 14, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

On the search for more information on this “Ten Rings” organization lead by the mysterious Midnight’s Fire, Riri has gone to Wakanda. She now has to find the mystical Wellspring of Power before anyone from the Ten Rings does.

Are some words of encouragement from Doctor Strange and Ironman enough to inflate Riri’s ego enough to fill her legacy forefather’s shoes? Or will Shuri slap this young whippersnapper into shape? With little of R.E.S.P.E.C.T., what do you mean to me!

If you are looking for a young children’s comic this is what you’re looking for. It reads a lot like a Saturday morning cartoon of yesteryear. Eve Ewing tells a decent story. But, I haven’t felt captivated with the Ten Rings and Midnight’s Fire. So this very big moment of Shuri and Riri meeting for the first time felt very formulaic in execution and lacking in heart. I also feel that Eve Ewing loses the voice of Riri from time to time in this series and this is one of those issues.

The art is still pretty good. Unfortunately, there really isn’t much for the art team to draw except standing around and talking. They had opportunities to draw some beautiful architecture or destroyed architecture but that just stayed in the background sadly.

We open with Tony Stark encouraging Riri, giving her information on Wakanda, and clearance to go. Riri instead of going through the front door of Shuri’s palace decides to yell at the window. I guess hoping it can open somehow? Luckily Shuri is standing right on the other side with a funny one-liner, a smirk, and a window crank.

Being the fast-talking no-nonsense genius in Ironman armor that she is (sarcasm) Riri sheds all formalities and cuts to the chase. Leaving Shuri to pump the brakes and say, “ah-uh no you didn’t.” We get four pages of backtalk and sass until something evil comes along to slap some forward progression into this story.

A localized earthquake happens and it is directed at the Capital of Wakanda. Some shadows crawl out of the crack and Riri and Shuri fight them and four pages later we get ten more pages of rescuing, rebuilding, and coming together on the common ground of let’s go find this Wellspring of Power….but wait who’s this? There is going to be another joining the team? Maybe she will be able to shine some light on this Silhouette cast across Chicago and maybe shortly the world by Midnight’s Fire?! (play suspenseful music here)

Final Thoughts:

Not as entertaining as I had hoped for the first meeting of these two intellectually intriguing characters. Hopefully we have gotten the first date fight jitters out of our system in this issue and next, we can get some more inspirational collaboration directed towards the big bad.

6.5/10