2020 Ironheart #1 is an interesting comic. It’s a tie-in miniseries to two different events that appear to be happening at the same time. Focused on Riri Williams, Ironheart, the issue takes on the current “2020” storyline playing out in Iron Man but also the “Outlawed” story impacted Marvel‘s younger heroes.

In “2020” Arno Stark has taken over Tony’s company and decides to wage a ware against Artificial Intelligence. In “Outlawed,” legislation has been passed banning kid superheroes. It’s two very different stories but writers Vita Ayala and Danny Lore brilliantly focus the issue on the morality of both plotlines.

2020 Ironheart #1 isn’t an action comic. Sure, there are some scenes involving out of control AI-powered cars. But, at its core, the comic is Riri debating her artificial intelligence, N.A.T.A.L.I.E. about what they should do. In this debate, the roles are reversed from expectations. Riri is the cold, logical individual, while N.A.T.A.L.I.E. is full of emotion. It’s an interesting thing to read as it plays out and circumvents expectations of a superhero comic where you’d expect them to punch things most of an issue. Instead, comes off more as a thought-provoking play than a blockbuster movie.

The art by David Messina is good. With color by Mattia Iacono and lettering by Joe Caramagna, visually the comic is solid though doesn’t quite suck you in. There’s some solid sequences when it comes to the action but the comic is about the quieter moments. Those quieter moments never quite deliver visually. And, that’s hard to do generally. The comic feels more cerebral than emotional and part of that is the visuals never quite connect emotionally. Still, they do the job in telling the story.

2020 Ironheart #1 is a good comic. But, unless you’re invested in the character or the two storylines that are connected, it’s hard to say this is a must get. Still, there’s some solid moments and debate about the role of superheroes within.

Story: Vita Ayala, Danny Lore Art: David Messina
Color: Mattia Iacono Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 8.15 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.25 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: comiXology – Kindle