Ironheart: Bad Chemistry #1- Chicago Under Attack

Seems like someone is out to get Ironheart. Writer John Jennings, Artist Jethro Morales, Colorist Andrew Dalhouse, and Letterer Ariana Maher crafted a beautiful story. 

We kick off with Riri and Khem fighting in the skies of Chicago. This is an intense fight, and it’s super interesting to see both of them fighting. Riri then proceeds to get a boulder stuck on her head. The boulder also makes her look like Mysterio for a moment. She is then able to get it off her head, and continues to fight Khem. 

But before Riri can attack again, Khem goes and teleports away. We then see what happened inside the museum. We then learn that the Philosopher’s Stone has gone missing. It’s also mentioned that the stone has attempted to have been used against the Fantastic Four. Riri then decides to go and pay Khem’s dad a visit. 

Meanwhile, Khem teleports to an unmarked location with the stone. She is having a conversation with Basil and mentions that she wants Ironheart and her whole city to be brought to their knees. The comic cuts back to Riri and she is at the Grad Student Housing on the U of Chicago Campus. 

She then proceeds to go and talk to Curtis to get any info possible. After he tells Riri everything, we cut back to Khem. She is in the middle of getting info from the Pyramid Almanac. Cutting back to Riri, she and Curtis are calling Curtis’ brother. The 3 of them have a somewhat civil discussion about Khem. After that, Riri powers into her suit, and goes and tries to find Khem. 

Khem then takes the Philosopher’s Elixir, and her powers get upgraded. We then see her destroying buildings, and everyone is running for their lives. Riri then flies in, and a battle ensues. Khem then controls the crowd, and tries to get them to take out Ironheart. That plan fails as Riri stops Khem. 

From there, Curtis shows up in his armored suit. Khem immediately destroys the suit, and Riri jumps in and attacks her. Ironheart then makes Khem’s new powers explode, and she takes a lot of hits from Riri. Khem and Basil proceed to teleport out, and Riri goes and helps Curtis. 

The final panels show both Khem and Curtis recovering from the fight, and Ironheart flying through Chicago. 

Overall Grade: 10/10 

I love Ironheart as a character, so anytime Marvel Comics makes a new story with her, I get excited. This is a fantastic one-off, and I hope we get a news series starting for her soon. Let Us Know Your Thoughts In The Comments Below: