Chicago Poet Eve Ewing to Write Marvel’s Ironheart

Chicago-based poet Eve Ewing will be writing Marvel’s Ironheart comic series, Marvel announced on Monday.

The announcement comes on the heels of the massive critical acclaim Ewing earned for her 2017 poetry collection Electric Arches, including the Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award, the American Library Association’s Alex Award and a place on The Paris Review’s Staff Picks. Ewing was touring in support of Electric Arches when she was approached by Marvel, following a Change.org petition organized by her fans.

Ironheart follows the adventures of Riri Williams, a genius-intellect black teenager from Chicago who is able to recreate the Iron Man suit. The character was introduced following the Civil War II series, where she took the mantle of Iron Man during Tony Stark’s absence, before becoming a superhero in her own right.

Ewing says she has a lot in common with the character. “She was born and raised in Chicago, but because she’s a superhero, her adventures take her all over the place,” Ewing told the Chicago Tribune. “She also had a lab at MIT, that’s also kind of her headquarters.” Ewing was raised in Chicago and attended Harvard.

Ewing says she wants to focus on fleshing out Riri as a teenage girl. “What bands does she like? What hobbies is she embarrassed about? What’s the state of her fridge?” Ewing said in Marvel’s announcement.

Ewing is also bringing her background as a sociological scholar to the broader questions of Riri’s character and her views on justice. “Ironheart symbolizes what happens when you combine incredible strength and might with a sense of love, care, and a true desire for justice,” she continued. “Not just punishment or showing off or short-term solutions, but real justice.”

IRONHEART #1 will make its debut on Wednesday, Nov. 7, with Ewing writing and Kevin Libranda (CHAMPIONS) drawing. See the uncropped cover (illustrated by Amy Reeder) down below.