Review by Frank Plowright

As a break from Ironheart’s ongoing problems with a super shady organisation, Eve L. Ewing opens Ten Rings with a manifestation of the zombie apocalypse, something that strangely delights Riri’s friend Xavier. He’s more than prepared to boot up and kick butt, but fortunately Ironheart also has the Wasp on hand to help out.

She’s not the only guest star Ewing uses. When she wrote Ironheart it was just a side gig for the enormously accomplished Ewing, who probably didn’t figure she’d go on to write other Marvel material. So, considering Ironheart a one-off, she factors in other characters she’d like to play around with. Riri remains central, but the likes of Doctor Strange, Shuri and definite obscurity Silhouette squeeze out the supporting cast that were so appealing in Those With Courage, which is a shame. However, there is the treat of the way Ewing has Riri and Shuri at odds with each other before bonding over a love of technical engineering.

On the other hand, the overall plot still thrills. Ewing removes Riri from her comfort zone by involving magical elements, and the Ten Rings organisation is revealed to have far greater ambition than first assumed.

Once again, the art is by Luciano Vecchio, with the mysterious Geoffo now receiving full credit for layouts on Vecchio’s pages. The result is page after page of imagination combined with a cast who have visual personalities. It’s all very attractive, and the digital additions and colouring of Matt Milla emphasises the skill.

Ten Rings is a continued story rather than the connected chapters of the previous volume, and it’s also more action oriented, building toward a considerable and well planned disappointment for Riri. It plays imaginatively into the doubts Riri’s been having, and enables a continuation for any writer wanting to pick up the plots. While not quite as entertaining as the opening volume, Ten Rings is still well above average superhero thrills.

This can also be found combined with the opening volume as the smaller format paperback Meant to Fly.