What a time to be alive!

First, Marvel Comics welcomes not just one, but THREE Black female writers. Then, Marvel Comics introduces Riri Williams, a fictional black female teenager who’s an inventor and engineer, and fights alongside Ironman.

Now, Marvel Comics is featuring both Riri and Ariell Johnson on the cover of The Invinsible Ironman (2016) Issue #1.

So, who the heck is Ariell and why should you care?

Ariell is the founder of Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, Inc. in Philadelphia and is credited with being the first Black woman to own a comic book store…on the East Coast of the United States (I guess someone else was the first Black woman to own a comic book store before Ariell).

What makes this an incredible feat is that the comic book is about Ironman, yet when you look at the cover, Tony Stark (who is Ironman) is placed in the background. RiRi and Ariell are prominently displayed in the front.

Again, what a time to be alive!

To read more about Ariell’s story, including how she was chosen for the cover and how she got into the comicbook world, click here.