There are a lot of comics out there, but some just stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we look at what makes “Unstoppable Wasp” live up to the name as the series is back for another round and expands on the promise of its initial eight issue run.
Who Is This By?
“The Unstoppable Wasp” continues to be written by Jeremy Whitley (“Princeless- Raven: The Pirate Princess”) now with art by the duo of Chifuyu Sasaki and Naoko Kawano who form Gurihiru (various “Avatar: The Last Aribender” comics and “Gwenpool”)
What’s It All About?
In a continuation from the first “Unstoppable Wasp” series in 2017, the book follows Nadia van Dyne and her fellow agents of G.I.R.L.: Taina Miranda, Alexis Miranda, Priya Aggarwal, Ying, and Priscilla Lashayla “Shay” Smith, on their continuing adventures. Currently they are in a somewhat one-sided feud with a new A.I.M. and putting together a G.I.R.L.(Genius In Action Research Labs) Expo.
What Makes It So Great?
“Wasp” doesn’t feel like anything else Marvel is currently publishing. “Wasp” with the Agents of G.I.R.L. reads like some fusion of shojo manga with magical (science) girls and Super Sentai. The Agents of G.I.R.L. are a diverse group of women with their own scientific specialties trying to make things better. Point to the other Marvel, or DC, books where that is the hook? Do they do superhero-y things? Sure, the main action sequence of the first issue involves them stopping an A.I.M. robbery. But we also get long sequences dedicated to Nadia and Janet going out for a night on the town and seeing a prowrestling event. The book has Nadia and her growth at the center of the book, but at the core it’s a book about sisterhood and friendships.
There are general similarities between it and other team books like “Champions” or “West Coast Avengers,” and other female centered books like “All-New Wolverine”/“X-23,” but those titles all feel entrenched in the superhero mold as they deal with heroic legacies and meta level events. Nadia is herself a legacy character, but Whitley’s treatment of Hank Pym and Janet’s shadow is decidedly more on the personal, familial, level. Recent issues are dealing with Hank’s bipoloar disorder and that Nadia might have that as well. That is the kind of subject matter you wouldn’t really find in those other books. Whitley and the art teams have dealt with the cultural legacy of Hank Pym with deft hands, reminding me of how the team behind both “Avatar” series dealt with heavy subjects. Whitley’s script and Gurihiru art also do a good job of drawing a distinction between “action” and “violence,” much in the way the Ant-Man film series dose.
In an era where Marvel rather license away it’s IP to another publisher to create Young Adult/Middle Reader content and fails to have the patience for the growing importance of book trade, “Unstoppable Wasp” is this hidden spearhead to a generation of new readers. I love Laura Kinney, her recent titles are excellent, and the kind I don’t really want to give my young niece yet. Meanwhile, I happily gifted her and her brother, both the initial “Wasp” trades and that’s a series that climaxes in a empathetic discussion about the effects of domestic violence and mental health.
As is the case in “Raven the Pirate Princess” writer Jeremy Whitley shows skill at writing and juggling an ensemble book. Nadia is the star of the book, but it wouldn’t be the same if her fellow Agents of G.I.R.L. weren’t as delightfully characterized. The romance between Shay and Ying running throughout both series is one of the most wholesome and positive things in comics, further documented in this post here. Or the sibling relationship between Taina and Alexis Miranda. Whitley has a way of giving everyone not just a moment in a panel, but pages, that slowly build up until you have this vibrant cast of women.
If the phrase “Magical Science Girls” doesn’t get you to pull this book, maybe comparing it to Geoff Johns run on “Justice Society of America” – not to be confused with his run on “JSA” – will. Both series are ultimately about family, giving them potent emotional anchors as things get delightfully melodramatic. Whitley, like Johns, balances a large cast of awesome female characters in 20 page chunks that both work well as individual episodes and a serialized narrative. If you want good long running narratives with a strong supporting cast that could easily fill several special issues, read “Wasp.”
Continued belowI wouldn’t consider myself a fashionable person, I like monocolor Dickies T-shirts and cargo shorts. Yet, the costume design by Gurihiru makes me appreciate fashion. The art by Gurihiru in general is a key to the current series success. They give this book a manga inspired look, much in the same way that way of cartooning inspired Johanna the Mad’s work in “Fence.” Chifuyu Sasaki line work when mixed with Naoko Kawano punched in vibrant colors gives “Wasp” a look that you don’t really see at Marvel besides the work they do. Page designs are often expansive and lively without being hard to read. This is partly how the art team is able to connote the difference between action and violence. Action tends to be shown and measured by tracking it across space. Violence is all about the aftermath of quick, largely unseen, action.
While the series return is due to sales in the book market, the book as some nice back matter for those who buy it single issue. Mainly an interview an issue with a different female scientist.
How Can You Read It?
The first run “Unstoppable Wasp,” from 2017, was collected into two books, “Unstoppable!” and “Agents of G.I.R.L.” which are both available to read as part of Comixology Unlimited. That series is also getting rereleased in a single volume collecting issues #1-8 called “The Unstoppable Wasp: G.I.R.L. Power” due out April 2, 2019.
For the current “Unstoppable Wasp” series, the first collection with issues #1-5 titled “Unlimited Vol. 1: Fix Everything” is due out April 24, 2019. The first two issues are available to read on Comixology Unlimited and issue #6 is out this week.
