The Unstoppable Wasp was really not on my radar when I ordered my books oh so long ago. It just happened to be on the rack and it’s a number one (as most Mavel books are these days), so why not? The cover by Elsa Charretier and Nicolas Bannister is very bright and conveys a positive vibe that also attracted me.

   This first issue like most first issues introduces us to Nadia, Henry Pym’s daughter who had been raised in a secret facility in Russia. Her back story was included in a very clever way as she is trying to explain her situation to immigration. With Ms. Marvel by her side they quickly run into Mockingbird who is fighting Monica Rappaccini in a giant robot. Nadia as the Wasp, Ms. Marvel and Mockingbird quickly take down the robot, but Nadia’s good will allows Monica to phaseaway from the scene and out of town. From there Barbara and Nadia seem to really connect and establish a friendship. By the end of the issue Nadia has begun to establish a new lab that she calls “G.I.R.L.” which stands for “Genius In Action Research Labs” and she is looking to form a team.

   Right from the start we see Nadia have an over the top positive attitude towards everything, and usually that bugs me (no pun intended). But as the issue progressed I actually liked her “can do” attitude with everyone. It was to the point where the immigration agent and even Mockingbird were brought to tears by her attitude. Jeremy Whitley does a great job at not just giving us a backstory but also a great starting point in one issue. I also liked how well her intelligence is established, even given the challenge to be one of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe. It will be interesting to see what direction the book is taken from here. Will it continue the positive vibe or will she be forced down a dark path that challenges her?

   As far as the artwork, I wasn’t too thrilled with it. Although it conveys emotions pretty well I found the way the lips were drawn to bug me (again no pun intended) and there is quite the lack of detail from panel to panel especially in the background. I also thought the colors lacked a bit of brightness that the cover displayed so well. Overall though it’s a great start to this book and I will definitely be around for a few more issues. 

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Writer: Jeremy Whitley

Artwork: Elsa Charretier

Colors: Megan Wilson