Monday, April 17, 2017

The Unstoppable Wasp # 4 Review - Marvel Monday


G.I.R.L. Power

Written by: Jeremy Whitley
Art by: Elsa Charretier, Megan M. Wilson and Joe Caramagna
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 12, 2017
Review by: Andrew McAvoy


This has been a fun series so far, seeing the Nadia Pym, daughter of Hank, liberated from her detention at the hands of her Soviet guardians in the Red Room. Having finally escaped those who have held her captive since childhood she’s now located herself in the good old "US of A", trying to establish her residency and prove that she is Pym’s daughter. In the meantime, under the stewardship of the Avenger’s butler Jeeves, she has located herself in Pym’s old house and has dedicated herself to setting up a bright new centre for women scientists to advance technology - codename G.I.R.L. If only she could stop being the focus of attack from outside forces. She’s made it through this far, but can she overcome all that American life continues to throw at her as she tries to put down roots in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Lets dig in and find out…



We pick up on the cliff-hanger from #3 and our heroine finds herself in the middle of a retail heist being perpetrated by Poundcakes and Letha, aka the Grapplers, two ex-female wrestlers sidelined by professional wrestling’s new found attraction to the blond and beautiful wrestler (Ric Flair doesn't count). Out of pocket and out of patience they have turned to a life of crime.



The Unstoppable Wasp tries to show them the error of their ways by persuading Poundcakes against the robbery, but when Jeeves and the second of the female "tag-team of terror" Letha crash through the shop front, and into the action, all hell breaks loose - the Unstoppable Wasp has to show some of her sting. In fact she opens up a mighty can of whupass after her initial attempt at peace making fails.

The reader is treated to a pretty cool step-by-step narrative from Nadia who basically gives a 101 lesson in how to fight low, mean, dirty (go for weak spots like the throat, temples, nose and knees apparently). Just when she thought that she’d foiled the robbery and recruited the services of shopkeeper (and amateur biology genius) Priya for her new all-G.I.R.L laboratory, Nadia gets lured towards a back alley crime scene, and we get a foiled attempt at an abduction by her former Red Room captors. The issue closes following a great cameo appearance of Matt Murdock, representing Nadia as her immigration lawyer.



The dialogue here is fun and light-hearted, and the creators have made a conscious effort to blend in scientific facts into the narrative. Any reservations I have come in this area - while interesting sometimes the scientific references feel a little "crow-barred" in.  Aside from that I like the dialogue and interactions which are used to depict Wasp as something of an innocent abroad in both the crime-fighting scene and American life more generally.

The artwork from Elsa Charretier and coloring from Megan M. Wilson is stylish and fresh, and is totally compatible with the storyline and plot content.

Bits and Pieces:

I like this series so far, it’s been enjoyable, light-hearted so far and offers something a little different for Marvel readers.



7.5/10

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