Friday, January 6, 2017

The Unstoppable Wasp #1

   As a geezer, it's been fun to see the comics industry moving away from being a boy's club.

   When I first started going to conventions in the mid-'80s, there were very few women in sight. A few pros, a few models, a few working the sales booths - and otherwise it was just guys as far as the eye can see.

   But in recent years (especially in the last five or so), that's changed - and now con attendance is very close to being half female. That's a wonderful thing!

   It's almost happened in spite of the comics companies. They've made only minimal efforts over the years to attract "girl" readership.

   But they seem to be making up for lost time, and this title - The Unstoppable Wasp - is all about empowerment and fun.

   It focuses on the recently-revealed teenage daughter of Hank (Giant-Man) Pym and his first wife, Maria. Nadia is a genius in her own right and has duplicated the work of her father (shrinking formula, wasplike wings).

   This story is an intro for Nadia, who's mostly a mystery. But we see that's she's kind, thoughtful and makes friends easily. Oh, and she's amazingly smart.

   It would have been nice to have a more challenging foe, but it's fun to see the Wasp interact with two other famous super-heroines.

   Writer Jeremy Whitley has a good ear for dialogue, and artist Else Charretrier packs a lot of fun into this issue.

   It's a good start, and I'd think this would be high on the list of fun reading for both female and male fans.

   Nadia's a good hero for young women to emulate - perhaps we'll see more "Unstoppable Wasp" costumes at this year's conventions!

Grade: B+

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