Nadia Pym’s love of life is put to the test by myriad trials and betrayals in Unstoppable Wasp #4. Will she come out the same on the other side? Is it good?
The Unstoppable Wasp #4 (Marvel Comics)
Well, if the popular girls won’t put their phones down, and a certain Grappler won’t listen to reason, Nadia will have to suck it up and show off what she learned in the Red Room. I thought Jarvis knew how to fight? Lot of help he is!
As hard as the new Wasp tries to stay positive, her hurtful past just won’t stay away. Her immigration lawyer — a Mr. Modok, was it? — says she may need to testify about the Red Room to be granted asylum, and that’s if she can even survive the attack from her former classmate. Surely anyone’s resolve would buckle under such strain.
Is It Good?
Yes, The Unstoppable Wasp #4 is the testing issue for young Nadia Pym. She’s had a pretty breezy existence since escaping from assassin boot camp, eating deserts and adding members to her all-girl science team. It was a great, uplifting few issues, but into every character’s life a little drama must enter.
Writer Jeremy Whitley makes the right decision about Nadia, ultimately, but with phrases like “I hoped you’d kill me” and “you’ll never even see the sun,” it may be a bit rougher ride to get there than necessary. It is neat, though, to see Pym’s “science facts” transformed into what are essentially “fighting facts.” While the fun takes a downturn in Unstoppable Wasp #4, the overall package is brought back up by Whitley’s much-improved pacing, as each individual page flows better than in previous issues.
The art team of penciller Elsa Charretier and colorist Megan M. Wilson have settled down and hit a groove, too. Early issues of Unstoppable Wasp kind of bridged different aesthetic eras, but #4 establishes a singular look that the book can own. The fight scenes avoid the perils of previous attempts and there’s even a great sequence with Nadia’s costume that could make old-school Flash fans smile.
The entire creative team has upped their game, mechanically, in Unstoppable Wasp #4, but the overall tone struck is perhaps a bit darker than was needed or desirable. Foreshadowing indicates similar developments for the next issue, leaving the reader to wonder when Wasp will get back to that whole science empowerment thing again.
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