With the new Marvel Cinematic Universe film Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania right around the corner and the fact it is the 60th anniversary of the winsome heroine, it’s a great time to be a fan of The Wasp. Janet van Dyne being in the spotlight as the star in her own series has been something many Marvel fans have been waiting for, and Wasp #2 by Al Ewing with art by Kasia Nie and KJ Diaz continues to do just that.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Wasp #2!
After defeating Whirlwind in the previous issue, we catch up with Janet, joined by her fellow Wasp, Nadia van Dyne, attempting to get more information from him. Whirlwind has always been a villain that feels realistic and genuinely a bad person you have no remorse for, and the way Ewing writes him cements that. This issue also gives us background on an organization that had previously only briefly made an appearance in a one-off story. By doing so, Ewing takes what easily could’ve been a forgotten plot point and makes it a genuinely intimidating foe for our titular heroine to face.
The way it connects to Wasp’s very first villain, back from Tales to Astonish #44, is also shaping up to be an interesting addition to the Marvel Universe’s lore. Janet’s dialogue and narration feel very true to the character, especially in the sense that she feels she is more than competent to handle this on her own, while also showing a side of her we haven’t seen of her, simply due to the lack of stories we have where she is the main character.
Nadia van Dyne and Edwin Jarvis, this series’ fantastic supporting characters, also have great and impactful moments in this issue. Nadia gets to show off her intellect, while also having an action sequence with dialogue that reminds us that she is a Red Room graduate. Jarvis proves that he truly is the glue that holds the Avengers together with his short panel time. Another highlight of this issue is that it shows how supportive Janet and Nadia are of each other, which is always a joy to see, as Marvel is lacking in strong mentor/mentee relationships between female characters. The issue ends on a shocking cliffhanger, which makes me very intrigued as to how the rest of the story is going to play out.
Nie and Diaz’s art continues to be a well-made match for this series. Nie captures Janet, Nadia, and Jarvis very well. She also does a great job with the design of Creature of the Kosmos, as well as the designs for the new villains. Janet and Nadia’s faces are both drawn very expressive, whether subtly or not. The scene with all of Janet’s costumes is also very well done, as we see some of her most iconic looks, as well as some that are more underappreciated. Diaz’s coloring is top-notch, and the best example of that in this book is the final scene with Creature of the Kosmos, as it gives off a completely eerie vibe that sells you on the fact that this villain is very unsettling.
Overall, Ewing’s expansion of pre-established but underdeveloped plotlines makes the story richer and more captivating. Also, he understands both the lead character and the supporting cast very well. They all feel like the characters we’ve grown to love, but they do not feel stagnant. Nie and Diaz deliver stunning art that complements the writing extremely well and portrays the characters in a sense where we can quickly and clearly tell what they are feeling. While this issue featured a lot of setup with information dumps and little action sequences, it’s vital for the progression of the story, and it’s clear this will not be the norm going forward after reading the final few pages.
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