Comic Review | Marvel's The Unstoppable Wasp: G.I.R.L. Power

Meet Nadia Pym, daughter of the original Ant-Man, as she tries to make her way in New York City.

Nadia is the daughter of Hank Pym and his first wife, Maria. Raised in the Red Room’s Science Division (Yes, that Red Room), Nadia recently escaped and has made her way to the United States to find her father. Unfortunately for her, Hank is dead. Still, you can’t keep a good girl down. Following in her father and step-mother’s footsteps, Nadia becomes the Unstoppable Wasp. After encountering one of her Idols, Bobbi Morse aka Mockingbird, Nadia decides to put a group together consisting of the top young female brains she can find. All while trying to avoid being caught by the Red Room and get her citizenship straightened out. Good thing she’s Unstoppable.

The Unstoppable Wasp: G.I.R.L. Power | Written by Jeremy Whitley, Art by Elsa Charretier

I recently heard about this series and how it shines a light on young female superheroines, especially those with a brain. I knew I had to read it. While the STEM areas aren’t really my thing, I’m all for some positive female role models for girls that are into STEM. And this comic really brings that to the forefront.

Nadia and her new friends, who all have different specialities, solve their problems by putting their heads together and using their combined science knowledge to save the day. I love that these young women save the day not with superpowers, or fighting skills, but with their brains. A new kind of hero for a new generation of girls.

G.I.R.L. Power

The title of Nadia’s new lab is G.I.R.L or Genius In action Research Labs. A clever play on words. The girls that make up the lab are all teens and come from diverse backgrounds. There’s a Puerto Rican girl (Taina), an Indian girl (Priya), an African-American girl (Shay), and a Chinese girl (Ying). What’s more, one of them even has cerebral palsy further showing that anyone can be a hero. They all have a different speciality from biology to robotics that adds something to the team as a whole.

I enjoyed that this story was female-centred, not something common in comics. It’s themes of female friendship, found family, intelligence over brawn, and that anyone can be a hero are just what we need in a modern comic for young women. Unfortunately, this comic was cancelled after only eight issues. It was renewed for a second volume, which in turn was canceled after, you guessed it, eight issues. It’s disappointing that a comic that was so well received by critics and has a loyal fan base wasn’t given the chance to truly shine and show what’s its story and characters can really do as most of the story was set-up. Alas, perhaps the characters will live on in another way.

Agents of G.I.R.L.

Jeremy Whitley is also the author of Thor vs. Hulk: Champions of the Universe and the Future Foundation for Marvel. He is also the author of Eisner Award-nominated original series Princeless and its spin-off Raven: The Pirate Princess.

Elsa Charretier’s work can regularly be seen in IDW’s Star Wars Adventures. She has also worked on DC’s Starfire, Bombshells, and Harley Quinn. She often teams up with fellow French writer Perrick Colinet.

G.I.R.L. Power collects issues 1-8 of Unstoppable Wasp. I look forward to reading the next omnibus volume of this comic and seeing what shenanigans the girls of G.I.R.L. Labs get up to next. With a little luck, we will see them again in another story.

The Unstoppable Wasp: G.I.R.L. Power is published by Marvel Comics and is available to buy NOW!

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Melissa Villy is a regular Staff Writer for Future of the Force. She is a passionate Star Wars fan and is the custodian of the FOTF Jedi Archives. Follow her on Twitter @JediLibrarian42 where she uses the force frequently!

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