''The Unstoppable Wasp'' is an ongoing American comic book series published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...

featuring Nadia van Dyne (née Pym). The solo series initially debuted in January 2017 and ran for 8 issues as a part of

Marvel NOW! 2.0 Marvel Now! (stylized as Marvel NOW!) is a comic book branding for the relaunch of several ongoing comic books published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in October 2012 with new #1 issues. The relaunch also included some new titles, including ''Un ...

, before relaunching in October 2018 for another run of 10 issues. The series were written by

Jeremy Whitley Jeremy Whitley is an American comic book writer and artist, known as the creator and writer of the Marvel Comics series '' The Unstoppable Wasp'', centred on Nadia van Dyne, of the Glyph-winning, Eisner-nominated series '' Princeless'', and as a ...

. Art was by Elsa Charretier from the start of the publication until the second run, which

Gurihiru , also credited as Illustrator Unit Gurihiru and Gurihiru Studios, is a Japanese illustration team, consisting of Chifuyu Sasaki (workplan design, pencils, inks) and Naoko Kawano (workplan design, colors, webdesign). Both originating from Sappo ...

took over as artist for. In May 2020,

Disney Books The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

published a young adult novel continuing the series written by

Sam Maggs Sam Maggs (born November 10, 1988) is a Canadian-American author of books, comics and video games, and is known especially for her work on ''The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy'' and ''Marvel Action: Captain Marvel''. Early life and education Ma ...

, titled ''The Unstoppable Wasp: Built On Hope''. Critics have praised the series for its comedy as well as its portrayal of relationships and

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

Publication history

Starting in July 2016, the ''

Civil War II "Civil War II" is a 2016 comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in June of that year, it is the sequel to 2006's "Civil War" and consists of a nine-issue eponymous core limited series, by writer Brian Michael Bendis ...

'' crossover storyline affected a number of Marvel comics and characters, introducing the character of Nadia Pym / The Wasp. Marvel announced in late 2016 that, after ''Civil War'' was complete, they would relaunch their entire line as part of an

rebranding, including ''The Unstoppable Wasp'', with the series following Nadia after acquiring

U.S. citizenship Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

, as she starts the program G.I.R.L. (Genius In action Research Labs) to look for women with genius intellects upon realizing that

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deal ...

's index of the world's most intelligent people doesn't list any women above 27th place, adopting the new surname "Van Dyne" after

Janet van Dyne The Wasp (Janet van Dyne) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Tales to Astonish'' #44 (June 1963). Jane ...

Plot

Volume 1

Volume 2

Reception

Issue #1 was published on January 5, 2017, to positive reviews. ''The Unstoppable Wasp'' was praised for its comedy, and the character of Nadia Pym (later van Dyne) was seen as empowering for being likable, smart, and having an infectious charm unlike that of typical superheroes. ''

Comics Alliance ComicsAlliance was an American website dedicated to covering the comic book industry as well as comic-related media, and is owned by Townsquare Media. The site has been nominated for multiple awards including a 2015 Eisner Award win in the catego ...

'' praised the series' "structure, pacing and character interactions", regarded its "Unstoppable" title as "the perfect adjective for the series, because Nadia represents a kind of determination and perseverance that’s both admirable and inspiring." ''CBR'' expressed interest in the series being adapted to the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...

, while ''

Comics Beat Heidi MacDonald (born November 15) is a writer and editor in the field of comic books based in New York City. She runs the comics industry news blog '' The Beat''. Career MacDonald is a former editor for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint and ''Disney ...

'' lauded the series' "enticing" nature and "Jeremy Whitley’s commitment to Nadia Pym’s unwavering & infectious optimism against the worst odds

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediate ...

Elsa Charretier’s incredible layouts and spreads add ngso much substance to the vibrant personality of this comic". The series' depiction of

was also praised.

Collected editions

The series has been collected into

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, lea ...

Novels

Nadia van Dyne has also been featured in one

middle grade Middle grade fiction is fiction intended for children between the ages of 8 and 12. While these books are sometimes grouped together with books for other age bands and called collectively "children's books", middle grade is distinct from, and is ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

References

External links

''The Unstoppable Wasp'' (2017)
at

Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York, formed by the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group and Toy Biz. The company is a wholly ow ...

''The Unstoppable Wasp'' (2018–2019)
at

Interview with Jeremy Whitley
Geek Dad {{DEFAULTSORT:Unstoppable Wasp, The Bipolar disorder in fiction Comics about women Novels about bipolar disorder Original English-language manga