Wasp #1 Review: The Winsome Wasps Strike Again

Last year Al Ewing penned an impressive four-issue celebration of Ant-Man that began with a stylish first issue and a premise that grew to readers’ wonderment in each successive issue; it set a high standard. Ewing returns to try it again in 2023 accompanied this time by artist Kasia Nie and colorist K.J. Diaz as Janet van Dyne a.k.a. the winsome Wasp celebrates her own 60th anniversary in the pages of Wasp #1.

The first issue takes a more direct approach than Ant-Man and picks up with Janet in her current continuity trappings, quickly apprising readers of Wasp’s current status quo at Marvel Comics. Ewing has a knack for homaging various styles within the Marvel framework, and his eye for superhero style and tone is evident in an introduction that plays against modern comics like Unstoppable Wasp. Dialogue is densely knit and filled with clever and quirky details that keep the story moving quickly. 

Although the time travel element is (currently) removed, Janet’s modern day is juxtaposed with her past at several opportunities, including the opening sequence. Nie and Diaz adeptly shift their own style to ape the feeling of Silver Age Marvel Comics productions, but the layout in the opening embraces big, bold heroic overtures to its credit. The fun and boisterous notes sing through each era as the Wasp confronts both her present and her past.

Even as much of the issue’s focus is placed on individual conversations, Nie has a talent for expressions that can carry a simple bit of banter with Jarvis, as well as the more nuanced exchanges between Janet and her stepdaughter Nadia van Dyne. These back-and-forths will catch up any readers missing out on who this second Wasp is, but it’s difficult to make so much exposition appear naturally. Although the framing can be forceful at times, the antagonists and challenges laid out by the end of Wasp #1 present plenty of opportunities for the series ahead. With the heavy lifting of laying out blunt force themes of heroism and legacy done, there’s just the story ahead.

Wasp #1 does a wonderful job of considering everything its title contains. It simultaneously looks back to Wasp’s origin printed 60 years ago and ahead to a sprawling new status quo complete with an inheritor of the Wasp legacy. While that wide scope can require a lot of reading, it’s matched by a winning distillation of styles modern and classic that capture the Wasp’s many visual charms. That appreciation of all things Wasp is rooted into every thread of the issue, even its choice of a distracting villain, making this a thrilling celebration and introduction to the character, regardless of what readers may already know of Janet van Dyne.

Published by Marvel Comics

On January 18, 2023

Written by Al Ewing

Art by Kasia Nie

Colors by K.J. Diaz

Letters by Cory Petit

Cover by Tom Reilly