The Unstoppable Wasp #7 Review
Writer: Jeremy Whitley
Artist: Alti Firmansyah
Colourist: Espen Grundetjern
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Nadia's first real birthday party unfolds with guest-stars galore and a few instances of contrived conflict. Those attention-grabbing features aren't actually the star attractions; this is a great story on its own.
Yes, this party is an excuse to assemble the Gillen/McKelvie Young Avengers for the first time in way too long. And yes, per the cover, the party's marred by a bit of Red Room violence when Ying and Nadia recognize the Winter Soldier.
The real core of the story is Nadia celebrating and expanding her circle of loved ones, particularly by hitting it off fabulously with Cassie Lang. Viv Vision also plays a solid role - both expository and entertaining - by guiding Nadia and the readers through the delightfully absurd character relationships.
Alti Firmansyah's art does a magnificent job of spreading the celebratory feel into every nook and cranny of the story. She builds constructively on GuriHiru's character designs, holding onto the continuity thread tightly while also bringing a distinctive new look to the party's joyful faces. Ms. Firmansyah's go-for-broke expressions echo with positive cartoony vibes - this is the GuriHiru/Calvin and Hobbes mash-up I never realized I'd love so deeply.
The art combines with Espen Grundetjern's high-intensity palette to marshall the enormous cast of guest stars and lets them all shine clearly. The Champions, the Young Avengers, Tony Stark and Jocasta, Hercules, Bucky, Tigra - and even a noteworthy villain team at the end - it's a lot of characters to keep straight, and the art team does it brilliantly.
Jeremy Whitley's script is also keeping busy with a whirlwind of character interactions that strive to put emotional weight behind Viv's genealogical relationship notes. None of these links really fails, but some succeed more than others. The instant friendship with Cassie becomes the backbone of the issue, and the heartwarming moment with Jarvis grabs hard at the heartstrings. The conflicts salted into the story to keep it from getting too saccharine definitely feel artificial, but they don't actually disappoint.
Things take a pivot on the final page with the introduction of a huge new plot point. This, too, cuts through the sweetness of the party, but it does so in a too-abrupt way. This issue was celebratory and bubbly; it seems likely that the next one will have a very different tone.
Unstoppable Wasp #7 puts Nadia back into a position of sweetness and light, and it delivers all the charm her fans could want. It expands her social circle even further, though the full impact of the new connections remains to be seen. Plot development is not a priority, but this issue has both art and words to perfectly portray Nadia's enthusiasm and make it as infectious as possible.
Artist: Alti Firmansyah
Colourist: Espen Grundetjern
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Nadia's first real birthday party unfolds with guest-stars galore and a few instances of contrived conflict. Those attention-grabbing features aren't actually the star attractions; this is a great story on its own.
Yes, this party is an excuse to assemble the Gillen/McKelvie Young Avengers for the first time in way too long. And yes, per the cover, the party's marred by a bit of Red Room violence when Ying and Nadia recognize the Winter Soldier.
The real core of the story is Nadia celebrating and expanding her circle of loved ones, particularly by hitting it off fabulously with Cassie Lang. Viv Vision also plays a solid role - both expository and entertaining - by guiding Nadia and the readers through the delightfully absurd character relationships.
Alti Firmansyah's art does a magnificent job of spreading the celebratory feel into every nook and cranny of the story. She builds constructively on GuriHiru's character designs, holding onto the continuity thread tightly while also bringing a distinctive new look to the party's joyful faces. Ms. Firmansyah's go-for-broke expressions echo with positive cartoony vibes - this is the GuriHiru/Calvin and Hobbes mash-up I never realized I'd love so deeply.
The art combines with Espen Grundetjern's high-intensity palette to marshall the enormous cast of guest stars and lets them all shine clearly. The Champions, the Young Avengers, Tony Stark and Jocasta, Hercules, Bucky, Tigra - and even a noteworthy villain team at the end - it's a lot of characters to keep straight, and the art team does it brilliantly.
Jeremy Whitley's script is also keeping busy with a whirlwind of character interactions that strive to put emotional weight behind Viv's genealogical relationship notes. None of these links really fails, but some succeed more than others. The instant friendship with Cassie becomes the backbone of the issue, and the heartwarming moment with Jarvis grabs hard at the heartstrings. The conflicts salted into the story to keep it from getting too saccharine definitely feel artificial, but they don't actually disappoint.
Things take a pivot on the final page with the introduction of a huge new plot point. This, too, cuts through the sweetness of the party, but it does so in a too-abrupt way. This issue was celebratory and bubbly; it seems likely that the next one will have a very different tone.
Unstoppable Wasp #7 puts Nadia back into a position of sweetness and light, and it delivers all the charm her fans could want. It expands her social circle even further, though the full impact of the new connections remains to be seen. Plot development is not a priority, but this issue has both art and words to perfectly portray Nadia's enthusiasm and make it as infectious as possible.
A Look Inside
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