So far the Wasp mini-series has done a good job in giving Janet and Nadia Van Dyne the spotlight. We have learned in the first two issues that the two Wasps are much closer connected than they even realized. Specifically, when it comes to the nature of their respective origin. That is thanks to the revelation made about how Pilai the Kosmosian has manipulated many aspects of Janet and Nadia’s history. Now with this revelation made how will Janet and Nadia overcome the Kosmosian? Let’s find out with Wasp #3.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Kasia Nie
Colorist: KJ Diaz
Letterer: Cory Petit
SYNOPSIS
Pilai the Kosmosian reveals how it survived after Ant-Man (Hank Pym) and Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) defeated him was through WHISPER agents find its remnants and was given Kosmos energy to revive. From there Pilai became the WHISPER agent and took control of Janos Trovaya (Nadia Van Dyne’s grandfather and founder of WHISPER) by using his fears.
Pilai then reveals he is going to tap into Janet and Nadia’s fears in order to feed on their souls and control them.
Within the dimension Pilai created Janet and Nadia do not show any effects of being afraid. Instead both Janet and Nadia are shown to face their respective origins with bravery as they subconsciously remember their Avengers status quo.
Jarvis appears to face off against Pilai to save Janet and Nadia but is also dimension they are locked in. Even then Pilai is unsuccessful as Janet, Nadia, and Jarvis all brush off all the attempts of being manipulated into being afraid.
Having enough of things not going its way Pilai manipulates Nadia to assassinate Janet. End of issue.
REVIEW
“Consistency” was the word the kept coming into mind while reading Wasp #3. This is a technically well done issue with the proper pacing to get over Pilai as a threat. It was very much needed given the limited previous appearances Pilai the Kosmosian has had. This in turn allowed Al Ewing and Kasia Nie to highlight the strength of Janet and Nadia Van Dyne.
Right away, Wasp #3 address the biggest thing this mini-series needed to with establishing Pilai the Kosmosian as a major threat. Ewing and Nie showed a fantastic example of how to utilize a double page spread to tell a complete story in two pages. The history of Pilai was shown with how it returned and gained control of the WHISPER organization. Through this we got more into what is driving Pilai as the villain and why the Kosmosian specifically targeted Janos Trovaya as his controlled proxy.
What was best is that Pilai’s character was kept very simple. Pilai is a pure villain and revels in that fact. That comes across in Nie’s artwork as Pilai constantly has a menacing grin as it explains how it uses fear to feed and control others. It made the fact Pilai targeted Janos for his role as founder of WHISPER and connections to the two Wasp’s simple but effective for what you expect from a villain knowing how evil it is.
This in turn made the fact that no matter what Pilai tried to do it wasn’t able to cause fear in Janet or Nadia. Ewing did a great job at turning the trope of a hero defined by their origin on its head. Because when faced with their respective origins neither Janet nor Nadia reverted back to who they were at the time. Instead both characters subconsciously used the fact that they have grown and evolved past their respective origins that they don’t look back at this time with fear. Even in worlds without Hank Pym it did not matter. They are heroes with many accomplishments in their own right.
It all worked to spotlight how strong mentally both Janet and Nadia are. Both have been through so much in their lives and they have overcome it all to become better. Not only that but they have moved forward in ways that they aren’t just defined by one or two things they’ve done or experienced. Pilai constantly trying to manipulate them just showed their respective strengths. Which made Pilai’s move to manipulate Nadia to target Janet for an assassination to come across as desperate rather than smart move by the villain.
Because of how well-done Janet and Nadia’s narratives were told it made the inclusion of Jarvis in the story feel unnecessary. While Jarvis friendship with Janet was seen in the first issue it does not mean he needs to play a direct role in the story. The story in Wasp should’ve just been simply kept as the Wasps vs Pilai and WHISPER. More than that just seems to be an attempt to fill a page quota rather than letting the story play out naturally.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Wasp #3 gives much needed backstory for the villain of the story and how Janet and Nadia Van Dyne factor into things. In the process Al Ewing and Kasia Nie do a excellent job at showcasing how strong Janet and Nadia are. The way Wasp #3 ends it sets up the finale to this series to be one that further strengthens Janet and Nadia’s characters for the future.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10