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Wasp Reading Order (Janet van Dyne)

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Created by Stan Lee, Ernie Hart, and Jack Kirby, Janet van Dyne aka The Wasp made her debut in Tales to Astonish #44. She’s one of Marvel’s first female superheroes and a founding member of the Avengers. She’s even the one who gave the team its name!

Coming from a rich family, Janet van Dyne became the Wasp in order to avenge the death of her father, scientist Vernon van Dyne, killed by an alien entity unleashed during one of his experiments. With the help of Dr. Hank Pym (alias Ant-Man), she was exposed to the Pym Particles and biologically altered, giving her the ability to grow wings and shrink to under four feet tall. She partnered with Pym, professionally and personally, and would eventually marry him. Their relationship was dysfunctional and Janet eventually divorced him following an act of physical violence.

From this tragedy will emerge a more empathetic and efficient Avenger, a great leader with an amazing sense of fashion (Janet is also a fashion designer). Though Janet had shone as Chairman of the Avengers, she was often sidelined in favor of other characters until she simply disappeared completely following the events of Secret Invasion. She made her return several years later and joined the ranks of the Unity Division, then became an Agent of Wakanda.

Though for too many years defined by her relationship with Hank Pym, Janet also had a tragic story with Havok and became entangled with Tony Stark in recent years.

Her most important recent relationship is, without a doubt, with Nadia, the daughter of Hank Pym and his first wife, who also chose the alias the Wasp. Together, they are Unstoppable! And finally, after sixty years, Janet finally got her own solo series!

It’s time to buzz around and explore Janet’s publication history with this reading order!

The Wasp Comics: Janet van Dyne Complete Reading Order

Follow Janet van Dyne’s journey through the Marvel Universe with our guide, which covers everything from her debut as the Wasp to her recent exploits as a mentor to Nadia and kick-ass superhero:

  1. The Winsome Wasp (1963-1996)
  2. Wasp, from Heroes Reborn to Secret Invasion (1996-2008)
  3. Wasp, an Uncanny Avengers (2012-2018)
  4. Wasp in Marvel Fresh Start (2018-Present)

As Janet van Dyne has been a major part of the Avengers, you’ll find a lot of Avengers books below. But not everything is listed, and to read all those stories and discover other editions, we invite you to consult our Avengers Reading Order.

🐝 janet van dyne: WaSp greatest hits
The Wasp’s best comic stories

The Wasp first appeared in 1963 and went down in history as one of the co-founders of the Avengers team. Despite her important role, it took Marvel Comics 60 years to give Janet her first solo series! The fashion heiress mostly appears in the adventures of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, where she is not always a major player or at the centre of a great story.

If you are a new reader wanted to know more about Janet without reading 60 years of stories, here are some suggestions:

⬡ Tales To Astonish #44 (Janet’s First Appearance)
⬡ Avengers #60 (The Wedding of Hank Pym and the Wasp)
⬡ Avengers #217-285 (Janet’s Chairman era during Roger’s Stern run)
⬡ Avengers vol. 3 #1-11; Avengers Forever #1-12; Avengers vol. 3 #12-18; Avengers vol. 3 #0; Avengers vol. 3 #19-45; Avengers 2001 annual; Avengers vol. 3 #46-56 (Kurt Busiek’s run)
⬡ Avengers Vol. 3 #71 (A Wasp/Yellowjacket issue)
⬡ Secret Invasion event (not great, but eventful for Janet)
⬡ Avengers (Vol. 4) #31-34 (Janet’s return in the Marvel Universe)
⬡ Uncanny Avengers vol. 1 #5-23 (Rick Remender’s run)
⬡ Uncanny Avengers vol. 2 #10-12 (an Ultron reborn story by Gerry Duggan)
⬡ Unstoppable Wasp (Vol. 1) #7-8 (stealing the show at the end of Nadia’s first series)
⬡ Unstoppable Wasp (Vol. 2) #1-10 (for more Nadia and Janet)
⬡ Wasp #1-4 (60th anniversary series and Janet Van Dyne’s first solo series!)
⬢ ⬡ ⬢ ⬡ ⬢
If you would prefer a modern introduction, check out Avengers Origins: Ant-Man & the Wasp, a retelling of the origin (and courtship) of the astonishing Ant-Man and the winsome Wasp, collected in Marvel-Verse Ant-Man & The Wasp. For a modern take on the Avengers’ creation, the 2010’s Avengers: The Origin miniseries revisits the story with more details.

I. The Winsome Wasp (1963-1996)

Janet first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44, and soon became Hank Pym’s partner. Together, they fought many enemies, including the Scarlet Beetle and the Porcupine. Janet also starred in the backup feature ‘Tales of the Wasp’ (#51–56), in which she told stories to fans, hospital patients and even Hank.

Shortly after they first met, Ant-Man (Hank Pym), the Wasp and Iron Man teamed up with Thor and the Hulk to fight Loki. The rest, as they say, is history, and the legendary team the Avengers was born! The Wasp came up with the name and became one of the team’s most important members. Though initially presented as the weakest link, she proved her worth since!

Janet and Hank leave the Avengers in issue #75 and do not appear in the series again until #90–91. Rather than rejoining the superhero team at this point, the couple co-starred in Marvel Feature (collected in the Ant-Man/Giant-Man Epic Collection Vol. 2, see above). However, once an Avenger, always an Avenger, and Janet chose to return to the roster in issue #137. She also assisted the Defenders for a few issues.

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The Wasp becomes Chairman of The Avengers. Things go awry between Janet and Hank in #212-213, leading to their divorce in #214. But after so many hardships, it’s time for Janet to shine! She becomes Chairman of the Avengers in #217 and starts her long-running friendship with Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk.

Janet becomes Chairman of the Avengers in Issue #217

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The Wasp in West Coast Avengers. The Wasp steps down as chairwoman to take a leave of absence in #278 and finds herself helping the West Coast Avengers for an arc (#32-37) before officially joining the group in #42. She departs the team in #74, but is still present as a recurring character in the series. She goes to Hollywood (in Avengers West Coast Annual #6), but things don’t work out.

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The Wasp, Reserved Avenger. After failing to make it in Hollywood, Janet returned to the East Coast, where she investigated a tragic death alongside Captain America (Avengers #340). She soon became a Reserve Avenger, teamed up with Pym and relaunched her fashion career. However, Janet unexpectedly found herself bankrupt. This led to an attack on her and the team, leaving her mortally wounded. In an attempt to heal her injuries, Pym exposed Janet Van Dyne to the procedure that had originally given her superpowers. It was at this time that Janet Van Dyne morphed into an almost completely wasp-like form! She also assisted the Defenders for a few issues.

  • Tales to Astonish Vol. 3 #1
    The Incredible Hulk, Hank Pym and the Wasp team-up. Collected in The Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Fall of the Pantheon
  • The Avengers Epic Collection: Timeslide
    Collects Avengers #389-402, Avengers: The Crossing, Avengers: Timeslide, and Onslaught: Marvel Universe.
  • X-Men / Avengers: Onslaught Omnibus
    Collects Wolverine #104-105; Cable #32-36; Uncanny X-Men #333-337; X-Force #55, #57-58; X-Man #15-19; X-Men (vol. 2) #53-57, Annual ’96; X-Men Unlimited #11; Onslaught: X-Men, Marvel Universe, Epilogue; Avengers #401-402; Fantastic Four #415; Incredible Hulk #444-445; X-Factor #125-126; Amazing Spider-Man #415; Green Goblin #12; Spider-Man #72; Iron Man #332; Punisher #11; Thor #502; X-Men: Road to Onslaught #1; material from Excalibur #100, Fantastic Four #416.

II. Janet Van Dyne: from Heroes Reborn to Secret Invasion (1996-2008)

Wasp in Heroes Reborn and Return. Following the events of the Onslaught Saga, Janet was among the superheroes moved into the pocket Universe with the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Captain America during the relaunch Heroes Reborn. Those issues are totally optional.

  • Heroes Reborn: The Avengers
    Collects Avengers (1996) #1-12, Fantastic Four (1996) #12, Iron Man (1996) #6 And #12, Captain America (1996) #12 & Material From Fantastic Four (1996) #6 And Captain America (1996) #6.

The Avengers rebuilt. Under the creative team of Kurt Busiek and George Perez, Janet helps rebuild the team, while refusing to coming back full time at first. She will eventually took the leadership, but of a team with members from different time periods. This run is part of Janet Van Dyne’s greatest hits. Following Busiek’s departure, Geoff Johns took over and even wrote an almost solo issue of Wasp (#71).

Wasp, member of the Mighty Avengers. Brian Michael Bendis’s run on the Avengers started with the team’s destruction in Avengers Disassembled and continued with a series of impactful events for the superhero community. Janet took Iron Man’s side during the famous Civil War, which led her to join the Mighty Avengers. Throughout this period, she tried to rekindle her relationship with Hank, but their lifestyles proved incompatible. Then, the Marvel Universe is put in shambles with Secret Invasion, a tragic event for Janet.

III. Wasp Returns in Uncanny Avengers (2012-2018)

No one stays dead for long in the Marvel Universe (except Uncle Ben)! Before finishing his work, Brian Michael Bendis brings Wasp back to life, or, more precisely, back to the Avengers.

Wasp in Marvel Now. In the aftermath of the Avengers vs. X-Men event, a team named ‘Avengers Unity Squad’ was assembled under the leadership of Havok, with the mission to improve the relations between the two groups. Janet joins the Squad at issue #5 which also includes Wonder Man, Rogue, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Sunfire, Wolverine, and Thor.

Janet in Uncanny Avengers Vol. 1 #12

All-New, All-Different Wasp. In a world post-Secret Wars (an event that has no importance for Wasp), Jan is still part of the ‘Unity’ squad, although her participation in it is quite limited. She has more memorable moments in her other appearances, such as when she deals with Ultron or acts as a mentor for Nadia.

There’s a new Wasp in town! Nadia, Red Room escapee, made her first appearance in Free Comic Book Day 2016 and met Janet All-New All-Different Avengers (2016) #10. They both see each other in #12 and #14, around Civil War II, a totally skippable event for the Wasp. To know more about Nadia, go check out our Unstoppable Wasp Reading Order.

As for Janet, she is present as part of Uncanny Avengers, from Civil War II to Secret Empire, but doesn’t really do much. You’ll find her in the following books, it’s just not really memorable.

The Earth has been STOLEN and the Avengers are the last line of defense between Earth and the mysterious forces threatening to tear it apart. It’s time to ASSEMBLE almost everyone who has ever been an Avenger! Naturally, Janet is on the field to fight the good fight!

IV. Wasp in Marvel Fresh Start (2018-)

Jan and Tony. During Dan Slott’s time writing Iron Man, Janet Van Dyne visited Stark Unlimited to help Jocasta, which led to her beginning a romantic relationship with Tony and taking part in many of his adventures. It didn’t last as their relationship didn’t survive the arrival of Christopher Cantwell on the title. During this time, Jan continues to be present for Nadia and becomes a member of the Agents of Wakanda.

Wasp 60th Anniversary! After 60 years, the wondrous Wasp finally headlined her first solo series from Al Ewing. When an old enemy threatens Janet and her fellow Wasp, Nadia – seemingly against his will – the Van Dynes must confront the ghosts in their shared history to get to the bottom of the mystery! The story then continues in Avengers Inc., also written by Al Ewing, where Janet founded Avengers Incorporated, a consulting and investigation firm specializing in mysteries involving costumed superhumans.

After the events of Blood Hunt, Captain America formed the Avengers Emergency Response Squad, a rotating roster operation aimed at dealing with urgent crises. The Wasp was recruited into the group and has been part of several missions since.

The story continues…

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