Every installment of Abandoned Love we will be examining comic book stories, plots and ideas that were abandoned by a later writer while still acknowledging that the abandoned story DID still happen. Click here for an archive of all the previous editions of Abandoned Love. Feel free to e-mail me at bcronin@comicbookresources.com if you have any suggestions for future editions of this feature.
This time around, we look at the Wasp's short-lived stint as a mutated wasp-like creature.
Okay, one of the key points of the Avengers crossover known as The Crossing is that Kang has turned Iron Man against the Avengers. In Avengers #393 (by Terry Kavanagh, Bob Harras, Ben Raab, Mike Deodato and Tom Palmer), the Avengers find out that he is a traitor and they fight against Tony. He then attacks them, but Wasp steps into a blast and is severely injured...
By the way, look at the awwwwwwwwwful cover Ed Benes did for the issue...
Blech.
Anyhow, Hank Pym quickly rushes to save Jan...
The following issue, the Avengers are facing off against some of Kang's other goons when someone blasts the remaining bad guy...
It's a really cool design, honestly, by Adam Pollina, and Mike Deodato drew the heck out of it. It's just a silly idea. Even odder is how Jan is just cool with being a mutated wasp-creature...
After The Crossing ends, she's just back to normal, only now a mutated wasp-like creature (what the heck was Hank even WORKING on that he came up with that mutation of Jan?)...
Then, in Avengers #398-399 (everyone but Harras is still involved), we get a super ridiculous plot twist, where the Wasp finds something in the base of her skull (hwo the heck is she digging around in the base of her skull?!)...
And confronts Hank on his douchebaggery...
Hank doesn't even seem all that put off by it, does he?
These plots were all dropped when Onslaught happened and the Avengers sacrificed themselves to defeat Onslaught. Notice that Adam Kubert clearly wasnt't given the memo that mutated-wasp creature Wasp doesn't shrink...
"How I can stay mad at you for planting tracking devices in my skull while doing emergency surgery for some reason?"
Go to the next page to see how this dropped plot was resolved...
When the Avengers returned to Earth after the events of Heroes Reborn (after Onslaught, the heroes were sent to a Counter-Earth created by Franklin Richards), Wasp was just back to normal...
In Avengers Annual 2001, Kurt Busiek, Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund explain what happened...
Nice and simple!
A bunch of people have sent in this suggestion over the years. Thanks, folks!
That's it for this edition of Abandoned Love! If YOU have an idea for an interesting abandoned storyline, drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com