It was supposed to be a simple convention. The inaugural G.I.R.L. Expo was supposed to be a celebration of genius in action. Then the gold suits of A.I.M. showed-up and took over. Things got complicated. Now it’s up to Nadia Pym --The Unstoppable Wasp and her friends to set things straight in the 9th issue of a reliably enjoyable series written by Jeremy Whitley with art by Gurihiru. The series, which has been embracing open drama for so much of its time thus far, takes a turn for the action-packed in a satisfying story in which the geniuses of G.I.R.L. face-off against A.I.M.

Nadia and her friends are facing some really, really vicious tech in a bewildering attack that hits everyone in a distinctly different way. Mockingbird and the Winder Soldier face vicious, metal robotic students with piranha teeth. Elsewhere Janet VanDyne is facing classy, old silver-age villain Whirlwind. Nadia herself is facing something altogether more sleek and merciless in a shapeshifting villain with a digital motif who proves to be a more serious challenge as things crash together into something that might prove to be a lot more complicated than A.I.M. has managed before in the past.

Whitley is witty. Really, really witty. The balance between humor and action propels the issue through a multi-ended story. There’s a lot of chaos woven-into the A.I.M. invasion. Mockingbird and the Winter Soldier give way to some clever bits of action between A.I.M. lackeys and a girl who just found out that she can control plants. The casual conversation between A.I.M. soldiers comes across as kind of a cute way to render some of the backgrounds on the villains.  Most of the action lies with the two Wasps. Janet handles Whirlwind. Nadia handles a notably sardonic villain named Fantasma. Whitley isn’t doing anything terribly new here, but he I.S. handling it deftly enough to maintain the fun straight through the issue. The fact that combat is only ever successfully negotiated through creative problem solving adds a great deal of charm to the chapter as well.

Gurihiru’s manga-inspired art serves this end of the series quite well. Fantasma looks disturbing and kinda silly at the same time, which helps to amplify the weird menace of a very, very confident and cocky villain. Gurihiru has found the perfect look for the character. The action flies across the page in a perfect fusion of traditional manga and American superhero art. It’s a really satisfying balance that will be missed as the series comes to an end next month.

The series concludes next month with issue #10. Fantasma is a fun villain to end the series on. Between the talented mix of drama, action and humor and the fact that every issue in the series ended with an interview with a different woman in STEM...it’s really too bad that the series wasn’t able to survive. What Whitley managed to do here was genuinely unique. Too bad it couldn’t find a bigger audience.

Grade: A