The Wasp (Janet van Dyne) is a fictional super-heroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Ernie Hart and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 (June 1963). She is usually depicted as having the ability to shrink to a height of several centimeters, fly by means of insectoid wings, and fire bio-electric energy blasts. She is a founding member of the Avengers as well as a long time leader of the team.