Ant-Man #1: Astonishing

While Hank Pym isn’t my favorite Ant-Man, this book kind of endeared him to me.

I started seriously reading Marvel comics around the time Hank fused with Ultron to become what I jokingly refer to as Pymtron, so I didn’t really get to enjoy any of his more heroic series before shoving him off in favor of Scott Lang and later Eric O’Grady. What Al Ewing has managed to succeed in doing with this book, the first issue of an anniversary miniseries, is get me interested in the highly scientific and emotionally aloof man in Hank Pym.

Harking back to Hank’s glory days in the 60s, this issue is a small (ha), low stakes affair which sees Hank kidnapped by a few of his Silver Age villains and having to figure out how to escape before they can destroy him. Ewing makes the dialogue of the book feel exactly like the era with tropes reminiscent of the time; such as ridiculous weapons like Magical Trumpets causing vivid hallucinations, Old Age Ray Guns and Paralyzing Fluid. But it works in showing Hank’s ability to quickly think on his feet as he sends his ants to ask The Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, for help. Ewing showcases the teamwork that made the old Tales to Astonish series the success that it was and as Ant Man and Wasp coordinate their combat to systematically defeat the baddies.

It’s a simple story that allows people who haven’t known Hank Pym to get a feel for the character, especially since he hasn’t really been seen since 2018’s Infinity Wars or even 2021’s alt-universe Heroes Reborn. Hank is shown to be heroic and even the Ant-Man of the future that this series seems to be setting up, acknowledges that Hank did a “Great Service to Humanity.” Ewing even somehow finds a way to give Hank and Janet peripheral connections to the other Ant-Men with short interactions before they really get to know each other.

Tom Reilly’s art and Jordie Bellaire’s colors are absolutely top notch and they are the perfect picks for a book like this.

Tom Reilly’s art is absolutely fantastic from top to bottom and really lifts this book high. His futuristic scenes feel very smooth and capture the polished look of the future and his design for the Ant-Man of the future is VERY COOL, looking slightly similar to other Ant-Man looks, but still being very distinct. The vintage scenes feel very of the era with appropriate costumes for both heroes and villains and the same goes with the combat with exaggerated movements and facial expressions. The villains have sneering grins and wide eyes that just seethe with evil while the heroes always have faces that exude coolness and calmness even in the face of grave danger. 

The shrinking in the book, though few and far between, is still pretty fun. Reilly has a good eye for scope and perspective when Jan has to become the Wasp and pops out of her clothes, making them look huge by comparison – and later, when she encounters Scott Lang in the middle of breaking and entering, she gives him a peck on the nose as he may have inadvertently helped her save Hank. And Hank himself has a pretty fun moment when he hides on a leaf in a potted plant and pranks a young Eric O’Grady with ants after the boy pelts Hank with popcorn during a movie.

Jordie Bellaire might be the one with the strongest contribution to this book. Her flat coloring of the future scenes further help to uplift Reilly’s sleek and clean style, allowing the panels to flow in a very eye-catching way as the strikingly bright colors draw the eyes and contrast against the either white or blue-green backgrounds. But the Silver Age look of the main section of the book is astoundingly fun to look at with its softer tones, but still very vibrant color schemes. Because red and blue are the primary colors for Ant-Man and Wasp, those colors are heavily emphasized, but Bellaire also makes use of yellows and greens for the villains weaponry. It’s a great use of almost complimentary colors to show the opposition of forces in the story.

Some of the best uses of her colors are definitely in the scenes with the bad guys using their weapons. The Window Washer’s Paralyzing fluid is a nasty shade of green that just looks like it will stop one in their tracks. During a flashback, when a villain by the name of The Protector is explaining the abilities of the other villains, Bellaire uses a striking orange to make their shadows and border stand put on the page while also making it clear to the reader that these were past events. Even further on, when Pym is being hit by The Music Man’s trumpet, we see a bevy of funky colors on display as demon faces dot the page with a variety of reds, greens and purples. 

And of course a big credit needs to be given to Cory Petit for his excellent lettering in this book. One of the components of comics that has almost completely fallen to the wayside has been the use of thought balloons in favor of boxes and I’ve never been a fan of that change, but thankfully because it emulates the style of the time, Petit makes them very apparent in this book. They really give an insight into Hank and Jan’s thought processes, while also still leaving room for other people’s dialogues and the narrator to keep a running tab on all actions and transitions throughout the book.