Ant Man #3 - A Review

Things are looking up for Scott Lang and his new security business, after a rough start caused by the simple fact that ants - for all their prowess in other areas - are not that good at installing motion detectors. At least Scott's new hire - a fellow ex-con costumed animal-man called The Grizzly - is working out well in his new position as a doorstop. And Scott's ex-wife didn't overreact nearly as much as he expected to the news that he's moved to Miami. Now Scott just has to survive another encounter with his sworn enemy (at least so far as he's concerned)... The Taskmaster!


There is much to admire about Nick Spencer's scripts for this series. Unlike the greater number of comic writers today, Spencer thrives on utilizing the rich history of the Marvel Universe. So when a subplot requires a doctor with a particular skill set and a connection to the superhero world, Spencer goes back into the longboxes to find one to fit the story. Little touches like that make the story a little richer and show how much Spencer truly cares about these characters and their stories.  Spencer is also one of the funniest writers working in the comics medium today and the humor of this issue runs the gamut from slapstick to sight-gags with a lot of clever dialogue in between.


Spencer is well-matched with artist Ramon Rosanas in this regard.  Rosanas can manage straight-forward superheroic action as well as talking-head scenes that are low on action but high on people standing around talking to each other.  Rosanas makes even these static scenes interesting too look at, though the best bits of the book involve the numerous weird angles and images that are sure to come about when your protagonist looks at everything from an inch off the ground.