Astonishing Ant-Man #4 - A Review

Astonishing Ant-Man has one of the best title pages in the business. Not only does it offer a helpful recap of the series so far - it also makes you laugh! We should expect this sort of thing from Nick Spencer, of course, but it's still a nice touch.


Spencer understands what far too many Marvel writers failed to grasp about lovable loser heroes like Scott Lang or - until recently - Peter Parker. Namely that is isn't fun for readers to see a loser lose all the time. Keep dumping tragedies on a hero and you destroy any sense of fun.

Therein lies the irony of Scott's life and the secret to his likability in this series - he's good at being a superhero.  Unfortunately, being a superhero doesn't do much to pay the bills and Scott's heroic instincts are about the only thing he has going for him. He stinks on ice as a businessman, a father and a judge of character but you admire him more than you feel sorry for him... even if he has been reduced to working security for an ex-girlfriend and is parenting by proxy to keep his daughter safe.


Ramon Rosanas art is the perfect match for Spencer's script. Rosanas has a great gift for expressions and comedic timing.  The color art by Wil Quintana proves equally adept, with a variety of tints being used to subtly mark flashbacks and other special scenes.

Astonishing Ant-Man #3 - A Review

The good news is that Captain America wants Scott Lang's help with a mission. The bad news (or at least, the bad news Scott is aware of) is that said mission is less about superheroics and more about stealing something and annoying SHIELD - both things Scott REALLY cannot afford right now. And unbeknownst to Scott (but knownst to us), his life is about to become even more annoying and dangerous, as his sworn enemies at Cross Technological have launched their own henchman-recruiting app.


Nick Spencer continues to deliver the funny, as he skewers both modern technology and the Marvel Universe. I found myself laughing out loud more than once as I read this issue. This was due to both the interplay between Sam Wilson and Scott Lang and the mock commercial for Lackey.


The artwork proves equally excellent. Ramon Rosanas is a perfect comedic partner for Nick Spencer and his work here reminds me of Kevin Maguire's work on Justice League. And the colors by Jordan Boyd are well chosen, with the tints used to simulate a phone screen being particularly noteworthy.

The Astonishing Ant-Man #2 - A Review

So... yeah. Scott Lang is in prison. Again.

How did he get there?  We're not sure yet. What we are sure of is that Scott's life was pretty bad even before that happened.

Not only did the latest job for his hemorrhaging security company bring him back into contact with the ex-girlfriend he never got around to breaking up with (Darla Deering a.k.a. The Ever-Lovin' Ms. Thing) but now his employees are returning to super-villainy.  In the employ of his arch enemy's son and brother, no less! And - oh yeah - a spurned stage magician with real magic powers tried to kill him while his ex-girlfriend was in the middle of trying to kill him.

Put Mel Brooks in charge of writing and directing the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film and you might get something as ludicrously brilliant as Astonishing Ant-Man. This series has been a laugh riot since - uh - the last Ant Man series by the same creative team. Yet despite this book being largely a comedy, Nick Spencer still makes Scott into a likable and sympathetic protagonist in spite of some of his problems being due to poor judgement rather than simple bad luck.


The scripts are well-matched by the artwork. Artist Ramon Rosanas draws everything in the usual Mighty Marvel fashion, with everything looking heroic and dynamic... even as Scott is being mauled by bunnies and doves.  And the color art by Jordan Boyd makes everything jump off the page.

The Astonishing Ant-Man #1

Scott Lang's life sucks. His new security business is in the toilet, only hanging on thanks to the increasingly thin generosity of a Golden Age heroine who owed him a favor. And thanks to Scott's efforts to keep his daughter safe by staying out of her life following a kidnapping attempt by his arch-enemy, she's turned on him too.

But things are never so bad that they can't get worse. Because Scott's latest big break into Miami's security market is in peril thanks to the efforts of his ex-wife's new husband. And Scott's arch-enemy - now in possession (if not control) of size-changing powers of his own - has chosen Scott as the target of a demo for a new smart-phone app aimed at the corrupt businessman on-the-go, who needs to hire mercenary super-villains to deal with those meddling do-gooders in a hurry.


Ant-Man is back and as hysterically, horribly funny as ever!  Nick Spencer packs humor into every page of his scripts and this remains one of the funniest books on the market today. Yet there is also pathos and it is hard not to be touched by Scott's plight as he watches his daughter's basketball games in a shrunken size, determined not to miss a moment of her growing up even if he can't safely be in her life.


The artwork aids in the comedic timing of the issue.  Ramon Rosanas does not go out of his way to create funny imagery, merely drawing the action as would be natural and allowing the absurdity of the Marvel Universe played straight to reveal itself. And the colors by Jordan Boyd leave everything looking fantastic.

Ant-Man The Movie - A Spoiler-Free Review

Visually, Ant-Man is an amazing film. There are a number of stunning shots taken from the perspective of an ant-size man throughout the feature that are unlike anything ever before seen on the big screen. It's clear the filmmakers poured over the artwork of Jack Kirby, drawing inspiration - if not replicating specific scenes - from the original Ant Man stories in Tales To Astonish.

At the same time, the story is as trite as the visuals are uncommon, following all of the usual cliches. The villain is a lunatic with no motivation beyond being crazy and greedy. There's a grizzled mentor who sees the would-be hero as his last hope to make good on his own mistakes. And there's a dismissive, hyper-competent love-interest who whips our protagonist into shape, despite being far better suited to be the hero herself.

That being said, two things manage to save the movie despite the formulaic story and a few minor plot-holes. The first of these is an amazing ensemble cast, who make the material work in spite of itself. The other is the moments where the movie breaks the standard Hero's Journey rules to create something uniquely fun. Like the movie being just as much a heist picture as it is a superhero movie.


It's also worth noting that this movie may be the smartest film Marvel Studios has ever made and not just because of all the information about various species of ants and how they might be useful in a fight! This movie takes the trouble to explain why Dr. Hank Pym doesn't just call The Avengers or SHIELD for help regarding the main conflict. And just why Dr Pym chose to give his Ant-Man suit to ex-con Scott Lang in the first place.

Speaking of explanations, I will say that for those fans annoyed at The Wasp not being included in this film... well, trust me, you'll want to see this movie.  And everyone should be sure to stick around for the credits. All the credits. There's two hidden scenes this time and the final one is a preview of what's to come in the next Marvel movie.

Bottom Line: Ant-Man is a fun movie and a worthy addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's not without its little flaws but it's a good movie if one looks at the big picture.

Ant Man Annual #1 - A Review

Scott Lang's first employee bonding experience is going about as well as can be expected (i.e. total disaster) when he hears the news about Hank Pym's apparent death. This leads to Scott remembering the last time he teamed up with the scientist who helped him become The Ant Man. And how Hank was kind of a jerk, all things considered.


When Nick Spencer is writing, you can expect two things - an encyclopedic knowledge of the universe he's writing for and hilarity. We see both of these things in spades in this issue, as Scott and Hank team up against Hank's arch-enemy, Egghead.  Yes, Hank Pym had an arch-enemy. And it was an evil scientist called Egghead.

No, not Vincent Price - the other one!

At any rate, this issue is a laugh riot, as everyone snarks on everyone else. There's a lot of jokes about the general insanity of the Marvel Universe as well, with Egghead hiring minions from the local Geek Squad and Hank having to look Scott up on on-line to see if he's still alive. But the action - once it arrives - is equally entertaining.


The art team for this issue does a fantastic job.  Ramon Rosanas and Brent Jordan Boyd maintain the high level of quality we've seen in the monthly Ant Man book.  And Brent Schoonover's work on the flashback section of the comic evokes memories of Jack Kirby's Avengers.