The Day that Ant-Man failed!
Featuring: Ant-Man
Release: November 8, 1962
Cover: February 1963
12 cents
Plot: Stan Lee
Script: L.D. Lieber
Art: Jack Kirby
Inking: Sol Brodsky
11 pages
We’re 6 issues in to these Ant-Man stories, and it’s time to state the obvious conclusion: they’re not very good. Now, the first story in issue 35 was good. It was a clever story about a scientist quickly having to put his inventions to work to stop some Commies. But it then falls apart. Somewhere between issue 35 and 36.
In issue 35, Ant-Man is forced to be born by circumstance– he has hostages to rescue. The issue ends with him musing whether he will ever be forced to become Ant-Man again. Issue 36 begins some time later. Ant-Man is now a regular crimefighter, internationally famous, beloved by people and law enforcement, who has specially constructed an ant-sized headquarters in his home, and who uses his network of ant friends to help him find crime to battle.
That’s a pretty big leap. It’s possible there’s some interesting character development there– but we don’t see it. In that first story, Dr. Pym had lab assistants. We’ve since met nobody else in his life: no friends, no colleagues, no love interest. The entire story in each issue is devoted to the mission. We learn nothing about his inner life, nothing about his personal life, and get no good sense of why he is Ant-Man. He just battles boring villain after boring villain (plus one giant beetle— that was cool.)
Moreover, we are constantly shown he is highly vulnerable, nearly susceptible to all kinds of simple traps, like a vaccuum; this issue, it’s a car horn. Yet, we are constantly told–by criminals, cops, and citizens–that he is an unstoppable force.
Stan Lee in this Marvel Age of comics was famous for fleshing out the 1-dimensional superhero concept of yesteryear; but Ant-Man is not where he is doing that. The character is barely one-dimensonal these last 5 issues.
The only saving grace is Jack Kirby, who occasionally uses the premise of a tiny hero to good artistic effect.
Did I mention boring villains? This issue, Ant-Man fights the Hijacker. Once again, there is a reveal at the end of the Hijacker’s true identity. Once again the answer to the mystery is the only other character the comic names. And, once again, the villain turns out to be the victim, who hired Ant-Man to catch himself to throw Ant-Man off the trail. This is literally identical to the Protector story from 4 issues back. We’ll discuss this particular story no further.
Except to say that this is the 3rd time the final panel has been Ant-Man riding off on an ant against a yellowish background while people praised him for his work.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆, 39/100
Significance: ★☆☆☆☆
Characters:
- Howard Mitchell/Hijacker
- Dr. Henry Pym/Ant-Man
Story notes:
- Dr. Pym develops gas mask for army made from unstable molecules
- Hijacker’s victims remember nothing, due to amnesia gas
- Mitchell Armored Truck Co. is the target of Hijacker’s crimes.
- Mitchell has Incan art from Peru, where he spent time with the Indians.
#44 story in reading order
Next: Journey Into Mystery #89
Previous: Journey Into Mystery #88
