Tales to Astonish #57, Story B

Featuring: Wasp
Release: April 2, 1964
Cover: July 1964
12 cents
Ring-a-ding story plot by: Stan Lee
Jazzy script and art by: Larry Lieber
Like wow, man! inking by: Chic Stone
Far-out lettering by: S. Rosen
7 pages

Pretty significant issue here. As we’ve mentioned, Wasp is the only female superhero to have a solo series this entire decade. But the series wasn’t really about her. She was always the narrator for another story. Until now.

Starting with this issue, Wasp’s solo adventures actually star the Wasp, as she goes on her own adventures. I feel like this is the real beginning of Wasp’s solo series.

It will last 2 issues.

These comics treat Wasp as though she is not very powerful. And, well, she’s not. However, she’s more powerful than Ant-Man ever was. She’s got his abilities, plus she has a stinger and can fly. And the comics talked about him like he was some unbeatable warrior. Citizens and police praised his prowess while criminals cowered.

This story puts Wasp up against a single crook. Not a supervillain, just an ordinary jewelry thief. And the artists seem at a loss at to how she might fight this guy.

In the end, she doesn’t. She pretends to be Invisible Girl and tricks the crook into thinking the Fantastic Four are on the way, so he surrenders to the police.

Not an impressive debut for Wasp’s first solo adventure.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆, 39/100
Significance: ★★★★☆

I read this story in Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant-Man vol. 2.

You can find the story in Ant-Man/Giant-Man Epic Collection vol. 1: The Man in the Ant Hill. Or on Kindle.

Characters:

• Wasp
• Hank Pym

Story notes:

• Editor notes this takes place a few days before the main story of this issue.
• Wasp’s outfit to keep her from being slowed down by autograph hounds.
• Wasp sees jewelry thief escaping into sewer.
• Wasp picks up pin and calls it her sting.
• Hank doesn’t believe her story.

#185 story in reading order
Next: Avengers #5
Previous: Tales to Astonish #57