Tales to Astonish #62

Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp
Release: September 1, 1964
Cover: December 1964
12 cents
Written–as if you couldn’t guess by now–by smilin’ Stan Lee!
Drawn–and here’s a little twist for you–by capricious Carlos Burgos!
Inked–as if he knew what he was doing–by devestatin’ Dickie Ayers
Lettered–as though each syllable is a gem–by amenable Artie Simek
12 pages

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The cover is vertically split between the two stories. This will be a common format for these shared titles. Hulk’s story comes first on the cover, but the issue opens with the Giant-Man and the Wasp tale.

Don’t think we’ve ever seen Dick Ayers referred to as Dickie before. Carlos Burgos is normally Carl Burgos, who we recall is the creator of the original Human Torch. He’s already shown up once in the Marvel Age to draw a story with the new Human Torch. Art sometimes does go by Artie.

Giant-Man has found a way to make plants grow, as well as humans. It’s a little confusing, as he was able to shrink a chair before he shrank himself. His original goal for the technology was to revolutionize shipping. Originally, it was a liquid he pored on something (an object or his skin) to make it shrink. Then he got it into pill form. Lately, he’s been able to use his cybernetic helmet to make both himself and the Wasp change size with his thoughts. His plant growth serum comes in the form of a spray. He thinks he can use it to help with agriculture and solve world hunger.

He miscalculates and the plant starts growing out of control at a rapid rate. Just how rapid? Dr. Pym notes its growth rate is doubling every microsecond.

Doubling every microsecond. Let’s think that through. It follows that the very size of the plant is approximately doubling every microsecond. (I’ll leave checking that math to the reader.)

The plant has covered the building and Dr. Pym claims Manhattan will be consumed in an hour. But if the growth rate is really doubling every microsecond, then Manhattan has around 10 microseconds left. Within 20 microseconds, Earth will be covered in the plant. It’s already covered a building, say 30 meters tall. Count the microseconds. 60 meters, 120, 240, 480, 960.. round that to a kilometer… 2 kilometers, 4… that’s the width of Manhattan in 7 microseconds… 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512… then about a megameter… 2 megameters… 4… 8… 16… 32… 64 million meters… Earth has been entirely covered. Faster than you could even say “microsecond”.

Maybe Dr. Pym was exaggerating the growth rate for dramatic effect.

For like the third time, we see the problem of Dr. Pym’s powers being external. Once again, the bad guy takes them. This time, a small time crook. He takes Giant-Man’s costume and locks Hank in a closet. (Not Pym’s first time being locked in a closet.) Presumably the burglar was considerate enough to also put street clothes on Hank.

This leads to a battle between Wasp, sporting a new costume, and the man impersonating Giant-Man.

Fortunately, Hank had some memory loss serum lying around to use on the crook and protect his rather poorly guarded secret identity.

Let’s talk about this memory loss serum you had “lying around”. Nobody just has that lying around. What have you been using it for? Actually, let’s start by talking about how easily the crook used the cybernetic helmet to make himself shrink and grow. So why hasn’t Hank shared the technology with Wasp? For that matter, why won’t he share growth serum with her? What is up with their relationship? There’s only one person around for him to use the memory serum on normally. Just what does he want her to forget?

Rating: ★★½, 42/100
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:

• Giant-Man/Henry “Hank” Pym
• Second-Story Sammy
• Wasp/Jan Van Dyne

Story notes:

• Narrator lets us know the villain will learn Giant-Man’s real identity.
• Giant-Man has found a way to make plants grow.
• Giant-Man halts plant’s growth by severing tap root.
• Is Second-Story Sammy the crook’s name?
• Sammy steals ‘K’ Diamond.
• New costume for Wasp.
• The Avengers have sworn never to take a human life if they can help it.
• Daily Bugle reporter interviews Hank. Mentions J. J. Jameson.
• Hank has some memory-loss serum.

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