Featuring: Giant-Man and Wasp
Release: October 1, 1964
Cover: January 1965
12 cents
Sensationally superb story by: Stan Lee
Absolutely adorable art by: Carl Burgos
Incredibly imaginative inking by: Chic Stone
Logically lovable lettering by: S. Rosen
12 pages
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|---|---|---|
| Daredevil #5 | Reading order | Amazing Spider-Man #20 |
| Tales to Astonish #62, Story B | Tales to Astonish | Tales to Astonish #63, Story B |
Giant-Man was the clumsiest superhero, but he’s been working really hard to improve that image, learning to shrink and grow really fast while practicing gymnastics.
The story is this. The Wrecker runs a protection racket threatening shopkeepers that don’t pay him.
Dr. Pym buys a local hardware store to act as bait.
The Wrecker was unmasked as that very hardware store owner. (Spoiler.)
Does this all sound familiar to anybody? Who remembers Tales to Astonish #37 where Ant-Man fought the Protector?
The Protector ran a protection racket threatening shopkeepers that didn’t pay him. Dr. Pym rented a jewelry store to act as bait. The Protector turned out to be the jewelry store owner Ant-Man had met earlier in the issue.
Note this is the second super-villain named Wrecker we have met. The first was Karl Kort in Fantastic Four #12. There is no connection between them besides the name. And neither is connected to Marvel’s more famous villain of the name, whom we will eventually meet.
The issue features a Giant-Man and Wasp pin-up.
This is obviously only half the issue. The rest of the issue is a Hulk story, which normally we’d slide right into. However, recall Hulk has been embroiled in the “Leader saga” for the last three issues. This issue, it kicks into gear with exciting cliffhangers and continuous drama. Because of that, I want to read the next 7 months worth of Hulk stories together. We can’t wait to read the Giant-Man/Wasp stories alongside them because their tales need to intertwine with their appearances in Avengers.
So, please be patient. We will finish to this comic eventually.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆, 30/100
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/Hank Pym
- Wasp/Jan Van Dyne
- The Wrecker
Story Notes:
- Giant-Man can shrink to ant-size then to giant-size in one microsecond.
- Giant-Man shows off new agility, recalling how clumsy he used to be.
- Giant-Man springs from tension spring escape cable, then shrinks, then lands on flying ant.
- Giant-Man refers to Wasp as “Jan” at police headquarters.
- Hank buys Smith’s Hardware on the corner of 15th Street.
- Wasp knows judo.
- Giant-Man kisses Wasp.
- Next issue blurb references Fantastic Four #33.
- Wasp references an upcoming election, perhaps the 1964 presidential election.
| Previous | #281 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Daredevil #5 | Reading order | Amazing Spider-Man #20 |
| Tales to Astonish #62, Story B | Tales to Astonish | Tales to Astonish #63, Story B |
