Tales to Astonish #51

Cover Date: January 1964

Plot Overview: Giant-Man continues to train at capturing the top. After another failure he admits that he can't catch the Human Top but he can't give up. Meanwhile, the Human Top blows up an abandoned tug boat with the dynamite we saw at the end of Tales to Astonish #50. He plans to use this as a distraction from his real crime.

Giant-Man and Wasp arrive on the scene and they see the Human Top fleeing from his real crime. Giant-Man gives chase and is no closer to catching the Top than before. This time, Giant-Man tries some misdirection and actually catches the Top. The Top spins at almost top speed and manages to get away. The Wasp has the police hit the Top with water from a fire hydrant. This slows him down but he manages to recover before the Wasp can get to him.

Giant-Man says that he's made a mistake in trying to match speed with the Top. He needs to try a different approach. The Top stole defense plans from the Federal Building but they happen to be out of date. The authorities know who he's going to hand the plans over to. Giant-Man captures those people and heads off to meet the Top in disguise.

Giant-Man reveals himself at the exchange and the chase is on again. The Top runs away and learns that the city has been fenced in. Giant-Man waits for the Top to wear out a bit and then pounces on him. Giant-Man finishes him off with a punch. As the Top is being taken away, he reveals to the Wasp that he put glue on his gloves to get a better grip on him.

In a short backup, the Wasp tells a group of disabled veterans a science fiction story. It's a mostly forgettable tale about Rack Morgan. He breaks all the rules and ends up being killed by an alien because he ignored the rules about landing on an alien planet.

My Take: Really fun issue this time out. It was really similar to last issue but I think avoided the pitfalls. Giant-Man didn't seem like as much of a clumsy oaf this time, just overmatched. This also felt like a more straight up superhero story and not a specialized story because he was the size of an ant. They also downplayed the Wasp's attraction to Giant-Man a little. She still made her comments and he was still annoyed but they didn't dominate the story.

Giant-Man and Wasp work better as a combo. With his ability to grow larger, you can get some more standard stories out of it. They don't have to come up with ridiculous things for an ant sized person to do on a monthly basis anymore. The Human Top is silly but he's a better villain than we've seen in the entire run of Tales to Astonish so far. I'm still not eager to read the book when it comes around but I do think it's gotten better.

I can't put my finger on it but this issue just read a little better in general. It didn't feel like we were having Hank and Jan's powers explained to us again. It felt like we picked up right where the last issue left off and went right into the action. Things weren't over explained. It was just about Giant-Man trying to catch the Top. It felt like a nice fast paced story and I was shocked when I got to the last page of the story.

Jack Kirby drew this issue so the art was again top notch. I really like the Giant-Man costume in it's current form. It's just a cool costume with the red and blue. The Human Top was also really well done. He was always spinning in the book but if you really looked at him you could see he was keeping the form of a speed skater. It was a really cool art effect in this book.

I give this *** out of *****.

Notes: Giant-Man is swarmed by his fan club at one point in this issue and one of the fans refers to him as high pockets. The Wasp later adopts that nickname for him.

Next Issue: Avengers #3

Tales to Astonish #49

Cover Date: November 1963

Plot Overview: Pym crashes through the front of the house as a giant and in a new costume. The gardener flees in terror at the sight and the Wasp arrives shortly afterwards. She gives Hank a shrinking pill and he becomes normal size again. Hank states that if he grows taller than 12 feet tall that he becomes too weak to stand.

Pym has turned his gas into pills and tests the growth one out with the help of Jane. The gardener tells the police of what he saw but they don't have time for his claims. They have reports of people being erased.

The Living Eraser is nearby and erases a hotdog vendor that saw him. The  Living Eraser has 5 targets and has erased 3 already. He finds the next victim and easily erases him and then reveals that Hank Pym is his next target.

Hank and Jane are going over the new pills and Hank has made belts to carry their pills. Jane tries out her pills and becomes Wasp size. Suddenly the Living Eraser strikes and quickly erases Hank Pym.

Hank wakes up in Dimension Z and finds out the Living Eraser is from a race of people that have been observing the human race for several years. They saw the human race test the atomic bomb and need the technology for themselves. That's why they sent the Living Eraser to bring back nuclear scientists. Hank tries to escape but they capture him. The Wasp reveals herself and gives Hank a shrinking pill. Hank and the Wasp escape into the duct work and find the captured scientists.

Hank becomes Giant-Man and grows to 12 feet tall. He enjoys his new found strength and tosses the aliens around like they are nothing. Giant-Man reeks havoc until he finds a lone soldier and makes him take them to the Living Eraser. Giant-Man is caught in a glass cage and the Eraser reveals how his powers work with a little device on his hand. The Wasp silently moves into action and releases Giant-Man from the cage. Giant-Man grabs the  Eraser and takes the device from him. Giant-Man returns everyone back to the  Earth. Hank and Jane read the news article about their exploits as the issue comes to a close.

My Take: The addition of growth powers to Hank Pym are a good place to go for these stories. Getting small only has so many places to go. But as a giant, Pym can have more standard super hero battles and some more standard enemies. It's a welcome addition to me as I didn't think the Ant-Man stories were really working the way they were.

This issue was okay. I liked the gardener freaking out when Hank came crashing through his house at the beginning. I'm kind of tired of how they approach the Hank and Jane dynamic in this book. Jane acts like a love sick little puppy and Hank is either oblivious or put off by it. I would like to see some evolution in that regard soon.

The story was pretty standard fare. Weird alien abducts hero, hero escapes the alien world and returns home. This followed that formula pretty closely and then gave Hank a lot of chances to show off his Giant-Man powers. I kind of wondered why he gets stronger as Giant-Man but retains human level strength when he gets small. I know they did that for storyline purposes but it made me stop for a moment and think.

The art was pretty good in this issue. I really like this version of the Giant-Man costume. It's simple in concept but I think it's a really good costume. I also like the name Giant-Man a lot better than Ant-Man. It just sounds cooler and a little more like a super hero.

I give this ** out of *****.

Notes: This issue contains the first appearance of the Living Eraser. He's a very minor villain who is fondly remembered for being a ridiculous Silver Age villain. He goes on to have a handful of appearances and that's about it for him. This issue also marks a new costume for Hank Pym and the start of the Giant-Man identity. Pym has also learned how to grow to giant size in this issue.

Next Issue: Avengers #2

Tales to Astonish #48

Cover Date: October 1963

Plot Overview: Alexander Gentry has invented a new suit for the military. He decides that he's tried of not getting the fame and glory for his creations. So he becomes the Porcupine and wants to become the king of crime.

Meanwhile, Hank and Jan attend the grand opening of a bank that is using security measures that Pym created. The opening is disrupted by the Porcupine who uses gas to knock out the crowd as he robs the vault. Jan passes out and Hank gets them to an office and breaks open a window. The Porcupine escapes and Hank takes the feverish Jan back to their HQ. Hank uses his ants to track down the Porcupine and finds him at a local army base.

Ant-Man manages to sneak in but gets captured by the Porcupine. The Porcupine leaves Ant-Man in water and leaves him to die. Meanwhile, Jan recovers and realizes that something is wrong. She tracks down Ant-Man and saves him from the water. They devise a plan to clog the Porcupine's suit with cement. The Wasp attacks and then they cover the Porcupine in cement. With his suit jammed, Ant-Man uses his lasso and throws the Porcupine out of a window. The Porcupine flees promising to make his suit even stronger.

Jan complains that Hank was treating her like an invalid earlier and he says she should go back to bed, much to her great annoyance.

My Take: This was a solid issue this time out. Nothing too memorable but it was a fairly fun read. It was nice to see the Wasp play the role of rescuer this issue. It was a nice change of pace. This issue was also your typical Silver Age story. The heroes find some way to take out the villain and win the day. I took this format and accomplished it in a solid way.

The art was pretty hit and miss with this issue. I blame that mostly on the Porcupine's costume. I think most artists would have trouble making such a ridiculous costume looking good consistently. It really is one of the worst creations that Marvel has thought up to this point in their history. I hope they figure out how to streamline the suit a bit after this. It really was an eyesore.

Despite, how awful the suit was, I do like the Porcupine. I love obscure villains from the 60s and 70s and he's a prime example of one. He was just a fun stupid little villain to take up everyone's time for an issue. He did his job well in this issue.

I give this **1/2 out of *****.

Notes: This issue features the first appearance of the Porcupine. He kind of becomes a notable C-list villain among the Marvel fanbase. He's easily the most well known as far as obscure Marvel characters from the 60s and 70s. He eventually joins up with guys like the Eel in Count Nefaria's group of villains.

Next Issue: Tales of Suspense #46

Tales to Astonish #47

Cover Date: September 1963

Plot Overview: Ant-Man and the Wasp foil a jewel heist as the issue begins. The open of the diamond is grateful and talks about the master of hypnotism Ghazandi in India before they depart. The Wasp sees a jazz concert and asks Ant-Man if they can attend. Ant-Man refuses at first but the Wasp convinces him to change his mind.

Henry can't wait for the concert to end but Jane really likes one of the musicians Trago. After the show, Targo robs the club manager but Ant-Man and the Wasp stop him. The club manager decides not to press charges and buy Trago a plane ticket to India.

While in India, Trago meets Ghazandi and learns how to hypnotize people with his trumpet. Targo returns to New York and hypnotizes a crowd at concert. He decides to use his powers to get onto television and then he can hypnotize the entire city. He gets on the air and his music begins to effect Ant-Man and the Wasp in the lab.

They shrink down and call upon Korr, the ant, and the other ants to save them. A snake attacks and Korr is killed before Ant-Man can shrink the snake. With their headgear, they aren't effected by Trago's music. They arrive on the scene and Ant-Man realizes he doesn't have the chemicals to become normal size so he'll have to tackle Trago in his ant size.

The Wasp takes out the henchmen while Ant-Man remembers that Trago might hypnotize himself if he plays the wrong notes. He climbs into Trago's trumpet while the ants attack. I'm not sure what Ant-Man does here though. He lasso's the plunger and suddenly Trago in a panic plays different notes and hypnotizes himself. Trago only remembers having played his first gig and goes back to just being a musician. Henry and Jane mourn the loss of Korr as the issue comes to an end.

My Take: I really didn't care for this issue. It was very predictable. For starters, they meet the guy in the beginning of the issue and he talks about Ghazandi and his ability to hypnotize people, so you know he's going to be responsible for teaching the bad guy how to do it. Then, one of the ants suddenly has a name and it was obvious they did that because he was going to die. So most of the story you saw coming in the first 2 pages of story.

On top of that, the Ant-Man concept really isn't working for me. The writers just don't know what to do with it more often than not and you just end up with some really ridiculous stories out of it. Plus, they haven't developed Henry Pym really well and he's still just kind of a bland protagonist to have carrying the bulk of these stories. Jane has made it a lot better but it's still boring more often than not. I'm really looking forward to the Hulk and Namor taking over this book.

The art was okay as usual for this issue. Don Heck isn't my favorite artist in the Marvel stable at this time but he gets the job done more often than not.

I'd give this * out of *****.

Notes: This is the first and only appearance of Trago and Korr.

Next Issue: Avengers #1

Tales to Astonish #46

Cover Date: August 1963

Plot Overview: Ant-Man and Wasp come back from another fruitless patrol. Wasp complains that all the crime has dried up because everyone is afraid of them. Henry suggests they take a vacation and an excited Jan says they should go to Greece. Henry and Jan travel to Greece and start hearing rumors of a monster attacking ships at sea. They eventually hire a boat to investigate.

Henry discovers a species of ant with wings and decides it will come in handy. The Cyclops appears and grabs their ship and heads to the islands. Ant-Man and the Wasp lay low to see what's going on. They discovered several captured sailors and an alien race known as the A-Chiltarians. The aliens are on Earth to test the mental power of humans and the Cyclops is actually a robot used to scare people away from the island.

The aliens have decided that humans are inferior and orders the Cyclops to kill the sailors. Ant-Man and the Wasp split up, due to the Wasp making a rash decision to help the sailors. Ant-Man gets inside of the Cyclops and messes with the internal mechanics until he gains control of the Cyclops with his helmet. This was just in the nick of time because the Cyclops was just about to crush the Wasp and the sailors.

Ant-Man uses the Cyclops to chase the aliens off the planet. Ant-Man then sends the Cyclops to sea to never be seen again. Ant-Man and Wasp return home and Jan says that she can't stand the excitement of another vacation.

The Ridiculous: Ant-Man mentions riding a winged ant like a pegasus.

My Take: This was a fun issue. It felt like they broke the formula up and it worked. I liked the interactions between Henry and Jan, they're starting to play off of each other a lot better. They overcame the challenges in this book in a reasonable manner. I didn't feel like anything really came out of left field, it was a well thought out use of their powers.

The story moved at a really good pace. It felt like the story was constantly moving forward and there weren't many moments of the characters just sitting around planning. I liked how it was kind of set up as a mystery at first with the locals being afraid of a monster. It was more of a natural storyline progression instead of a contrived super hero story. Honestly, I think this issue would hold up well as an old 50s B horror movie or sci-fi movie. It would need to be greatly fleshed out but I think the skeleton of the story for this issue works that well.

The art was really good this issue. Don Heck was the artist and he did a great job. It really felt like the art in this issue was a few steps up from other issues at the time. The characters looked really good and the level of detail to the panels was a welcome change of pace. There was barely any standing in front of nothing going on, there seemed to always be something in the background for each panel.

I'd give this *** out of *****

Notes: This is the first appearance of the A-Chiltarians, who never appear in another Marvel book ever. The Cyclops robot also never shows up again.

Next Issue: Tales of Suspense #44

Tales to Astonish #45

Cover Date: July 1963

Plot Overview: We catch up with Egghead who has taken refuge in a flop house since his last battle with the Ant-Man. We get a brief recap of Tales to Astonish #38. Egghead overhears two thugs who were foiled recently by Ant-Man. Egghead recruits them so that he can plot his revenge against Ant-Man.

Egghead decides that the easiest way to lure out Ant-Man is to trap the Wasp. To do this he takes on the identity of Professor Carl Striker. He designs a zoo exhibit for wasps to lure the Wasp in. They then steal a valuable gem so and place it so that the Wasp will decide to investigate.

Janet Van Dyne visits the exhibit and sees the gem. She decides to go it alone so that she can prove herself to Ant-Man. She returns as the Wasp and is caught in Egghead's trap. She sends a signal to Ant-Man who arrives on the scene shortly afterwards.

Egghead traps Ant-Man in a glass case and has him battle an iguana. Ant-Man makes short work of the reptile and asks the cage. Egghead then releases an ant-eater. Ant-Man uses his steel rope and tosses the ant-eater into Egghead and his men. Egghead and his men try to use gas on Ant-Man but the Wasp uses a long nail as a stinger and disarms all the men. The day is won but Egghead has managed to escape. Henry Pym scolds Janet about going off on her own. He says that they're a team and they need to work as a team. Janet of course thinks to herself about how in love with Henry she is. Egghead vows revenge as the story comes to a close.

My Take: This might be the best splash page of all time but sadly the promise of ant-eater mayhem was only a few panels worth of this comic. Really, this whole issue was kind of a plodding affair. This book was just stuffed full of text and it really felt more like reading a novel at times than it does reading a comic.

Granted, I love the Silver Age logic at work in this issue. Janet Van Dyne has the identity of the Wasp so she would obviously be interested in everything Wasp. I just love how that somehow makes sense to people in the Marvel Universe at the time.

Other than that bit of cheese the rest of the story was pretty boring. I was looking forward to Henry Pym being developed more with Janet around but they were barely in this issue. On top of that, Egghead is kind of a boring villain. His plot was kind of ridiculous but what can you really do with a superhero that shrinks as his power.

Really, this is the only title that's not working right now. The concept just doesn't work on a month to month basis. I do like Henry Pym and Janet Van Dyne as characters a lot but I like them in the Avengers but as characters carrying their own book. This book just feels tedious most of the time.

I give this *1/2 out of *****

Notes: There was nothing to note about this issue. Though the super-hero stories have started expanding to 13 page stories instead of 10 page stories.

Next Issue: Tales of Suspense #43

Tales to Astonish #44

Cover Date: June 1963

Plot Overview: The issue opens with Henry remembering back to his wife. She was a political prisoner in a foreign country and murdered upon her return. This led Henry to become the Ant-Man.

In the present Henry has decided that he needs a partner. Someone to help him in battle and to carry on his legacy if he were to ever die. He develops specialized cells so that this new person can grow wings and antenna when they're small. Shortly afterwards Henry is approached by Vernon Van Dyne and his daughter Janet. Vernon is playing to use a ray beam to contact other planets and wants Henry's help. Henry declines.

Sometime later Vernon's experiments are successful but the Creature from the Kosmos rides the beam to Earth. He explains that he is a criminal and he has come to conquer the Earth. The Creature uses some weird power that kills Vernon. Janet finds the body and the Ant-Man arrives shortly afterwards. Janet vows revenge on whoever did this and Ant-Man sees in her a potential partner. Ant-Man tells her to contact the FBI and to go to Henry Pym's lab. Ant-Man's ants also act strangely and say they are afraid of this creature.

At the lab, Pym reveals his identity as Ant-Man to Janet and asks if she would like to join. Janet agrees and Henry injects her with the specialized cells. The Creature from the Kosmos begins to rampage in the city and they head off to action. The ants refuse to fight the creature but Wasp tries to attack it head on. She almost looks at the Creature and falls victim to his strange powers but Ant-Man saves the day.

Ant-Man has an idea and they head back to Pym's lab. He realized the creature is made from an acid that is present in ant stingers. He makes an antidote and places the antidote in shotgun shells. With the help of the ants they fire on the Creature until it disappears. Ant-Man and the Wasp have saved the day.

My Take: This seems like a drastic direction shift for the Ant-Man stories. First of all he gets a partner in the Wasp and second, this was the first time that they really tried to develop the character of Henry Pym. They retconned his story quite a bit from his first appearance and tried to make him a more sympathetic character. It was a little hollow if you ask me.

Janet Van Dyne almost immediately falls in love with Henry Pym and it's kind of eye rolling to be honest. They've known each other for roughly 5 minutes and she's making big declarations of love while Pym doesn't want to get involved and scolds her numerous times.

I think this issue shows that Henry Pym's power set really doesn't carry solo stories well. Even with Janet's addition, the book still feels contrived and silly more often than not. To me, this book is easily the weakest of the Marvel lineup at this point.

I'd give this ** out of *****

Notes: This issue has the first appearance of Janet Van Dyne aka the Wasp. It goes without saying that she's been one of the top characters in the Avengers books for a long time.

Next Issue: Tales of Suspense #42

Tales to Astonish #43

Cover Date: May 1963

Plot Overview: Ant-Man runs into a crowd of admirers and makes a hasty retreat as the issue opens. We switch scenes to Professor Elias Weems. He's excited that his grandson is coming to visit him but tragedy strikes a week later when he's fired for being too old. Weems panics and decides he's going to build a ray that will make people old.

Weems easily conducts the ray and then tests it on a tree, an elephant and a random woman on the street. With the tests a success, he names himself the Time Master and sends a threatening letter to the police. Ant-Man's network of ants picks up the conversation and Ant-Man leaps into action. He visits the police and they update him of the situation.

Ant-Man decides to ask around and learns of Elias Weems being fired. He visits Weems' home and Weems uses the ray on him. Weems has no desire to kill the aged Ant-Man. He just wants him out of the way so he places him at the bottom of a flower pot. Weems leaves and Ant-Man grows to human size to escape his situation.

Weems climbs to the top of a building and uses his ray on a large crowd of people to have his revenge. His grandson walks into the fire zone and suddenly begins to age. Weems decides to reverse the aging effect but drops the gun. Ant-Man's ants catch the gun and he reverses the aging process on the crowd. Weems realizes what a fool he had been as he goes to his grandson. Ant-Man defends Weems in court and Weems' old boss hires him back. The issue ends with Weems showing his grandson his lab and Ant-Man gives a small speech about not judging people based on age as the issue ends.

My Take: This was a fun issue. Again, it seemed to work with the Ant-Man concept and didn't feel very ridiculous. Ant-Man also got a little character development as they showed that he tends to be a shy introvert. It was a very tiny amount of development but it's really the first hint of personality he's been given over the 10 issues he's appeared in so far.

The villain was also interesting as he repented by the end of the story. That hasn't happened a lot in the early Marvel Comics.

The art was also good for this issue. Marvel seems to have a consistent artist schedule going now as the last 2 or 3 issues for each book has looked roughly the same. For awhile there, you didn't know what you were going to get with any particular issue of a Marvel book. The Marvel U is really shaping itself up right now and building some nice momentum.

I'd give this **1/2 out of *****.

Notes: Nothing of note happened in this issue.

Next Issue: Tales of Suspense #41

Tales to Astonish #42

Cover Date: April 1963

Plot Overview: Jason Cragg sets up shop on a soap box and begins preaching for the citizens of Central City to hate the Ant-Man. Ant-Man wanders by and sees the events but his helmet protects him from Cragg's voice. We learn that a near radioactive accident gave Cragg a voice that could not be resisted. Through his travels, he decided to test himself against the Ant-Man.

Cragg easily convinces the people to attack Ant-Man and leads the mob. AM tries to hide in a field but Cragg equips the people with magnets to pick him up by his helmet. AM has no choice and removes the helmet to try and remain hidden. The mob finds the helmet and his gas canisters so Cragg begins to speak. He orders AM to surrender himself and Am eventually has no choice but to listen.

Cragg orders AM to walk off the end of a pier and to not try to save himself. AM obeys the order and walks into the river and doesn't attempt to swim. AM's loyal ants make the save and return AM to his home.

AM comes up with a plan and steals a virus from a lab and heads to a local television studio where Cragg will be appearing. AM borrows a prop gun. When Cragg appears, AM tells him to give a positive speech about AM because he has a gun trained on him. Cragg does as he's told and then AM reveals the gun isn't loaded. Cragg tries to give another speech but his voice gives out. AM reveals that he also covered the mic with a virus and Cragg has now caught it. Cragg tries to incite the crowd again but they turn on him and chase him out of town. The issue ends with AM lamenting the fact that Cragg didn't use his powers for good.

My Take: I enjoyed this issue. I looked at the cover and read the first two pages and thought I was in for a bad story but it really turned out to be a fun little read. The Ant-Man concept worked despite itself in this issue. The plot was a good generic plot for any superhero and it didn't feel ridiculous like some of the other Ant-Man stories have.

I liked Jason Cragg as a villain. He was different and he provided a unique set of challenges for the hero to overcome. I also liked the Cragg was out for blood in this issue. When he got hold of Ant-Man, there wasn't a silly deathtrap, he wanted Ant-Man to commit suicide. That felt a lot different than what a lot of other comics were doing at the time.

I can't really think of any complaints I had with the issue. There wasn't really action or anything but the story wasn't really meant to have any. It was about Ant-Man overcoming a superior force with his superior intellect. I think the story succeeded in that aspect.

The art was good this time as Don Heck did the art. A lot of little details in there and it didn't feel rushed or slapped together like some of these early Marvel books can.

I'd give this **1/2 out of *****

Notes: This issue is the first appearance of Jason Cragg. Cragg will be a very minor villain in the Marvel Universe. This is really his only appearance until he pops back up in the 1980s in the West Coast Avengers and Captain America. It looks like he's had a total of 6 appearances over the 50 years of the Marvel Universe. We'll call him a D lister and move on.

Next Issue: Tales of Suspense #40

Tales to Astonish #41

Cover Date: March 1963

Plot Overview: The issue opens with Hank arriving at his friend Paul's house. No one answers the door so Hank becomes Ant-Man to check things out. No one is home and over the next few weeks more scientists disappear. A few days later, a window washer arrives at Hank's lab. He captures Hank with a special paralyzing agent.

The scene shifts to the other scientists who have been transported to another planet. A tyrant named Kulla is holding them hostage until they can build him a death ray. Hank arrives and gets himself thrown into the dungeon so he can become Ant-Man. As Ant-Man he encounters the alien insect life of the planet. He realizes that he needs to alter his helmet's frequency to communicate with them.

Ant-Man arrives and confronts Kulla. One of the guards tries to step on Ant-Man but he manages to avoid the attack. Kulla manages to catch Ant-Man with the paralyzing agent but just as he's about to win he is killed by his own death ray. The alien insects from earlier have operated the weapon. The inhabitants storm the stronghold and capture Kulla's men. Ant-Man escapes to become Hank Pym just in time to be released from the dungeon. The issue ends with Hank and the other scientists returning to Earth.

My Take: This issue wasn't too bad. It was pretty forgettable but it wasn't so ridiculous that I hated it or anything. My main problem with this book is that Ant-Man is really just kind of boring. He's not really getting developed as a character. He's pretty bland and your run of the mill superhero.

The battle again shows why the Ant-Man concept doesn't work as a solo book. The bad guys were trying to step on him this time. And for Ant-Man to win, some pretty contrived things have to happen. I think the strongest issue of this series was the one where he fought the Scarlet Beetle. That was an enemy that was the same size as him and nothing crazy had to happen for Ant-Man to come out the winner at the end of the day.

I'm really hoping this book improves when the Wasp shows up and when he learns how to become Giant-Man.

I'd give this issue *1/2 out of *****.

Notes: This is the first and only appearance of Kulla as far as I know.

Next Issue: Tales of Suspense #39

Tales to Astonish #40

Cover Date: February 1963

Plot Overview: The Ant-Man is called in by a man named Howard Mitchell. Someone has been hijacking his armored truck shipments of money and he wants it to stop. Ant-Man tells him to announce another shipment. Ant-Man will go along with the shipment and catch the hijacker.

The day arrives but Ant-Man suddenly becomes ill. He leaves the scene to find a doctor so the truck goes on without him. They come across a broken down truck along their path when suddenly a giant magnet pulls them into the truck. Gas knocks them out and a man called the Hijacker appears.

Just then Ant-Man pops out and reveals he was faking the sickness. The Hijacker chases Ant-Man into the engine of the truck. Ant-Man manages to pull the mask off of the Hijacker and he falls victim to his own gas. The police arrive to find that Howard Mitchell is the Hijacker. He reveals that his company was losing money and that he came up with this scam to make it back. The issue ends with the police saying that even when the Ant-Man fails he still wins.

My Take: This was a pretty ridiculous issue and further showed why Ant-Man doesn't work by himself. The battle with the bad guy just felt contrived and I didn't realize the gas was still in play when Ant-Man pulled his mask off. I just did not care for this issue at all. The Hijacker as the name was silly. It wasn't original and reeked of one shot.

The art was really good for this issue though. That was the one redeeming quality to the whole thing. It was top notch for what I've seen in these issues so far. The amount of detail to the characters was really good. Kirby did a really great job on this issue.

I'd give this issue *1/2 out of *****

Notes: There was nothing of note with this issue.

Next Issue: Journey Into Mystery #89

Tales to Astonish #39

Cover Date: January 1963

Plot Overview: Henry Pym decides to investigate strange signals he's been receiving from the ants. He heads into the sewers and finds a large gathering of bugs. The Scarlet Beetle is making a speech about how bugs should conquer mankind. He's been effected by radiation and given human intelligence. Pym intervenes but is defeated by the sheer number of bugs. The Scarlet Beetle takes his enlarging gas and becomes the size of a human.

The Scarlet Beetle uses his army of bugs to reek havoc on the population of the city. Meanwhile the ants rescue Pym. Pym heads to the surface and uses his ants to defeat the bug army of the Scarlet Beetle. Pym and the Beetle face off and end up in a toy store. Pym used a toy lance to break the gas canisters on the Beetle and he returns to normal size. Pym then uses his scientific knowledge to rob the Beetle of his human intelligence. The issue ends with regular people wondering where Ant-Man was when they needed him.

My Take: I would say this issue was delightfully ridiculous. The Scarlet Beetle was a great villain for a one shot. His plot was great and the scenes really worked for some reason. The police being unable to use their guns due to a bee attack was great. This is the first issue where I felt that Ant-Man kind of worked as a solo concept. It felt like the Scarlet Beetle was a suitable villain for him. The situations presented were also unique to Ant-Man.

The art to this issue was pretty solid. The story was also a really quick read. This was a very nice issue to cleanse the palette after how awful Fantastic Four #10 was. Nothing in this issue was ground breaking but then who needed it? Sometimes a short little romp with no consequences can be fun especially in this anthology titles.

I'd give this *** out of *****

Notes: This is the first appearance of the Scarlet Beetle. I'm pretty sure he never appears again.

Next Issue: Journey Into Mystery #88

Tales to Astonish #38

Cover Date: December 1962

Plot Overview: Several underworld types get together and complain that the Ant-Man has made the city unsafe for crime. They decide they need brains, not brawn to defeat the Ant-Man. As they chat the scene changes to a man named Egghead being fired by the government. They suspect that he's been selling secret atomic plans to foreign powers. The mobsters hear of this and hire Egghead to defeat the Ant-Man.

Egghead studies film of the Ant-Man and devises a plan. He will learn how to communicate with the ants and get them to betray Ant-Man. Egghead develops a device and goes to an anthill. He tells the ants to bring Ant-Man to the museum where he'll capture Ant-Man with flypaper. He promises to make Ant-Man their slave.

Later that night, Ant-Man arrives on the scene and falls into the trap. Suddenly, Ant-Man escapes the trap and makes short work of the criminals. The police arrive and capture the mobsters while Egghead has managed to escape. Ant-Man explains that the ants aren't motivated by greed and don't feel oppressed by him. So he came to the museum ready for the trap. The issue ends with Egghead hiding out and muttering to himself about ants.

My Take: Out of the 5 issues of Tales to Astonish I've read, this was probably the best. The story was a really quick read and it wasn't too riddled with Silver Age ridiculousness. Having a real super-villain in the story was a nice change. It felt more like a superhero story than a sci-fi story trying to be a superhero story.

There were some huge gaping logic holes on the part of Egghead. He just kind of assumed that the ants agreed with him. It made the outcome obvious but it didn't really bother me that much.

It wasn't a classic story or really a memorable story. It was just a nice story to sit down and read for 5-10 minutes and then move on to something else.

I'd give this **1/2 out of *****

Notes: This is the first appearance of Egghead. Egghead will be considered the main rival of Henry Pym for a long time but is never an A level villain in the Marvel Universe.

Next Issue: Journey Into Mystery #87

Tales to Astonish #37

Cover Date: November 1962

Plot Overview: Ant-Man responds to a police call. He arrives at a local jeweler and learns that a man calling himself the Protector has been shaking down the local jewelers. He has a disintegration ray that he'll use to destroy the jewels and maybe even the jewelers themselves. Ant-Man has his ants stake out the local jewelry stores until the Protector arrives. Ant-Man confronts the Protector and has the ants trip him up with a necklace. They head outside and the Protector uses a water gun to wash Ant-Man away. Ant-Man saves himself with a straw.

Ant-Man decides to rent out a local jewelry store and waits for the Protector as Henry Pym. The Protector eventually arrives and makes his demands for protection money. Pym agrees and then becomes the Ant-Man after the Protector leaves. Ant-Man follows the Protector to an apartment.

Inside the Protector catches Ant-Man with a vacuum cleaner but Ant-Man uses his strength to punch out of the bag. Ant-Man uses a fan to blow the contents of the vacuum cleaner bag into the face of the Protector. The cops thank Ant-Man as the story ends.

My Take: The art was pretty good in this issue. They seem to have figured out how to make the action look fairly decent in the book. I'm glad he's not just riding ants around.

As far as the as the story. Henry Pym does not work as a solo character if you ask me. He at least needs the Wasp but I'd argue he needs the Avengers. His powers aren't that interesting. He has no supporting cast. The villains have all been one shots so far. The book really just needs a lot of development. I am not a fan of the Tales to Astonish stories so far.

I'd give this *1/2 out of *****

Notes: There was nothing of note in this issue. The Protector is a one shot villain as far as I know.

Next Issue: Journey Into Mystery #86

Tales to Astonish #36

Cover Date: October 1962

Plot Overview: The Communists have called upon Comrade X to capture Ant-Man so that they can learn the secrets of his ability to shrink. They want to use it so they can invade other countries undetected.

Meanwhile in the United States a woman has arrived at the police station. She must see Ant-Man immediately. The police tell her that Ant-Man just arrives when he's needed most. Some nearby ants overhear the conversation and it eventually gets to Henry Pym. Pym becomes Ant-Man and arrives at the police station. He hides in the woman's purse.

Ant-Man reveals himself to her at her hotel. She explains that she's out for revenge against against Comrade X and tells Ant-Man what X's plans are. Later that night Ant-Man heads to the pier but Comrade X captures him.

Ant-Man uses his electronic helmet to summon more ants. They help release him and together they take out most of Comrade X's men. Ant-Man confronts X but X has a atomizer full of DDT. The ants cover the lights and Ant-Man trips up X. The ants pull a mask off Comrade X to reveal it was the woman from earlier. Ant-Man reveals that he rode around in her purse and found the mask. The police arrive to arrest X and her men as the issue comes to an end.

My Take: I don't have a lot to say about this issue. Ant-Man takes out a spy and that's really it. He's not getting any real significant development and he doesn't have a supporting cast to interact with. This title needs a lot of work to be interesting. This was a really forgettable issue.

I give this *1/2 out of *****

Notes: Henry Pym changed the serum into a gas form so that it was easier to carry around in this issue. That's about all.

Next Issue: Journey Into Mystery #85

Tales to Astonish #35

Cover Date: September 1962

Plot Overview: We start with a recap of the events of Tales to Astonish #27. Then we join Pym in the present as he decides to remake the formula. He feels that maybe one day mankind will be ready for the serum. He also makes an electronic helmet to communicate with ants and a red suit for protection.

The U.S. government decides to have Pym work on an anti-radiation serum. Word eventually reaches the Communist side of the world and they dispatch men to steal the formula. They take over Pym's laboratory and begin a search for the anti-radiation formula. Pym decides to use his serum and suit to try and save the formula and his assistants.

Pym escapes and heads to the local ant hill. One of the ants attacks and Pym discovers that he's retained his normal strength even while small. Pym defeats the ant and gets the other ants to follow him. They encounter a beetle on the surface but Pym uses his strength to bury the Bettle in the ground.

Back at the lab Pym unties his assistants and has his ants attack the Communist members. The ants disable their guns and the assistants take it from there. Pym rejoins his assistants and wonders if he'll ever need to be Ant-Man in the future.

My Take: This wasn't a terrible issue. The art was pretty good and the story was pretty well written. I don't know, the book just doesn't work. The ant stuff is ridiculous and he just seems useless for beating villains when he's small. There are uses to being small but he needs other heroes or the ability to become Giant-Man to really be viable to me.

Henry Pym is still pretty bland right now. He also lacks a supporting cast. This book needs a lot of developing done.

I'd give this issue a ** out of *****

Notes: Henry Pym's original story sold pretty well so they later decided to retool him as a superhero. That's why there was an 8 month gap between his first appearance and his second appearance. Pym will be a main feature in Tales to Astonish for a few years until Namor and the Hulk take over the book. Another interesting note, this is the only solo title that will ever be attempted for Henry Pym.

Next Issue: Journey Into Mystery #84

Tales to Astonish #27

Cover Date: January 1962

Plot Overview: Scientist Henry Pym has discovered a serum that can shrink items and an antidote that returns them to normal size. Pym tries the serum on himself and panics as he realizes he's left the antidote on a window sill.

Pym retreats to the backyard where a group of ants attack. He takes refuge in an ant hill but falls down a hole into honey. He is saved by a lone ant but the attackers from before return. Pym uses fire and his knowledge of judo to fight off his attackers.

Pym makes his way back to his house where he sees the antidote. The ant that saved his life earlier returns and they work together to get up to the antidote. Pym uses it and returns to normal. Pym promptly destroys the serum and tells his peers that from now on he'll be sticking to practical projects. The story notes that he never stepped on an ant hill for the rest of his life.

My Take: This wasn't really a superhero story, more of a sci-fi horror story. It was also only 8 pages. It was more of a throwaway story. It's really only significant because Pym eventually becomes an important part of the Marvel universe.

The story itself is forgettable and mediocre. Though I did enjoy Pym randomly breaking out judo to fight off an ant.

I'd give this one a *1/2 out of *****.

Notes: This is the first appearance of Henry Pym who later becomes Ant-Man, Giant-Man, etc. The interesting thing about this issue is that it's really just a throwaway story in an anthology title. It was written as being a one shot deal. Pym doesn't reappear until issue 35 of this same title. Lee claims that the issue sold really well and he thought it would be fun to make a superhero out of him.

Another note about these anthology titles. Marvel was actually distributed by DC until 1969. As a result they were very limited to how many titles they were allowed to release every month. As their superhero line became more popular they took over these anthology books and pushed the western and sci-fi stories out. Fantastic Four, Avengers, Spider-Man, Daredevil and X-Men are the only non-anthology superhero titles that Marvel will put out for quite awhile. Once 1969-1970 hits you'll see an explosion of titles from Marvel as everyone gets their own book.

Next Issue: Fantastic Four #3