Everyone’s favourite size-altering super hero Ant-Man is back in an engaging story by Zeb Wells with art by Dylan Burnett, collected by Panini, out now, ahead of the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in UK cinemas on 17th February.
This collection, which comes with the original appearance of Scott Lang as Ant-Man from Marvel Premiere #47-48, written by David Michelinie, with art John Byrne and Bob Layton, sees Marvel’s most diminutive hero ready to save the world from… an insane Nazi scientist, made of radioactive bees?
Swarm, the infamous apoidean arch-villain, is a key player in a global conspiracy to install a new insect world order. Now, Scott has the chance to prove to the public what a great hero he is – and more importantly, to prove it to his daughter Cassie, now a hero in her own right called Stinger.
The inclusion of the first Scott Lang centred adventure in this Panini collection reminds us that the modern take on Ant-Man has always been tinged with fun, and with cameo appearances from the Avengers, Black Cat and Spider-man, rollicking adventure, too. Zeb Wells, who’s written for Marvel and TV, turns in an engaging story, also paving the way for future conflicts.
He’s captured the dynamic between Scott and Cassie perfectly, I feel, as Scott tries to prove himself to his daughter, and the introduction of powerful insect inspired superbeings offers plenty of challenges for this superhero team. Both prove up to the task in their own ways. Plus, while it may seem a throwaway concept during the story, I can’t help but think Marvel’s creatives might pick up on the introduction of Ant-Man’s genuine empathy for the natural world, and how it grants him an unusual means to defeat some of his foes.
The inclusion of the Marvel Premiere #47-48 (titled, respectively, “To steal an Ant-Man” and “The Price of a Heart”), is an enjoyable bonus, an “origin story” I picked up at the time of its initial release back in 1979, drawn in by the combination of Michelinie, Byrne and Layton, whose work I’d been enjoying separately on other books of the day. It has a nice handover of the Ant-Man mantle from Hank Pym to Scott Lang, and fun to re-read.
• Ant-Man: World Hive is available now from UK comic and bookshops | Buy it direct from Panini Publishing Ltd | ISBN 9781804911136 | Buy it from AmazonUK | Buy it via Bookshop.org |
Reprinting Ant-Man #1-5 (2020) and Marvel Premiere #47-48
Coming Soon: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, explore the Quantum Realm, where they interact with strange creatures and embark on an adventure that goes beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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