The Weekly Pull : The Astonishing Ant-Man
Much like the Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man has never been a huge power player in the Marvel Universe. At least not before getting the cinematic treatment and the best writing teams in the business. I love that Marvel has the courage to branch out and give their lesser known heroes a chance to shine in the spotlight, and the risk has shown significant reward. Characters like Rocket Raccoon, Falcon, Groot and The Inhumans are rapidly gaining popularity, and with the recent release of the Ant-Man trailer starring Paul Rudd, alongside his new ongoing series by Nick Spencer and Ramon Rosanas, I have a feeling Scott Lang will be no exception.
Marvel does a great job recapping events and setting the stage for the future of Ant-Man in this first relaunch issue, briefly covering the bases outlined in the cinematic trailer regarding Lang's criminal past, daughters health, broken marriage and acquisition of the hero mantle - all without spoiling any of the backstory. From a readers perspective, and unfamiliar with the character myself, this was huge. I was given just enough information to get me pumped to learn all of the backstory details, while jumping into a new adventure with a character written in such a way that made Paul Rudd a believable choice when I was originally apprehensive of the casting.
The premise of the story finds Lang out of a job and looking for work amongst Marvel’s elite and finds himself applying for a position in San Francisco as the bodyguard of The Superior Iron Man, Tony Stark (heroes have bills to pay too, you know). Despite his lack of bodyguard experience and underwhelming power set, Lang is given the opportunity to compete against the other younger, faster and stronger candidates in a training gauntlet in attempt to earn the position. Clearly outgunned, Lang resorts to skills from his criminal past to outwit and cheat the competition, earning him the favor and proving his eagerness to succeed despite his methods.
Although one of the largest arguments toward Marvel is their pricing structure, it becomes a point of importance if you’re looking to follow key story arcs and cinematic tie-ins. This initial Ant-Man #1 is priced at a hefty $4.99, however it’s importance to the universe is far greater than the $3.99 Ghost Rider or Deathlok books that (currently) hold no footing in the big picture. If you’re looking to wet your palate before the cinematic release of Ant-Man this summer, give this book a try.
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| 4/5 Toast Rating |
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Until next time True Believers,
-ArchangelEZE
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