Ant-Man and the Wasp #1 (2018)

Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Javier Garron

It’s been a few years since I’ve bought a FIRST ISSUE, off the racks (because I’m a complete dork and track these things, looks like it was officially Secret Wars #1 in 2015). It’s been a strange time for some “off time”, but from what I’ve gathered: Marvel’s reset their timeline a few times thanks to the Cosmic Cube and other stuff; people have come back from the “dead”; the Avengers have been shuffled around with about 3 or 4 four different FIRST ISSUES; Lockjaw and D-man are pals; and some other stuff that I’m sure will make deep-cut comic trivia enthusiasts happy in a few years. Or else it’ll all be forgotten.

I figured “Ant-Man and the Wasp” would be a fun jumping-on point. Not because of the obvious cash-grab of releasing this around the same time as a pending Big Screen Movie about the two, but because I don’t think I have any “solo” Ant-Man titles in my Disgustingly Large Lump of Long Boxes. Well, I think I have a few issues of “Irredeemable Ant-Man”, but those are filed under “I”. Ant-Man books that start with “A”– that’s new to me!

As this book begins, it’s quickly established (on page 1) that this is not the Hank Pym and Jan Van Dyne duo–it’s the modern duo of Scott Lang and Nadia Pym. The former brought back from the “dead” and the latter a recently uncovered “long lost daughter” of Hank Pym. I appreciate this brief acknowledgement and explanation. As an Avengers reader since 1979, I would’ve been a little confused had this not been presented and may have spent the whole issue wondering who these folks were and what their dynamic is. So it’s a great way to say: “this stuff happened. Now here’s some new stuff”. I’m easy with explanations like that!

The story gets moving as Ant-Man (Scott Lang) is stuck in the Andromeda II Galaxy and has no way to get home. So he makes an intergalactic phone call to science whiz-kid Nadia Pym. I figure most Marvel heroes, in need of Science Stuff, would call up either Reed Richards or Tony Stark (assuming they’re still “alive”), so it’s a bit flattering that he’d call up Nadia. She cooks up what is essentially an “Adam Strange Zeta Beam” device….but Lang misses the beam and ends up trapped in the Microverse.

The Microverse! 1980 Me just jizzed in excitement with thoughts of Commander Rann, Acroyear and Baron Karza! 1985 Me thought of Marionette. 2012 Me thought of Lord Gouzar. Easy, boy… the “Microverse” in Marvel goes well beyond that stuff, includes Psycho-Man, and is pretty limitless. So this was a little like saying “space” and me automatically thinking it meant “Mars” and nothing else.

Anyways, Nadia dons her Wasp gear and tracks down Ant-Man in the Microverse. Their relationship is rocky, as aside from the Wasp/Ant-Man connection, they have little in common. They encounter some weird vividly-colored amoeba creatures who are being hunted by a black glob creature who is eating up all the red colors in the spectrum. The whole scenario feels like something you might see on “Rick and Morty”.

Wasp is reluctant to interfere, as it may disrupt the natural order of things in this portion of the Microverse. Ant-Man counters that some creatures are simply in fear and being hunted, so they should help. Selecting the Hero Option, the duo confronts the glob and whips up a big ol’ energy gun to take it out.

In the aftermath of the melee, Wasp finds that he eyes have turned completely red and her vision is screwed. Our heroes are stranded in a weird world and the one who can help them can’t see! How will they ever get home?! There’s your cliffhanger!

The art, colors, pacing and even the dialogue are top-notch. Ant-Man has a slightly new costume, but one that keeps with the “traditional” look. Yet the story itself doesn’t do much to thrill me, though. Since Comic Book Science is involved, you know they’ll not be marooned in the Microverse for long. Maybe I’m cheating by breaking the confines of a FIRST ISSUE review, but I actually picked up the SECOND ISSUE…and I”m sorry to say that it decreased my opinion of the title. The SECOND ISSUE was even more similar to “Rick and Morty” and it suddenly left me wondering if this book would make it beyond 10 issues. Modern comics seem to have installed a “Logan’s Run” type of purge, where as soon as titles reach a certain number, they’re “renewed” or outright canceled. While I’d love to come back in 2021 and talk about “Ant-Man and the Wasp #37”, I’m not confident that will happen.

This book will probably get a quick sales spike due to the movie, but I don’t think many will stay. Personally, while some science stuff is always a part of the Marvel U (comics, movies or otherwise), I do like some good ol’ fashioned “punch the villain in the face” stuff. A new fan may pick this up because of the movie, but might feel a little disconnected from what they just saw on the big screen. This initial arc may work for an issue 9-10, but I feel like a FIRST ISSUE should have a bigger splash or way to hook you in. Maybe having an established villain show up would make this seem more like a “solid” title and feel like essential reading. As it is, it’s looking like an “experimental” secondary title with nothing of great importance.

Summary: Ant-Man misses a Zeta beam and ends up in the Microverse with fluorescent gooey creatures. Big Gun saves the day.
Cover Price: $3.99
Rating: $1.25 out of $2.50