PREVIEW: Ant-Man Annual, #1

[CBR News]

• Just in time for the ANT-MAN movie (funny, that), it's the team-up you've been waiting for: Scott Lang and Hank Pym, together again! Ant-bros!
• A classic villain makes his dreaded return!
• And a new hero is born! Well, not born, really -- he's already an adult. Nobody wants to read about a super-baby. (Or do they?)


Full article here.

[Fokken]

This is TREMENDOUS. I can't wait to read the whole thing.
That entire bar scene was comedic gold and I love love love Nick and Ramon so bad.
"You can't stop the signal mal"
I laughed out loud.

You know, I thought the greatest thing to come out of Children's Crusade was going to be the return of the Scarlet Witch.
Nope.
Her return has been reeeeeeally lack luster. Her greatest achievement for me has been acting as a foil for Rogue in UA. Which really isn't saying much because even that felt kind of out of nowhere.

Ant Man.
Returning Scott Lang to the Marvel Universe is, by far, the greatest thing to come out of the Children's Crusade storyline.

[Frontier]

I've been enjoying Ant-Man, and I was hoping to see Scott mourning Pym after what happened in Rage of Ultron, but I really hope this issue treats Pym well and respectfully .

That comment about him being a "Dick" to Scott doesn't provide a lot of hope on that front...then again, this is Spencer!Scott .

[itspopularnowitsucks]

I've been enjoying Ant-Man, and I was hoping to see Scott mourning Pym after what happened in Rage of Ultron, but I really hope this issue treats Pym well and respectfully .

That comment about him being a "Dick" to Scott doesn't provide a lot of hope on that front...then again, this is Spencer!Scott .

Spencer!Scott repetitively told others that Pym was good guy once you know him, though he also mentioned to Grizzly the other Ant-Men are both kind of dicks...

Oh well this is the writer who made Mach VII (or is it VIII now?), US Agent, Elsa Bloodstone etc all super losers, but I'm happy as long as it's all in good fun, not mutilating or deathloking or squashing characters.

[LordRyus]

Just read this, it's a must. Great issue, if you love Nick Spencer's Ant-Man you will love this. This issue set Rage of Ultron in 616 not ANAD.

Also First appearance of a character who's very likely gonna be in ANAD Astonishing Ant-Man (the 'new hero is born' solicitation above), can't say anymore due to spoilers.

[chamber-music]

Good issue. Some really funny moments.

I liked miniature lab in the helmet.

Hank Pym must have the most legacy heroes taking his mantle now.

Hank also has a lot of labs.
spoilers:

Hank's creepy positive reinforcement robots were hilarious. Wonderman saying he is a terrible actor. Not sure how Egghead survived considering his body was cremated. Both Scott and Hank's arch-enemies are now back to life. (Scott's being Darren Cross) Raz seems ok. Looking forward to seeing what his relationship with Scott is like. Marvel have another minority LGBT character to add to their diversity push, hopefully he doesn't get the horrible fate that Bill Foster got.

end of spoilers

I can see some Scott Lang fans not being happy about his assertion he isn't a scientist and how Hank views Scott but it works with the underdog narrative Spencer is going with for this book.

Who you kidding Spencer we all know Bill Foster was his favourite

[Mary Jay]

Just read this, it's a must. Great issue, if you love Nick Spencer's Ant-Man you will love this. This issue set Rage of Ultron in 616 not ANAD.

How so? I haven't read the issue yet, but spoil me

[Harpoon]

This issue set Rage of Ultron in 616 not ANAD.

Pretty sure ANAD Marvel is still 616.

And Brevoort confirmed on tumblr that Rage of Ultron is set after Secret Wars, in the gap between it and ANAD Marvel, so this is as well regardless of the Last Days one-shot coming out afterwards.

[Godlike13]

This was good. Spencer has a good handle on Hank. A little socially awkward and flawed, but still smart and caring.

[omegafix]

Pretty sure ANAD Marvel is still 616.

And Brevoort confirmed on tumblr that Rage of Ultron is set after Secret Wars, in the gap between it and ANAD Marvel, so this is as well regardless of the Last Days one-shot coming out afterwards.

sorry not buying it, im in the before Secret Wars crowd on this one regardless of what Brevoot said. plans change all the time

[Harpoon]

sorry not buying it, im in the before Secret Wars crowd on this one regardless of what Brevoot said. plans change all the time

Pym was active right up to Secret Wars. There is no time for this story to have taken place between TRO and SW, especially when Thor was present as an Avenger in RoU--despite the fact that she isn't one pre-Secret Wars.

Also Brevoort said that, like, ten days ago. I think he would have been aware of any changed plans.

[scribbleMind]

A lot of people still believe it's a reboot for some reason. No convincing them. Just wait until Secret Wars ends and hit them with I told you so's.

I enjoyed this issue. A nice balance of all the various kinds of Pyms. Still anxious about Pym's future after all this. With what happens at the end here, it definitely seems like there's no going back for him (or more accurately, nothing for him to go back to).

[Mary Jay]

Okay, so I read it. It was, if memory serves, the first time I read Spencer. I personally didn't like it. Waaaay too many things contradict what has been written before.

spoilers:

Egghead was really really dead. He had no pulse after Hawkeye shot him, the rest of the Masters of Evil were all arrested, so there was no one to give him that rejuvenative stuff. Plus, as someone mentioned, Trish (his niece) had him cremated and we saw her and Hank spread his ashes in the sea. So how did he get back there is an illogical mystery. And sorry Jan, but Bill Foster was Hank's best friend. He loved him like a brother, and even if he was fond of Scott, he's nothing compared to Bill. I really don't think Hank would have given the suit to Lang if he didn't have a good opinion of him. It seems highly unlikely that he went for it just because he felt Lang would never outshine him. That's just ridiculous IMO. And Hank saying that going on to become Giant-Man was a mistake is just plain wrong. Gage wrote in AA, when Hank went back to being GM after his Wasp years, that the GM persona was the only time he felt complete balance between the scientist and the superhero. And honestly it was true. Canonically Hank has never been more stable and grounded than when he was GM, throughout his 50 years+ of history. I felt Jan didn't show that much grief over Hank's fate, and it sort of irritated me on a very illogical level. And Lang giving the Giant-Man suit to a guy he hardly knows and hasn't shown any hint that he could be adequate in the superhero business is frankly a bit insulting. I mean, for all we know this guy would just try to sell it on eBay or something! Lastly, where is Greer in all this???

end of spoilers

I didn't think Spencer wrote a good Hank in this. His 'voice' felt off at times, contrary to Waid or Humphries (yes, Humphries) who wrote him way better in recent times. And the art was very ordinary. I had some hope that somehow Spencer would 'fix' RoU, or at least give me some hope, but he did the exact opposite.

And the way this ended makes me fear that we will never see Pym again. And I just can't deal with that. I know it's illogical, but that's the way I feel

[Mary Jay]

Still anxious about Pym's future after all this. With what happens at the end here, it definitely seems like there's no going back for him (or more accurately, nothing for him to go back to).

I feel the same I'm pretty pissed off actually.

[scribbleMind]

I didn't read the Giant-Man thing they way you did. I read it as he was so eager to be Giant-Man that it took him a while to really appreciate being Ant-Man and all the things that come with being able to view the world from that perspective.