Ant-Man, Volume 1: Second-Chance Man (Marvel NOW!)

 

 After a pretty hard life in the Big Apple, Scott Lang follows his daughter to sunny Miami. Lang hasn't always been there for Cassie, what with being in jail and all, so he decides to stay close after his ex-wife relocates to the Sunshine state. The second Ant-Man hopes to capitalize on his name recognition and he starts up a new security business. Along with a fellow reformed super-villain named the Grizzly (who mistakingly tries to kill Scott after believing he is the Ant-Man who sent him to the slammer!), things seem to be going great at this new business (except for the customers who mistake him for an exterminator...) 

   But Scott should know not to look on the bright side for too long as a trio of his old foes has arrived on the scene, gunning for revenge. Just don't call them his arch-enemies, okay? These baddies do have a reputation to uphold!

    I liked this series. It did a fairly decent job playing off of the events that occurred in last year's Ant-Man movie. Author Nick Spencer has Lang be the narrator for this volume and I think that was a great idea. Spencer seems to really be able to get into our anti-hero's head and with that being said, I really can hear actor Paul Rudd's voice throughout this book. This Ant-Man has all the mannerisms, quirks, and foibles of the actor who is set to portray the diminutive character for a number of upcoming Marvel films. It was brilliant.

   There are just two little things that I think are missing from this series. The first thing is that I think Miami was a little bit of a mistake. In the Ant-Man film, the lead character lives and operates in San Francisco. Now, I know that in the comics all of the characters operate out of New York and that's where this story opens up. But I also know that Marvel wants the books to more closely resemble the films. So, instead of Scott pick up stakes and move to Miami, Spencer should have him set up in the Golden Gate area.

   The other issue I had was an editorial problem. This series only ran for 5 issues and an annual. The short run is all likely due to the massive shakeup of Secret Wars. But Second-Chance Man only contains issues 1-5! Where is the annual at? Is it going to be reprinted somewhere else? And more importantly, why isn't it contained in this volume?

   This was a great book, though a little incomplete. Hopefully, after Secret Wars, we'll continue the adventures of Scott and Cassie Lang. I gotta say, if Marvel doesn't return to the adventures of this Ant-Man, they'll be coming up 'short' on a perfect opportunity involving a fascinating character.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9.5 out of 10 stars.