Dr. Henry Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O'Grady are plucked from the time stream to battle a futuristic version of an enemy so unthinkable, that I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it myself.
In this 60th anniversary epic, readers are treated to 3 untold tales of the trio of men to bear the moniker of Ant-Man. Pym is removed during the dawn of the Marvel Age of Comics just as he is fighting a quartet of some of his not-so-well-known foes from the 1960s. O-Grady is sent into the future right after he steals the Ant-Man suit from Pym, who is working for SHIELD at the time. Lang's story occurs during the present of 2022, right after the Avengers stop Ultron for the umpteenth time.
Tom Reilly is the main artist for this tribute to Ant-Man. Yet, if you were to tell me that he had help from an assortment of other artists, I'd believe you. Reilly changes his style to reflect the time periods in which each Ant-Man exists. It's a level of dedication (and nostalgia) that I greatly appreciate. Story writer Al Ewing also tries to differentiate his narrative voice which each time period. I just didn't feel that he was as effective as Tom Reilly was in making things feel as timely. Although, how he presents the Marvel Universe in the future of 2549 A.D. feels like how comics and literature in general is going, what with the near ubiquitous use of emojis, tech-speak and the removal of letters from everyday words.
There's also a pair of classic Ant-Man stories from the early 1960s. Hank Pym takes on the Protector and the Time Master in those reprint tales. Both villains are part of the team of 4 that take on the original Ant-Man at the beginning of this anniversary miniseries. While nowhere near on par with the likes of other classic Ant-Man foes like Egghead or Kang the Conqueror, I loved getting to see these vintage tales in vibrant color. I've always admired the Ant-Man and later Giant Man tales as his stories were more scientific in nature like those of the Barry Allen Flash and needed the use of his brain a lot more than his brawn.
There's also a Wasp miniseries floating around. That 4-issue mini came out earlier this year. Based on how similar that cover to those books looked to the Ant-Man stories, I researched and found that Al Ewing and Tom Reilly were the creative forces behind that project as well. One way or another, I must get my hands on it. If it's half as good as this book was, then I am in for a treat!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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