Wednesday, January 20, 2010

16: Tales to Astonish #36

Tales to Astonish #36
July 10, 1962

  • So, it's Ant-Man's second costumed outing, and this time he's up against ... er, spies. Again. That's two for two. Although I suppose if you're writing tales where the main character's power is to become very tiny, shrinking out of sight and hiding in cracks, tales of espionage are a natural fit. But this time they're not just regular spies - they're Commies!

  • A little creepy is the fact that Pym seems to have no concept of privacy. His ability to know when he's needed is due to having stationed a vast network of ants throughout every police station and newspaper office in the city to listen for key words - including "Ant-Man" - which they then transmit through their antennae to each other, from ant to ant to ant. (Er ... really?) As if this constant, unauthorized surveillance isn't enough, Pym later thinks nothing of hopping into a woman's handbag and taking a ride back to her apartment....

    If this is Pym's lab ... why can't he just come and go through the front door?