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Tales to Astonish
Tales to Astonish #45
Egghead attempts a 'switch n' bait' when he kidnaps Wasp to lure out Ant-Man. But how did Egghead get ahold of Wasp in the first place? Ant-Man vs. an Anteater!
26 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 1963
1 person is currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,569 books2,353 followersStan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 14, 2020
Egghead (EH) is back! And this time Ant-Man (AM) will not 'Humpty Dumpty' his plans! AM must battle a lizard, an anteater and EH new henchmen: Ape and Twister! Nonstop SH fun for all!
November 23, 2020
the quandry of reading old ant-man comics for janet van dyne and then spending the entire time thinking "she deserves so much better"
18/100
18/100
August 9, 2019
TALES TO ASTONISH 27, 35-52 (Ant-Man's First Arc)
Stan Lee made the fantastic decision when taking over this magazine to make it entirely dedicated to stories featuring Ant-Man from that point onward. This was really the right move, seeing as that was the only story in this magazine that was unique let alone deeper in its thematic content.
ANT-MAN has a great dynamic, where you can achieve suspense with something as simple as his size comparable to his enemies. The tactics one might use to kill an ordinary insect, like flypaper, are equally lethal against someone of Ant-Man's size. It's also a nice visual metaphor, as he is forced to understand and appreciate the perspective of someone much smaller than himself. He no longer can view the world as inferior or insignificant to himself; its an interesting dynamic, as his villains always are a reversal of this notion by using this very thinking of superiority as justification for their crimes.
The biggest flaw with the stories up to this point is the dialogue… unsurprising of comic books in this era, but surprising for the man writing it. Ant-Man has no-one to really interact with, so it feels really unnatural for him to be talking to himself all the time. It also makes all his dialogue really expository, leaving no room for character accesorization. It is something Lee quickly realized though, prompting him to introduce the Wasp in issue 44; It provides an interesting character dynamic, a bickering husband and wife, because it makes them feel much more real and consequently make us career about the danger they’re in even more.
The other big flaw is that all the villains are one-off villains of the week; if the villains are always defeated, it leaves the reader feeling as if these stories are inconsequential to the protagonists and thus eliminating any sense they’re ever in real danger. But more importantly, it misses a valuable opportunity for character development; if there is a re-occurring antagonist, it mirrors the re-occurring protagonist. The villain and the hero grow and change together, each progressing alongside each other. By having no re-occurring villains, it makes the hero unchallenged and makes us fear the villains even less.
Despite these flaws, the issues are worth reading for the character interaction between the Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is really what carries these stories.
Stan Lee made the fantastic decision when taking over this magazine to make it entirely dedicated to stories featuring Ant-Man from that point onward. This was really the right move, seeing as that was the only story in this magazine that was unique let alone deeper in its thematic content.
ANT-MAN has a great dynamic, where you can achieve suspense with something as simple as his size comparable to his enemies. The tactics one might use to kill an ordinary insect, like flypaper, are equally lethal against someone of Ant-Man's size. It's also a nice visual metaphor, as he is forced to understand and appreciate the perspective of someone much smaller than himself. He no longer can view the world as inferior or insignificant to himself; its an interesting dynamic, as his villains always are a reversal of this notion by using this very thinking of superiority as justification for their crimes.
The biggest flaw with the stories up to this point is the dialogue… unsurprising of comic books in this era, but surprising for the man writing it. Ant-Man has no-one to really interact with, so it feels really unnatural for him to be talking to himself all the time. It also makes all his dialogue really expository, leaving no room for character accesorization. It is something Lee quickly realized though, prompting him to introduce the Wasp in issue 44; It provides an interesting character dynamic, a bickering husband and wife, because it makes them feel much more real and consequently make us career about the danger they’re in even more.
The other big flaw is that all the villains are one-off villains of the week; if the villains are always defeated, it leaves the reader feeling as if these stories are inconsequential to the protagonists and thus eliminating any sense they’re ever in real danger. But more importantly, it misses a valuable opportunity for character development; if there is a re-occurring antagonist, it mirrors the re-occurring protagonist. The villain and the hero grow and change together, each progressing alongside each other. By having no re-occurring villains, it makes the hero unchallenged and makes us fear the villains even less.
Despite these flaws, the issues are worth reading for the character interaction between the Ant-Man and the Wasp, which is really what carries these stories.
December 23, 2017
The Ant-Man story has Egghead returning vowing revenge on our hero. He teams up with two other miscreants to plot his scheme. He plans to lure The Wasp with a wasp expo. By capturing her, he will be able to get Ant-Man.
The Wasp goes off on her own thinking she can handle this herself. Yeah, that didn't work. Ant-Man shows up and he too is trapped. But he uses a needle to battle the iguana. The Wasp picks it up later and uses it later as her stinger. Fun story.
One thing I noticed is that Egghead took the name Karl Striker. I believe that is the same name used in the A to Z Mystery #6, The Falcon's Feathers.
"The Future" was an interesting Twilight Zone-type story where a host of a game quiz show on television. On his way to work he listens to the news report. It seems all wrong. The weather doesn't match what he experiences, the traffic is different, etc. When he arrives at work, all is strange. He's in a futuristic work place. Eventually, he wakes up at his desk back where he belongs, but with questions for his show from the future.
Bronson's Brain was a wonderful story of a man who was brilliant. So brilliant, there was no one around who could match his smarts. He studied the galaxy and found a planet with other smart people. He was happy . . . until he realized that on that planet he was a dolt. They wouldn't let him leave thinking he was too stupid to travel. Ha!
It Walks Like a Man is a Goosebumps-type story although it isn't creepy. A girl gets a life-like doll. He's really life-like. The parents want to return him. But the doll saves the little girl from being run over. He's a keeper!
The Wasp goes off on her own thinking she can handle this herself. Yeah, that didn't work. Ant-Man shows up and he too is trapped. But he uses a needle to battle the iguana. The Wasp picks it up later and uses it later as her stinger. Fun story.
One thing I noticed is that Egghead took the name Karl Striker. I believe that is the same name used in the A to Z Mystery #6, The Falcon's Feathers.
"The Future" was an interesting Twilight Zone-type story where a host of a game quiz show on television. On his way to work he listens to the news report. It seems all wrong. The weather doesn't match what he experiences, the traffic is different, etc. When he arrives at work, all is strange. He's in a futuristic work place. Eventually, he wakes up at his desk back where he belongs, but with questions for his show from the future.
Bronson's Brain was a wonderful story of a man who was brilliant. So brilliant, there was no one around who could match his smarts. He studied the galaxy and found a planet with other smart people. He was happy . . . until he realized that on that planet he was a dolt. They wouldn't let him leave thinking he was too stupid to travel. Ha!
It Walks Like a Man is a Goosebumps-type story although it isn't creepy. A girl gets a life-like doll. He's really life-like. The parents want to return him. But the doll saves the little girl from being run over. He's a keeper!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews