Ant-Man: Natural Enemy

Marvel Titan Books #4

by Jason Starr

Marvel's smallest hero stars in his biggest story yet: an all-new, original prose novel timed to coincide with the ANT-MAN feature film! Meet Scott Lang: ex-con, single father and part-time super hero. Scott and his teenage daughter, Cassie, are just settling down in a new city when a criminal from Scott's past comes gunning for them. But is the killer really after Scott, or the secrets of the Ant-Man tech? And just how far will Scott go to protect his only child? Award-winning crime writer Jason Starr (Twisted City, WOLVERINE MAX ) spins a thrilling tale of desperation, secrets and microscopic adventure.

Genres: Marvel, Fiction, Comics, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fantasy

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 16, 2015

About the author

Jason Starr is the international bestselling author of many crime novels and thrillers, including Cold Caller, The Follower, The Pack and The Next Time I Die. He also writes comics for Marvel (Wolverine, The Punisher) and DC (Batman, The Avenger) and original graphic novels such as Red Border and Casual Fling. In addition, he writes film and TV tie-in novels including an official Ant-Man novel and the Gotham novels based on the hit TV show. His books have been published in sixteen languages and several of his novels are in development for film and TV. He has won the Anthony Award for mystery fiction twice, as well as a Barry Award. Starr lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Far, far, far better than a short novel about a shrinking superhero who's also a divorced single Dad in Manhattan has any right to be.



The true supervillain revealed in this story? Online dating.



The Graphic Audio production was, once again, absolutely fantastic.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun Scott Lang and Cassie story. I don't think it fits in either the comics or the MCU continuity, but that's okay. Tony Stark guests as a baby sitter and doesn't seem to be much worse than Scott himself. There are some genuinely funny bits, but nothing too memorable or meaningful. It's a light, fast read.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun, and put a spotlight not only on Ant-Man, but Cassie, too. Written firmly YA, but does a good job with describing real world consequences and maintaining a decent-sized cast of supporting characters. These prose Marvel books do not, so far, disappoint.

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!!!

What's not to love about the Scott Lang incarnation of Ant-Man? Humor? Sarcasm? His daughter? His new life as a reformed criminal? Sure. It's all here.

Under The Cover: Much like the Captain America prose novel, Ant-Man has a thick, black cover with a red Ant-Man helmet/logo/symbol. Very nice Ant-Man art.



The art within the pages: Unlike the Captain America prose novel, the Ant-Man prose novel didn't have as much art inside. Each chapter has a few ants "crawling" on the pages. The front matter has more ants crawling about and some Ant-Man images. And the exterior cover has Ant-Man riding on Ant-thony (what I call him because of the Cineverse) on the front and Scott and his daughter Cassie on the back.









The Story: Scott Lang has been Ant-Man for a few years. Divorced about the same amount of time. He's living in NYC with his "teen"--yeah, Cassie is a TEEN now...where did the time go?--daughter. He does what he needs to do to get by, working as a cable tech. And he's giving back...help get crime off the streets. All while trying to keep being the best dad he can for Cassie. Even freaking out when she professes her adoration for a boy at school. Up until an old criminal "friend", but I'll call him cohort, decides to make sure Scott pays for testifying against him.

Yep, that's right. Ant-man is in protective custody.

This was really great. An original story for Ant-Man, created to work between the comics and movies. (IMO from the information about the book, though no one has fully stated that.) Scott is sarcastic, funny, and a great dad. Cassie is like a bonus to this story. I'm sure people read that she's an integral part of the story, and assume she's going to get in the way. She doesn't. Her parts (it's told in third person, alternating between Scott's and Cassie's part of the story) add to and do not detract from the story. There's even random mentions of Cap (Captain America), Iron Man, and Spidey. Tony Stark does play a slight role within the pages, too.

A few parts had me laughing so hard. A few had me holding my breath. And that one burning question...who's that girl? It all came together smoothly to make for a fun story. I'd recommend this to anyone loving on Team Cap right now. Or even Scott Lang.

*I NEED A HERO READ - MAY 2016* This was a last minute accidental find. So worth it!

[K2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda 😴

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved the character of Ant-Man especially in the movies I had a lot of fun watching both his films. I picked this book up ages ago and was just always put off by it and I have no idea why. I decided I wanted a quick read before my holiday so I opened it and it was very good. The writing was very basic but kept me intrigued and invested. Absolutely love Scott in this rendition and some other characters that are in there (I won't spoil). But lots of chapters left on really tense cliffhangers which was cleverly done.
I highly recommend and I'm definitely going to buy more Marvel novels in the future!

[Ryan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ant man is one of my top Marvel heros... I really enjoyed reading this book.... Jason Starr did an amazing job explaining the relationship of Scott and Cassie. Father and daughter relationships they were close to each other. I'm gonna try to find more hopefully of Antman that Jason Starr has wrote...

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun and breezy story helped considerably by the multi voice cast. (As an aside, I wish Audible would make more of these modern audio presentations available. They work like a modern spin on a kind of long form radio show from the 30's). The final resolution is perhaps a bit underwhelming, but the journey is worth it. This thing sucks you in! Enjoy!

[Lori S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking forward to an exciting adventure tale. Instead, I got a YA angst piece in which both father and daughter (Scott and Cassie) are more wrapped up in their romantic wants than in the adventure. Meh.

It's like Mr. Starr couldn't think of a better plot line than using a 14 year old's infatuation with an older boy as a source of conflict between father and daughter. It's a boring source Mr. Starr. Why couldn't the conflict be about Cassie's desire to be more involved with Scott's Ant-Man heroics and wanting to help? Instead, we get a bout of petty jealousy between Cassie and a friend over a boy which results in an ill advised usage of the Ant-Man suit for an act of an even more petty bit of revenge on said friend who, after Cassie sort of apologizes to her, disappears completely from the story. Zzzzz.

The more interesting story centers around the kidnapping plot with its sharp twist, the scientist who wants to steal Pym's tech for her own use, and the FBI agent Carlos, who could actually become a friend in time.

Also, we get to visit Tony Stark and his girlfriend, Pepper Potts for a bit.

[Jeff Beesler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fun Read

Ant-Man: Natural Enemy was an easy read. At no point did the book bore me. I'll be sure to check more Marvel novels out in the future.

[clumsyplankton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story

[Joseph Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Marvel I read never disappoints and this one didn't either! Ant-Man's story has become intriguing to me because it simply about man trying to be the father he can be to his daughter. He has a past and reformed his ways by mentor Dr. Hank Pym. Now he wants to be the best father to Cassie as he possibly can. A lot father daughter moments followed by some espionage and teen drama. Sprinkle a cameo from Iron Man and you got yourself a serious page turner.

[Jaime Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antman's criminal past is back to haunt him and his daughter is smack dab in the thick of it.
I picked this up to listen to on my drive to and from work and this is the first time I'm hearing one of Graphic Audio's productions. I have to say I really enjoyed it. The main actors are really good and the music and sound effects enhance the story. Graphic Audio's slogan is on point because this is really "A Movie In Your Mind".

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good story featuring Ant-Man where he needs to protect himself from a released convict that is targeting Scott and his family. He needs to protect himself and his family, including his X-wife. The story becomes complicated as Scott gets help from Tony Stark as a babysitter. Unsurprisingly, Antman's daughter leaves Stark tower without Tony or Pepper Potts knowing a thing about it. Antman saves his daughter and all of the ants in New York. It is a great adventure.

[Tess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. So like. This book did nothing to expand my brain. But it was fun. I love Ant-Man. His teenage daughter was kind of terrible, going from "I love you daddy!" to "EVERYTHING'S YOUR FAULT!" in zero to sixty, and the villain lacked depth for sure, but it was entertaining.

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.segredosemlivros.com/2015/...

[Jonathan Gustavson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the audio book.
Good ups and downs. That and the inner dialogue kept me listening to the end.

[Salvador Dovo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible version.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Ant Man: Natural Enemy," by Jason Starr, is a marginally okay book. But books about superheroes--if you ask me--should be more than just "marginally okay."

Before I go on, I should explain that I had previously sworn to never read a book by Jason Starr or Ken Bruen--after suffering through their abysmal "Bust" series for Hard Case Crime--but I'm trying not to let that color my review. If I had known who the author was instead of just buying all the Marvel books at the store, I might not have purchased this at all.

Anyway, my main problem--other than a few typos and grammar errors that slipped through the cracks--is the lack of ambition in the story. Scott Lang is a superhero, but the point of this book seems to be that Scott Lang is supposedly the interesting one and Ant-Man (and his ant-sized adventures) is just something he does as a hobby.

When a former partner (yes, partner in crime) of Scott's escapes from prison, he targets Scott and his family. Why? Scott testified against him--even though he didn't think the partner could have committed the crime. But it turns out the partner was and is a real scumbag. The FBI puts Scott and his teen daughter, Cassie, into protective custody--not knowing he is Ant-Man. The old partner kidnaps Scott's daughter, finally forcing Scott to become small to solve it all.

But, of course, that's only the beginning. And it doesn't come along until a lot of less than exciting stuff happens. Scott's daughter steals the Ant-Man suit to get revenge on a mean girl classmate. There's a LOT about Cassie in this book. Her crush on a boy. Her struggles with keeping her dad's secret. Sorry, none of that is interesting to me. Even Scott going to work and going on bad dates seems to be more interesting to the author than the "superhero" kinds of things Scott does (or should be doing).

So, to sum this part up, I was less than thrilled that the focus of this book's plot seemed to be so (dare I say it?)...small. The "good guys versus bad guys" plot--which, call me crazy, should be the main focus--is probably about a quarter of the action. Not nearly enough for this reader. And when the villain is finally revealed--anyone reading with half a brain knew who it was already (also, this book doesn't even rate an actual costumed villain)--their battle is less than exciting. Very much anti-climactic.

Coming in a close second, as far as problems with the book, is all the murky science in the latter half of the book. Something goes wrong with the Ant-Man suit and begins what they call the Ant-pocalypse. That seems like it should be a major plot point, yet all we get is characters seeming to either think it's a big deal or not understanding it at all. And the science of the Ant-pocalypse is so poorly explained that it all makes very little sense. I got the feeling it was rushed through in the book because the author had no idea what he was talking about and hoped no one would realize it: "Hey, it's a comic book! Or a novelization about a comic book! Don't look too hard for logic!"

Anyway, you get the idea. This is a sub-standard book from a sub-standard author. If you want to read about Scott Lang on bad dates and doing his best NOT to be a superhero...or the thought of reading about his daughter's high school struggles with mean girls and cute boys really interests you, please ignore this review and read this book. Otherwise, you can do better.

[Bree Hatfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon picking this up, I thought it would be a fun romp with one of my favorite superheroes through a medium that superheroes don’t often appear in, but it turned out to be much more! Jason Starr steers the audience away from the typical superhero formula and instead focuses on the mystery and crime genre conventions, which work incredibly well for a small fry hero who’s also an ex-con.

One of the best things about this book is that it isn’t focused on action. There’s a little bit of action, but not enough to justifiably call this an action novel. This book isn’t even about Ant-Man, really; it’s about Scott and Cassie Lang, and what happens when Scott’s past catches up to him. It feels more like a drama-thriller than anything, and it’s all the better for it.

Scott was, of course, a wonderful character. Starr really focused on his struggles in being a good person, specifically a good man, so the underlying themes of this novel pertain to masculinity and what truly makes a positive male role model, which is amazing. Scott isn’t perfect, and neither is his relationship with his daughter, but he learns from her and they look out for each other, and the overall message is a good one.

Speaking of Cassie, I really loved that she was a major focus of the novel. At its core this book is about Scott and Cassie’s relationship, so using her to drive the plot in the way that Jason Starr does is really wonderful. We also get to see her deal with pretty typical teenage issues, and while on the surface there’s not much point to it, it served as development for Cassie as well as further solidifies the novel as a realistic portrayal of the two central characters, which was so important.

There are certain things that you can’t do/don’t feel very natural in a comic book, and one of those is internal descriptive dialogue; in other words, what’s happening, what does this character think about it, and how do they react? Comics do action, external dialogue, and even internal monologues really well, but often miss the mark on the internal descriptive dialogue. For example, when Cassie first tries on the Ant-Man suit, she discovers the world through a completely different lens and everything is so new to her, and we get a very distinct feeling for how she feels and what she thinks. While that can be portrayed well in comics, I think prose is the best way to do that. Perhaps this can be distilled down to a simple difference in perspectives — comics are usually limited to first-person thoughts while prose can utilize third-person. If this novel was written in first-person, it would have felt much more like a comic book, but the third-person gives a wider view that really benefits the story.

While I did enjoy a superhero story written in prose, Starr’s specific style of prose wasn’t always the best. It fit the superhero vibe, but it was sometimes cringy and a little odd in places. For example, he has a habit of describing unnecessary things; the nationality of the Starbucks employee, the brand of the boot that crushes Cassie, the street corners Scott turns at whenever he’s going somewhere, etc. It wasn’t quite distracting, but it was noticeable.

Overall, this was an amazing novel and an absolutely wonderful addition to the library of Ant-Man stories out there. If you are at all a fan of Ant-Man, you will love this book!

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published in 2015 by GraphicAudio
Performed by more than 25 voice actors.
Duration: Approximately 5 hours.

Scott Lang, better known to superhero fans as Ant-Man, has moved to New York City with his teenage daughter to take advantage of some job opportunities in the tech field. If you only know Ant-Man from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are a few differences in this book, but nothing that is insurmountable.

Scott Lang's criminal past comes back to haunt him when a former partner in crime breaks out of prison. People connected with his conviction are dying all across the country - and the FBI thinks that Scott Lang is next. Why? Because Lang testified against him in the plea deal that turned him away from a life of crime.

Lang knows that he doesn't really need police protection - after all, he is a superhero. But, he can't tell the FBI that.

Meanwhile, his daughter is having typical "mean girl" problems with a classmate when it occurs to her that she knows where her dad keeps his Ant-Man suit and she has the combination to the lock...

This book was a solid win for GraphicAudio. The last few superhero audiobooks of theirs that I have listened to have been too muddled and too hurried. This one...

Read more at: https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2018...

[Lucas Mendes · Rating 2 out of 5]

É triste quando você lê algo que consegue ser igualmente frustrante e empolgante. A premissa de uma figura do passado criminoso de Scott Lang, o segundo Homem-Formiga, ameaçando seu presente e o futuro que ele imaginou para si e sua família é interessante o bastante, principalmente considerando como ele foi utilizado nos filmes e sua dinâmica com sua filha, Cassie Lang, no cinema e nas HQs. Infelizmente, não é o que acontece aqui.

Cassie tem sua personalidade diminuída para ser o clichê de uma adolescente saída dos anos 90, não contribuindo para nada na trama além de ser uma figura em perigo para ser sequestrada ou manipulada. As reviravoltas não são apenas fracas, como também forçadas. As sequências de ação, que deveriam ser um dos pontos altos, não são apenas poucas, como também curtas e sem criatividade. E o final não apenas é extremamente anticlimático, como quebra as expectativas construídas pela narrativa da forma mais rasa possível. Uma decepção.

[Caprice Hokstad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book takes a very long time to get started. In the first 58% of the book, it's just about Scott Lang and his daughter in their fairly mundane lives. The conflict gets started, finally, but it makes the good part of the book kind of short. The ending didn't make much sense, but at least they did tie up the loose ends.

Overall, it was okay, but not great. I probably won't read it again.

I get that Marvel is not quite as adept with prose novels as they are with movies and comics, but guys, even I could write a better novel than this. I have to wonder if they're accepting unsolicited manuscripts because this makes me feel like I might have a shot.

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn’t the most engaging story but at least it was short. I wasn’t all that interested in the plot and the characters weren’t very well written either. They were pretty one dimensional and for the sections about teenagers, it was a little too stereotypical. I liked hearing about how the Ant-Man suit worked and the parts where people were shrunk down, but other than that, there wasn’t much there I was excited about.

[DragonGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but I had a few minor complaints about it. First of all, while the dialogue was usually fine, it occasionally felt very wooden and unnatural. Also, Cassie’s feelings for Tucker and the focus on it when the story focused on her perspective made me cringe multiple times. Otherwise it was a solid and enjoyable story that was a quick and easy read.

[Vijay Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a plain vanilla novel with a relatively better story. Writing is very mediocre.

In the beginning I didn't like it very much but the unraveling of the plot was good.

Conversations in the novel are very artificial. Overall a mediocre but an easy read.

I can't help but compare this with Deadpool: Paws, where the writing was very unique and fun.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast read. I read the graphic audio version. If you enjoyed the ant man movie this will work for you. I found it a bit predictable but a enjoyable story in the ever growing Marvel multiverse.

[V. Arrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few points in this book where it contradicted information given earlier -- Scott tells Peggy that Cassie has a boyfriend before it actually happens, for example. These careless errors knocked it down from a 4-star to a 3-star book.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a fun, light read that begins as a slice of life that leads into a rush of an action novel. Written in the tone of YA, it’s easily digestible as well as a great introduction to the Ant-Man narrative. Super fun read as a new Ant-Man fan!

[Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little Scott Lang Ant-Man tale. Worth a listen if you liked the movie.