Ant-Man #1

By Nick Spencer, Ramon Rosanas, Jordan Boyd

With the Ant-Man movie coming this summer, it was only a matter of time until Marvel started to promote Scott Lang by giving him a little slice of the spotlight. Lang is an appealing and relatable character. He’s perfect for his own series.

Instead of Marvel going the “dark” route, they opted for Spencer to go with his signature “Hawkeye rip-off” routine (this move towards brighter and fun titles is certainly a trend that shouldn’t go away anytime soon). Ant-Man is essentially the spiritual successor to Spencer’s Superior Foes of Spider-Man. Even Lady Beetle shows up. Superior Foes was witty, hilarious and packed with a ton of charm. Lang’s new solo has all of that and more.

Spencer presents a very interesting Scott Lang. He’s a loveable loser that you can’t help but root for. The only gripe is that Lang is a little too similar to the way Spencer depicted Boomerang in Superior Foes. They’re being given the exact same personality. The only real difference is Scott is given a reason to be liked, while Boomerang was simply a Seinfeld-like sociopath. Regardless, reading about Lang’s struggles and his love for his daughter is heartwarming and written very well.

Rosanas has a style perfect for the modern Marvel art. It’s similar to Lieber’s work on Superior Foes and Samnee’s Daredevil, while still retaining its own originality. Boyd has been a coloring hitman for hire, doing work for numerous publishers. It’s easy to see why. He’s obviously talented, although a little more brightness and pizzazz would have really helped this issue.

Ant-Man is one of the better first issues. More of a Superior Foes is never a bad thing. Having Scott Lang be so darn endearing bodes well for the future of Marvel and their march towards complete brand synergy.