February 18, 2023

So, this was what I had intended to do this past Thursday, but the snow had a different idea.

I was going to the movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Thursday, but we had a big winter storm that day and I decided to stay safe instead of trying to make my way through the snow. That meant that I would not see the movie until Saturday. I have my tickets for later this morning and I am excited to see it despite the middling reviews it has received from critics. I’ll have my own review posted later today.

In order to get into the proper mindset, I decided that I would do the Comic Catch-Up around a theme today… all about Ant-Man & the Wasp. There were several books that I have featuring the pair of them (also Kang, who is the antagonist in the new movie) and this would be a great opportunity to read these.

I have always liked the character of Ant-Man (or any of the variations of Ant-Man over the years) so this works nicely.

Wasp #2. Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Kasia Nie. This is the most recent series featuring Janet Van Dyne and Nadia, and it came out this past Wednesday. I really have enjoyed how this series has tied the story into the past of Janet Van Dyne, and how it does a solid job of not pushing Nadia into the background. In fact, we see clearly how much of a bad ass Nadia truly is. The mother-daughter type relationship between the two Wasps make the book a personal read. And then I have no idea what happened on the last page, but I am thoroughly excited to find out what next issue.

Ant-Man (2022) #1-3. Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Tom Reilly. We see several issue focused on the different Ant-Men from over the years: Hank Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O’Grady- all being used by a future Ant-Man to help battle a god-like Ultron. How does it turn out? No idea since there is an issue four and I do not have it (or have not found it yet). I really enjoyed how this book took each story from the timeframe of each individual Ant-Man and gave the same feel of that adventure. The Hank Pym issue (#1) felt like a story that would have been told in the 1960s.

Kang the Conqueror #1. “Only Myself Left to Conquer.” Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly with art by Carlos Magno. Mike Del Mundo did the art on the cover. Time travel is always a wild ride and anything to do with Kang can be a challenge. Here, a Kang goes back in time and meets up with a younger version of himself in an attempt to train the young Kang in the ways of power, to avoid the frustrations that he had suffered over the centuries. Kang putting the old conflict “Man against Man” to the literal test.

Ant-Man (2020) #4-5. Written by Zeb Wels and drawn by Dylan Burnett. Eduard Petrovich drew the cover. I remember this limited series when it first came out. I had read the first three issues but never got around to finishing it up. Scott Lang and his daughter Cassie were trying to stop the villainous bug-guy, Macrothrax and his attempt to take over the world with the bug army. The battle takes place in the Savage Land (no sign of Ka-Zar anywhere). This was a nice conclusion to an odd story. I love the interactions with Scott and Cassie and the conclusion is both awesome and gross.

The Darkhold: Wasp #1. “King Maker“. This story took place during the “Darkhold” event that happened in the Marvel Universe. I am not familiar with what happened in the arc, but the opening does indicate that Janet had read from the Darkhold and that the book showed her a darker, more twisted path her life could have taken. The story deals with a real horrible moment in the life of Janet and the moment that may have forever tainted Hank Pym, who was shown as a obsessive scientist who would smack his wife around. Written by Jordie Bellaire and drawn by Claire Roe.

Bring on the movie!!!