Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man Giant-Man - Volume 1 [Hardcover]

Marvel Comics (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 289 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (March 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785120491
• ISBN-13: 978-0785120490
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated Marvel Superhero, March 17, 2009

By 

Lou Cole "Lou Cole" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man Giant-Man - Volume 1 (Hardcover)

The Ant-Man/Giant-Man Marvel Masterworks volumes are definitely worth looking into. I always liked and thought that the Ant-Man/Giant-Man was an underrated comic book character.

For a long time I had wished that Marvel would revamp the original Ant-Man and return him in a full series and as a member of teh New Avengers.

You can, however, read the original stories of the Ant-Man who later becomes Giant-Man in these wonderful volumes.

The original Ant-Man/Giant-Man appeared in Marvel Comics' title "Tales to Astonish," in the early 1960's which originally began as a sic-fi/monster/fantasy comic book featuring various such stories in each issue.

Doctor Henry Pym (The Ant-Man) originaly appeared in one of these stories. Dr. Pym creates a formula to shrink things and has also created a restorative formula. He is shrunk to ant size and finds himself trapped in an ant hill. He befriends an ant who helps him out of the ant hill and bck to his lab where Dr. Pym is able to use the restorative formula to return to his normal size. It ends with Dr. pym dumping his shrinking formula down teh drain thinking it too dangerous for mankind to use.

However, a few issues later Dr. Pym returns with a change of heart. He has gone on to improve on his formula and makes it into a gas for along with the formula to enlarge him back to normal size again. They are contained in two canisters attached to a belt to a new suit he had developed to protect him from ant bites along with a cybernetic helmet that allows him to communicate with ants.

Soon Dr. Pym as the Ant-Man along with his fellow ants are fighting crime.

In later issues, the Ant-Man is given a lovely female partner, wealthy debutante Janet Van Dyne, who becomes the Wasp using Dr. Pym's formula along with Dr. Pym grafting wsp like wings on her back that become visible and enable her to fly when she is insect size. Along with that she is also given a cybernetic helmet to communicate with insects and stinger braclets to sting opponents with.

Ant-Man and the Wasp go on to become the original founding members of he Avengers. Around this time, Dr. Pym has worked on a growth formula that allows him to grow to the size of a giant. Thus Ant-Man becomes Giant-Man. By turning his growth and shrinking formula into pills, he is able to shrink to ant size and grow to a giant upon swalling the pills. .

"Tales to Astonish" later was turned into a double-feature comic book. It featured stories of "Giant-Man" and stories of "The Incredible Hulk." The Hulk is introduced into the pages of "Tales to Astonish" in a story in which Giant-Man and the Wasp are pitted against the Incredible Hulk.

Unfortunately Giant-Man ran in "Tales to Astonish" just a while longer ending with Gioant-Man getting a new costume with a new helmet that also allowed him to grow and shrink. Giant-Man only appear in this new costume for the last three issues of teh series run in "Tales to Astonish," and was then cancelled by replaced by a new "Sub-Mariner" series.

They did return later on in the pages of the Avengers, but never regained a regular running comic book series again.

The first set of original Ant-Man stories were written by Stan Lee and drwan by Jack Kirby.

Again, I say that these volumes are well worth looking into.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars not scientifically accurate but great period graphics, May 27, 2009

By 

Beatrice Izzey "Nanny Dog" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man Giant-Man - Volume 1 (Hardcover)

What I mean is, Ant Man does not do what real ants do - e.g., real ants don't use antennae to communicate to one another. However, the idea is really inventive, to be able to be an ant sized human hero. The graphics are classic. Great paper, great print job. Worth the high-ish price.