Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man & Giant-Man Vol 1 (Hardcover)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Burned under the magnifying glass of overwhelming demand, Mighty Marvel has given in to give you our smallest hero in his big Masterworks debut! Lee and Kirbys second hero creation, scientist Hank Pym, invented an amazing growth serum and a cybernetic helmet making him the Astonishing Ant-Man! Teamed up with the winsome Wasp, the tiny twosome battle a sensational array of mini- and maxi-sized menaces from the Scarlet Beetle to the Black Knight! And if thats not enough to occupy a man of science, hes also defending the good ol U.S. of As secrets from the commie hordes! But weve got more than just miniature mayhem for you, True Believer. You can look forward to the birth of the biggest Avenger there ever wasGiant-Manso run, dont walk, and reserve your copy today! Collecting TALES TO ASTONISH #27, 35-52. The Masterworks series presents a high quality hardcover collecting outstanding work from Marvel's first years in the Silver Age. Five-color dustjacket, foil stamped cover.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288.0 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (2006)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FDPJC6
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,059,595 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The man in the ant hill!, May 31, 2006

By	Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book reprints the Ant-Man/Giant-Man stories from Tales to Astonish #27 to #52, in a high quality hardcover book in color. Ant-Man was the unsung hero of the early Marvel Comics. He didn't sell as well as the other heroes, so a female partner, the Wasp, was added to his comic. That didn't help sales too much, so he was changed from Ant-Man to Giant-Man. He still didn't catch on, so he was replaced by the Sub-Mariner in Tales to Astonish #70. But these comics are still historically important, since Ant-Man and the Wasp were founding members of the Avengers. Quality wise, the comics aren't as good as, say, Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four, but they are still quite enjoyable. Fans of early Marvel Comics should dig it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hank and Jan get their Masterworks turn - FINALLY., August 16, 2006

By	R. Foulk "MMMS Charter Member" (Lorain, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Avengers was Marvel Comics' 60's version of DC's Justice Society of the 1940's. Both had memberships comprised of characters from each publisher's "anthology" comics. Marvel's superteam initially was composed of Ant-Man and the Wasp (from Tales to Astonish), Thor (from Journey Into Mystery) and Iron Man (who was featured in Tales of Suspense.) The quality of the earlier Ant Man stories was uneven (as it was for Thor and Iron Man) but the Jack Kirby and Don Heck artwork is (for lack of an adequate superlative) spectacular - two legendary illustrators at the peaks of their respective careers. The quality of the stories picks up when Stan Lee (Oscar Hammerstein to Kirby's Richard Rodgers as comicdom's greatest collaborative team) takes a more active hand in scripting the stories, and introduces a partner for Ant-Man - the Wonderful Wasp. The verbal interplay between the two insect adventurers recalls the sophistication and wit of William Powell and Myrna Loy in the "Thin Man" movie series. The series then really "hit it's stride" when Lee tweaked Ant-Man into Giant Man. Unfortunately (perhaps because the writing may have been a little TOO sophisticated for teenage boys) circulation for Giant Man's showcase, Tales to Astonish, always lagged a little behind the sales of the titles featuring his fellow Avengers, Iron Man and Thor, and Lee the editor made the decision to replace Giant-Man with Prince-Namor, the Sub Mariner, after a 36 issue run. (Frustrated Giant-Maniacs had to wait 11 months before the character resurfaced, once again in the pages of The Avengers.) Thor and Iron Man, as well as the Hulk, the Sub-Mariner and Captain America have all had their earliest adventures chronicled in Masterworks editions. Finally this important Silver Age icon joins them. (And - hey Marvel - how 'bout not making us have to wait much longer for Volume Two?)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy the Master of Many Sizes in his glory days!, July 29, 2006

By	Keith Coppage (CONCORD, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Marvel's most neglected core Silver Age hero, Giant Man, just won't go away! These stories have a playfulness and a comic-book spirit missing in some of the more deadly serious split book adventures (like Cap and Iron Man in Tales of Suspense). Some of these tales have never been reprinted anywhere--so give Hank and Jan a try, won't you? They're a special part of the Marvel Universe!