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There’s a menace in the Microverse! But is it native, or does the threat come from our supposedly heroic protagonists? Come meet the Saarg in Ant-Man & the Wasp #2! Is it good?
The Skinny
If you think the Microverse is as low as you can go, meet the fractal-like beings on the bottom of your boot! How will they handle the enormous threat to their civilization? Through ingenuity, or force?
We take a trip down memory lane(s) as electrical engineer Scott Lang (the accidental Ant-Man) tries to rewire the newly reddened eyes of Nadia Pym (the Unstoppable Wasp). Work fast, or the Saarg solution to the Nadia problem may make it all futile!
Let’s be thankful cooler heads prevailed and the most peaceful path was found. We can overlook a little vivisection, right?
The Lowdown
Writer Mark Waid is in his wheelhouse with Ant-Man & the Wasp #2. He’s able to capture the voices of both Nadia van Dyne (being her co-creator and all) and Scott Lang, in perhaps the best possible reconciliation of his classic comics characterization and that seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
More importantly, Waid makes a semi-political point without beating the reader over the head with it as he did in Champions. When confronted with an unknown threat, the hero of Saarg society is the thinker who takes a more measured (and effective) tact, rather than just unloading with both barrels. The moral relativism about alien consciousness is a nice and cute stinger.
“Nice and cute” might be a good way to describe the whole book, and that’s not meant in a bad way. It fits for the kind of story Waid is creating here. So maybe the extended origin flashbacks aren’t as undesirable as they would be elsewhere, especially when Nadia’s leads to an insightful look at her character and a pivotal plot point.
Javier Garrón’s art is also well-suited for Ant-Man & the Wasp, with enough realism so the reader can connect with the characters, but enough style to make some truly imaginative Microverse beings. Israel Silva’s bright colors complement it all just right.
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The Upshot
Is “high-minded fun” a term? Because that’s what Waid’s accomplished here — a book that’s bubbly and innocuous on the surface, but has some seriously sophisticated and effective writing techniques and messages. The extended origin flashbacks might be a tad boring for readers already up to speed, but Ant-Man & the Wasp #2 is a good character piece on both Scott and Nadia, making for a total package that exemplifies what “all ages” comics should be about.
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