While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has not yet been released in theaters, fans of the World’s Smallest Hero can get their hands on the Ant-Man: Ant-niversary trade by writer Al Ewing, artist Tom Reilly, and colorist Jordie Bellaire. Serving as both a self-contained miniseries and a recognition of 60 years of publication history, Ewing and co. take readers on a ride through the past, present, and future of the Marvel universe with the anecdotal adventures of the Ant-Men.
The Writing
Ewing fully embraces the role of writing for multiple periods here, as readers are treated to a fun cape comic simultaneously told in and out of chronological order, to say nothing of the various references between issues that are only possible through shifting time periods. This non-sequential timeline allows Ewing to easily retcon in the building blocks for the story’s finale, while maintaining the organic flow necessary for a good story. Not to mention, Ewing effortlessly replicates the “original” voice for Hank Pym for issue #1, before providing a different but equally accurate replication in issue #2.
In addition, Ewing employs a framing device that is pretty fascinating on both a meta-textual level and a story level, particularly if the final pages of the trade are indeed implying that it will make a reappearance (potentially as a continuation of this or another Ewing series, a hallmark of his writings). On the other hand, this showing doesn’t seem to be as related to the rest of his works as previous Ewing series. In my experience, this made for a relatively lightweight read without needing to consider how the story fits into the current continuity, though that may be more a testament to Ewing’s knowledge of Marvel chronology than anything. In any case, your mileage may vary in this regard.
However, my one notable gripe with Ewing’s writing here is the info dump at the beginning of issue #4; without having the context of the comics that were written by Ewing himself (as some of the listed issues don’t exist), there is no way for readers to know what information is directly related to the story at hand.
The Art
Coming off of his work on Walter Mosley’s The Thing miniseries, Tom Reilly is as in form here as he was there. Whether it’s the sleek interiors of the future Ant-Man’s laboratory, the old-time cinema of Pym’s era, or the transitions between these past and future locales, Reilly’s linework is crisp and clean. Further, his emulation of the art styles of the various Ant-Man eras is notable and appreciated, as it gives each of the four chapters a unique feeling and places them squarely in their respective status quos. This is in no small part to Bellaire’s use of color, with issue #1’s flatter palette giving way to the more vibrant colors of the following issues.
This can be seen best in how the Ant-Man suit varies in appearance between the four holders of the title; while Reilly didn’t design the Pym, Lang, or O’Grady fits, the future Ant-Man clearly draws inspiration from his forebears in the visual department, and the evolutionary path can be seen as such. Pym’s high-color spandex, Lang’s more streamlined outfit, and O’Grady’s armored look all contribute to the future suit’s more alien quality. I can’t help but feel the influence of Batman Beyond in its design, taking the central aspect of the suit and crafting a silhouette around that. Hats off to Reilly and Bellaire.
The Verdict
A few other things I noticed:
- Having not read Irredeemable Ant-Man, it’s hard to say how accurate issue #2 was in replicating the feeling of that run.
- Reilly’s attention to detail on various aspects of the Ant-Man suits to the eyes on Iron Man’s faceplate being the correct color is very nice to see.
- “Tony Stark, Ant-Man” is a
cheekynod to the Aaron run. - It’s a little disappointing that Scott’s issue is pretty bog-standard, but I suppose that can be chalked up to it being set in the current iteration of the Marvel Universe.
- It’s also a little disappointing that nothing super interesting ever came from Pymtron, but I’m glad that it looks like that concept is being retired.
There’s not much bad to say about this book. If you’re an Ant-Man fan looking for an easy, quality read, there is no reason not to pick this up. This could also be a good read for new fans who might see the words “Ant-Man” on this cover and decide this could be a good jumping on point; they would be far from wrong. With a pretty accessible story, some quality visuals, and a short, digestible length, you can be sure this is worth the price, even if Quantumania is a dud.
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