Comics
[Comic Book Review] “Ant Man” #1 Is A Polarizing Experience
I have a feeling that “Ant-Man”#1 is going to be a fairly polarizing book for fans. It sets itself apart from the average Marvel #1, certainly, but not necessarily in an entire interesting way. There are a lot of things I really admired about this new series, and just as many that I found detering. For every sincere laugh there is an eye-roll right after it, every interesting composition is followed by an indecipherable panel. Simply put, there is a lot to love and a lot to hate.
WRITTEN BY: Nick Spencer
ART BY: Ramon Rosanas
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $4.99
RELEASE: January 7, 2015
Review By Eric Switzer
Current Ant-Man Scott Lang is quite the fuck-up of a superhero. This is made abundantly clear, and then reiterated, and then exhausted over the course of this super-sized 36-page issue. Whether that endears us to the character is an unanswered question, but there is no doubt that Scott is anything like his super-genius predecessor Hank Pym. Scott is almost childlike in his narration, at times forcing a cheap joke and seeming really unnatural. Though ineffective as both a crime fighter and an adult, the one thing he and his estranged ex-wife can agree on as a “redeeming quality” is his dedication to being a father to his teenage daughter. Though, not necessarily as a provider or consistent source of support, but as a peer, further informing us that Scott is obnoxiously underdeveloped emotionally. Whether this is a stylistic choice or shallow writing remains to be seen, but giving Spencer the benefit of the doubt and trusting that he has intentionally created an annoying protagonist isn’t much better.
There is precious little action to showcase the potential of Ant-man’s power to new readers, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing (see Scott Snyder’s “Swamp Thing”) but the set up to the series isn’t particularly gripping either; Scott applies for a head of security position at Stark Industries and is awarded the position after demonstrating he is the candidate most keen for the position when he breaks into Stark’s office to get a competitive edge. Scott then discovers his daughter is moving to miami, and decides to bail on Tony and go with her. Tony makes a vow to hunt Scott down for embarrassing him. The stakes here aren’t particularly high, and the choices this character makes just don’t matter that much in a world where alien invasion is a daily occurrence. Every series builds, but this issue certainly didn’t leave me begging for more.
There are some truly funny moments in this issue and Spencer has a strong enough voice for Tony Stark that I genuinely enjoyed his screen time. Unfortunately Scott Lang just isn’t a character I’m all that interested in yet. “Ant-Man”#1 receives a favorable score for production value and humor, but it is a hesitant score. Also comic books shouldn’t cost $5.
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Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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