Fanboys Anonymous

Ant-Man #2 cover by Mark Brooks

It's the return of the most astonishing, amazingly awesome Ant-Man!

Well at least that's how Nick Spencer writes the sarcastic comedic drama in this self-titled series. It must be said at the outset, this is pulled off brilliantly.

The first issue was an instant hit with me and the second issue leads off in the same manner. From the return of an immediate threat to the titular character in the opening pages to the dire need to get some cash behind a new venture, Ant-Man #2 is a rollicking good read.

The story being spun by Spencer is an entertaining ride through the life struggles of Scott Lang. As the latest (re)incarnation of the superhero called Ant-Man, Scott has to filter the deeds and expectations that come from not being the first or perhaps even the most respected Ant-Man to leave a mark in the Marvel Universe. This setup provides some fun angles for Spencer to explore throughout the series.

One of the more appealing aspects of this book is being able to relate to likable characters. Lang and his family are set in situations, with enough modern real-world references, to allow audiences to access the characters in a meaningful way. Couple this with the artistic abilities of artist Ramon Rosanas and colorist Jordan Boyd, and the series has a good creative foundation.

Ant-Man has trouble fitting in Miami

Ant-Man #2 shows just how a collaborative artistic team can pull off a fun and immersive experience for comic readers. Rosanas provides pages full of details and covered with panels. The pages are full on, yet the experience of reading them is seamless enough to not be bogged down by this fact. This is due to a strong, clean line style utilized by Rosanas. The inks are bold to contrast the colors of Boyd.

The colors in Ant-Man are not the jump-off-the-page variety seen in other comic book series. They have a subtle, real-world feel to them. Boyd employs an approach that complements the story style. There is a good use of shadow play in this issue also. Perhaps one of the more intriguing aspects of the art appears to be to allow the letterer, Travis Lanham, room enough to be verbose with the application of words.


Giant angry Bear-man messing up your stuff...

Usually in comics, generally, there is an unspoken balance to allow the letterer enough leeway to get the right words, be it captions, speech or thoughts, onto a page or panel without getting in the way of the other art. However, in Ant-Man, the captions and speech are just as important to telling the story as the rest of the art. There is a lot that Spencer wants to be said by Lang, which is the style of character and humor being brought to bear in the series; Lanham is delivering the goods in bucketloads.

It is the tightly meshed collaboration that brings Ant-Man to life. Ultimately editors don't get much recognition in the industry, unless it is for a poor result, but here Wil Moss is doing a great job of bringing together the artists involved to produce a book of quality. This issue continues what I felt from the first, that it is a pleasant surprise and well worth the experience. So far it is early enough into the series that jumping on isn't a problem, and this issue itself works well as a stand-alone.

Wait, what, you got the wrong guy!

While we think this is a series you should be picking up at your local comic book store, we also want to hear what you think. Do you like the humor that Spencer is bringing to the series? What do you think of the artistic team's final product? Tell us by leaving a comment below or head on over to Twitter or Facebook and leave your thoughts there.