Tales To Astonish #35

Return of the Ant-Man

Over the past few months, Henry Pym has become fascinated by ants. Last time we met Henry he had dumped his shrinking formula after the incident with the ants covered in Tales to Astonish #27. Since then he has gone back on his decision, he has recreated the shrinking formula and stores the capsules in a hidden safe in the office of his laboratory. Using his research on the ants, Henry Pym invents a helmet to communicate with them, under the suspicion that the ants communicate through their antennae.

On the same day Henry has finished working on his ant helmet, he is contacted by the US government. They want him to attempt to invent an anti-radiation gas to help with the Cold War. Nearing completion a few weeks later, the Soviets discover what the US is up to and decide to intervene. Domestic agents suddenly burst into Henry Pym's lab with guns drawn. They round Henry Pym's assistants up and find Henry himself back in his office.

The communist agents tell Henry they want his anti-radiation formula. When Henry denies them this, they threaten his assistants. He tells them...

As the communists leave to talk to Pym's assistants, they lock him in his office.

Now alone, Henry Pym dons his costume and helmet. Looking outside he sees that the entrance to the building is being guarded. Assembling a launching device from an ash tray and rubber bands, Henry Pym takes some thread and splashes the shrinking formula on himself. As Ant-Man, he uses the launching device to spring himself up to a window sill. From there he is small enough to crawl through the window frame where he lowers the string down to the ground outside.

Climbing down the string outside, Ant-Man quickly comes upon an ant hill. Following the ant colony trails, he quickly comes upon an aggressive group. Before they can attack he uses his helmet to successfully subdue them all except for one worker ant who continues to charge at him. Ant-Man, who still retains his normal human strength even when he's so small, grabs the ant over his head and tosses it. The ant comes back to bite Ant-Man, but he is protected by his costume made of a fine steel mesh. Ant-Man strikes the insect unconscious with a judo blow. He then commands the rest of the swarm to follow him.

On his way out, Ant-Man is confronted by a beetle on the lawn. Ant-Man quickly uses his strength to dig a hole in the ground large enough to trap the beetle in. After successfully beating it he leads his ant army back to his lab.

Ant-Man mounts one of the insects as they crawl up the side of the building to a lab window where he can see his fellow scientists being held captive by the soviet agents. Lifting the window to just a crack, Ant-Man guides the insects inside. Attempting to loosen the tied ropes of one of his assistants, he is carelessly brushed away. The ants rescue him from a deadly fall before he tries untying his peer again, to success this time.

Through his helmet, Ant-Man commands the ants to attack the enemy spies. Suddenly thousands of the insects swarm up the legs of the enemies, biting and clogging up their guns with honey. The communist agents go into chaos as the ants continue to swarm. Biting and stinging until Ant-Man can free all of his men. No longer bound by ropes, the scientists overcome the soviet men.

As the scientists round up the spies, Ant-Man sneaks back into his office. Inside he douses himself in chemicals again to return to his normal size. Rejoining his peers, Henry Pym finds the spies all tied up as they wait for the authorities to show up. After they are taken away, Henry ponders if the world will ever need Ant-Man again.

Notes:

Of course Ant-Man will appear again, this is only the beginning.

Henry Pym officially becomes the superhero Ant-Man in this issue.

Here we see the beginning of Henry Pym's OCD with his mounting obsession with ants. Something that while not expressly stated here, will be explored years down the line.

The List

1. Amazing Fantasy (Spider-Man) #15
2. Fantastic Four #1
3. Fantastic Four #4
4. Incredible Hulk #1
5. Fantastic Four #5
6. Amazing Adult Fantasy (X-Men) #14
7. Fantastic Four #6
8. Journey into Mystery (Thor) #83
9. Fantastic Four #2
10. Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #35
11. Journey into Mystery (Thor) #84
12. Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #27
13. Fantastic Four #3
14. Incredible Hulk #2
15. Incredible Hulk #3