Betrayed by the Ants!
by
Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby & Dick Ayers
The New York criminal underworld is in disarray. Since the Ant-Man has begun his fight against crime, their numbers have dwindled significantly. A trio of crooks have come to the conclusion that they need somebody smarter than them to take on the Ant-Man himself. In Washington D.C. scientist Elihas Starr, nicknamed "Egghead", is on trial by the U.S. Atomic Energy Board for selling information to foreign interests. After arguing that they have no proof of his misconduct, the senators promptly fire the scientist. Having read about this incident in the papers, the three gangsters decide this is just the man they need.
After being hired for $10,000 by the gangsters, Egghead starts studying up on Ant-Man and his ants. Viewing footage of the hero and reading books on ants, Egghead comes to the conclusion that Ant-Man must be able to contact the ants with electronic signals through their antennae. Egghead rigs up his own device to communicate with the ants.
On the outskirts of town, Egghead finds an anthill. He uses his communication device to probe the hole in the hill and translate a message to them. He tells the ants that they are no longer bound to Ant-Man's rule. He will free them from his enslavement if they follow his plan. The following Thursday evening, Egghead and the crooks will rob a museum. If the ants bring Ant-Man to him during it, Egghead will catch him in a trap made of flypaper. Proclaiming the ants will do as he says since he appealed to their sense of vanity and greed, Egghead promptly shows the trio of crooks how flypaper works.
Thursday night arrives and Egghead and his cronies are stealing the Wentworth Necklace at the museum. Before long Ant-Man arrives, mounted on ant-back, with a trail of the insects following him up the side of the building. Egghead sees him as soon as the hero enters through the window. He promptly blasts him with air through a bellows. Ant-Man is forced off his insect and plummets into a box completely lined with the dreaded flypaper. Egghead gloats over the fallen hero as he proclaims that the ants have betrayed him.
Suddenly the Ant-Man rises to his feet. Unhindered by the sticky paper, the hero hits a button on boots. Springs emerge from the soles of his boots and Ant-Man springs out towards the crooks. Missing the Ant-Man with a punch, one of the gangsters smashes his hand against a suit of armor. Ant-Man then ties his wrist in a lasso made of unbreakable nylon fiber and spins him around the room. He then proceeds to hide from the other two crooks.
As the remaining gangsters search for Ant-Man, the ants they had assumed turned on Ant-Man attack them. From the ceiling, the ants drop a giant sheet of flypaper over them. The gangsters waiting outside quickly realize their scheme is failing and try to book it. When they reach their vehicles, they discover all of their tires are flat. Also, their keys are all missing.
In a panic, the gangsters hear the incoming police sirens. They give themselves up and are taken into custody. As the cops round everyone except a hiding Egghead up, Ant-Man explains how he beat everyone. The ants do not see themselves as slaves to Ant-Man. The ants are considered friends and partners to the hero. Furthermore, they do not even possess the capabilities of feeling greed or vanity as humans do. Instead of turning on him, the insects told Ant-Man Egghead's entire scheme so he could plan accordingly; dousing himself in a liquid chemical that made him immune to the flypaper's stickiness; flattening the car tires outside the museum; stealing the gangsters's car keys. With Egghead beat, he is forced into hiding from both law enforcement and the criminal underworld. He finds shelter in a Bowery district flophouse, muttering how the ants had beat him as the other derelicts look on.
Notes/Thoughts:
Firsts: The introduction of Egghead. His name is Elihas Starr, but they haven't said that in this issue, only referring to him as Egghead. The first of the three main Henry Pym villains (Egghead, Whirlwind, Ultron.)
The Good: Keeping Ant-Man out of the way. If you're going to have a character with limited personality like Henry Pym in the early years, I think it's best to have plots where we only see him to foil the bad guys.
The Bad: Egghead isn't very good at learning about ants. Also, Ant-Man's explanation about the feelings of greed and vanity being primitive human traits isn't exactly right. I'm no antspert, but most of the science regarding the ants seems very off.
The Ugly: The artwork in this issue is some of the worst we've seen so far. The splash page has Egghead at such and angle that his neck should be broken to twist like that. There aren't any "world from Ant-Man's perspective" moments that are interesting this time.
Speculation: I was thinking while reading this story, that Ant-Man may be the most influential crime fighter of all of the upcoming heroes. His tactics are actually causing the entire criminal underbelly to change where they have to hire discredited scientists like Egghead and people with powers to get anything done. Which is why when Spider-Man and Daredevil become more predominant, they are facing these animal-costumed villains. Instead of committing some big robbery, the gangsters have to hire people like Rhino or Doctor Octopus to help them.
List Opinions: An inauspicious beginning for a less than stellar villain who goes on to be semi-important later? That sounds like The Wizard to me. At least the plot makes a little more sense in this one. I'm sticking it between the first appearance of The Wizard in Strange Tales #102 and Henry Pym's first appearance in Tales to Astonish #27
List:
After being hired for $10,000 by the gangsters, Egghead starts studying up on Ant-Man and his ants. Viewing footage of the hero and reading books on ants, Egghead comes to the conclusion that Ant-Man must be able to contact the ants with electronic signals through their antennae. Egghead rigs up his own device to communicate with the ants.
On the outskirts of town, Egghead finds an anthill. He uses his communication device to probe the hole in the hill and translate a message to them. He tells the ants that they are no longer bound to Ant-Man's rule. He will free them from his enslavement if they follow his plan. The following Thursday evening, Egghead and the crooks will rob a museum. If the ants bring Ant-Man to him during it, Egghead will catch him in a trap made of flypaper. Proclaiming the ants will do as he says since he appealed to their sense of vanity and greed, Egghead promptly shows the trio of crooks how flypaper works.
Thursday night arrives and Egghead and his cronies are stealing the Wentworth Necklace at the museum. Before long Ant-Man arrives, mounted on ant-back, with a trail of the insects following him up the side of the building. Egghead sees him as soon as the hero enters through the window. He promptly blasts him with air through a bellows. Ant-Man is forced off his insect and plummets into a box completely lined with the dreaded flypaper. Egghead gloats over the fallen hero as he proclaims that the ants have betrayed him.
Suddenly the Ant-Man rises to his feet. Unhindered by the sticky paper, the hero hits a button on boots. Springs emerge from the soles of his boots and Ant-Man springs out towards the crooks. Missing the Ant-Man with a punch, one of the gangsters smashes his hand against a suit of armor. Ant-Man then ties his wrist in a lasso made of unbreakable nylon fiber and spins him around the room. He then proceeds to hide from the other two crooks.
As the remaining gangsters search for Ant-Man, the ants they had assumed turned on Ant-Man attack them. From the ceiling, the ants drop a giant sheet of flypaper over them. The gangsters waiting outside quickly realize their scheme is failing and try to book it. When they reach their vehicles, they discover all of their tires are flat. Also, their keys are all missing.
In a panic, the gangsters hear the incoming police sirens. They give themselves up and are taken into custody. As the cops round everyone except a hiding Egghead up, Ant-Man explains how he beat everyone. The ants do not see themselves as slaves to Ant-Man. The ants are considered friends and partners to the hero. Furthermore, they do not even possess the capabilities of feeling greed or vanity as humans do. Instead of turning on him, the insects told Ant-Man Egghead's entire scheme so he could plan accordingly; dousing himself in a liquid chemical that made him immune to the flypaper's stickiness; flattening the car tires outside the museum; stealing the gangsters's car keys. With Egghead beat, he is forced into hiding from both law enforcement and the criminal underworld. He finds shelter in a Bowery district flophouse, muttering how the ants had beat him as the other derelicts look on.
Notes/Thoughts:
Firsts: The introduction of Egghead. His name is Elihas Starr, but they haven't said that in this issue, only referring to him as Egghead. The first of the three main Henry Pym villains (Egghead, Whirlwind, Ultron.)
The Good: Keeping Ant-Man out of the way. If you're going to have a character with limited personality like Henry Pym in the early years, I think it's best to have plots where we only see him to foil the bad guys.
The Bad: Egghead isn't very good at learning about ants. Also, Ant-Man's explanation about the feelings of greed and vanity being primitive human traits isn't exactly right. I'm no antspert, but most of the science regarding the ants seems very off.
The Ugly: The artwork in this issue is some of the worst we've seen so far. The splash page has Egghead at such and angle that his neck should be broken to twist like that. There aren't any "world from Ant-Man's perspective" moments that are interesting this time.
Speculation: I was thinking while reading this story, that Ant-Man may be the most influential crime fighter of all of the upcoming heroes. His tactics are actually causing the entire criminal underbelly to change where they have to hire discredited scientists like Egghead and people with powers to get anything done. Which is why when Spider-Man and Daredevil become more predominant, they are facing these animal-costumed villains. Instead of committing some big robbery, the gangsters have to hire people like Rhino or Doctor Octopus to help them.
List Opinions: An inauspicious beginning for a less than stellar villain who goes on to be semi-important later? That sounds like The Wizard to me. At least the plot makes a little more sense in this one. I'm sticking it between the first appearance of The Wizard in Strange Tales #102 and Henry Pym's first appearance in Tales to Astonish #27
List:
- Amazing Fantasy (Spider-Man) #15
- Fantastic Four #1
- Fantastic Four #4
- Incredible Hulk #1
- Fantastic Four #5
- Amazing Adult Fantasy (X-Men) #14
- Fantastic Four #6
- Journey into Mystery (Thor) #85
- Fantastic Four #9
- Journey into Mystery (Thor) #83
- Fantastic Four #2
- Fantastic Four #8
- Journey into Mystery (Thor) #86
- Journey into Mystery (Thor) #87
- Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #36
- Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #35
- Incredible Hulk #4a
- Strange Tales (Human Torch) #103
- Journey into Mystery (Thor) #84
- Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #27
- Tales to Astonish (Ant-Man) #38
- Strange Tales (Human Torch) #102
- Fantastic Four #3
- Incredible Hulk #2
- Fantastic Four #7
- Incredible Hulk #4b
- Tales to Astonish #37
- Incredible Hulk #3
- Strange Tales (Human Torch) #101
Next Issue: The Hulk journeys to Subterranea in his most ambitious story yet.
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