Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Ant-Man #1Ant-Man #1
Marvel Comics
Spencer, Rosanas & Boyd

Ant-Man launches with an over-sized, over-priced comic book that is equal parts origin story, character history and setup for the future of the series. The first issue is a dense read that is a blast from cover to cover. I definitely encourage anyone to pick this up if they like a little real-life in their super-hero stories and some day-to-day drama. This is a great read.

The comic book spends a good portion of the beginning going through the history of the character. While this might seem boring or forced, Spencer gives the character an instant personality that is charming, sarcastic, funny and sneaky. This helps to create a comic book that you can't put down regardless of the execution.

Eventually the story kicks in. The primary plot for this issue is Ant-Man applying to be Stark's head of security. There are a number of scenes that deal with this along with some guest characters. This alone would have been enough to have a complete comic book but Spencer adds some family drama on top of that.

Ant-Man is divorced, broke and the father of a teenage daughter. He's got a small relationship with her but is prevented from having a larger one because of his actions in and out of the tights. The mom is protecting her daughter from the idiot father. These scenes are great because they come across as real and they add depth to the character without taking away the things that are likeable about him.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe only oddity in this book is when it's discovered the mom and daughter are moving. Basically overnight the mom has the house packed up. Anyone that has ever moved knows this is impossible to do on your own even if you live in a small studio apartment. It's a small thing but I felt was a little sloppy in an otherwise perfect comic.

The artwork is fabulous. Somehow the artwork captures the personality of the character even while he's wearing his helmet. The comic book has emotions as well as action and fills each page and panel with some stellar details. The artwork rounds out a perfect reading experience.

Ant-Man is a fantastic comic book. I'm not sure it renders a five-dollar price tag but Marvel wants to test out the appetite for the market at five bucks and they are picking the irresistible ones to try it on their customers. This book is charming, fun and a little heartbreaking. You get the history of the character, a solid self-enclosed story and direction for the future issue, all in one comic. What more can you want? I highly recommend checking this book out.

4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles