Marvel Comics is getting ready to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Astonishing Ant-Man with a new limited series courtesy of writer Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk) and artist Tom Reilly (The Thing), which will see a new, unnamed character become the next Ant-Man.
As revealed by Marvel, Ewing and Reilly's upcoming four-issue series will explore the unique history of the character, starting with Marvel's silver age. Each issue of Ant-Man places the spotlight on every hero who has previously taken on the mantle -- Hank Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O'Grady -- as the new Ant-Man tries to bring them together in an attempt to have them face off against an unnamed threat.
"For Ant-Man's ant-iversary, we wanted to go BIG with the world's smallest hero - burrowing an ant tunnel right through his sixty-year history and far beyond, from the wild and wooly 1960s all the way to a future you'll have to see to believe!" said Ewing. "You'll find out how Henry Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O'Grady impacted each other's lives in ways they never knew themselves - but who's the mysterious final member of this Ant-tastic Four? Tremble with ant-icipation, true believer - the answers are coming soon to a hill near you!"
The series begins with Ant-Man #1, which will go back to the past of the Marvel Universe and see the originator of the eponymous identity, Hank Pym, on a date with his girlfriend Janet Van Dyne, aka. the original Wasp. Unfortunately, date night goes downhill thanks to Hank's enemies, who join together to finish him off. This spells trouble for the first Ant-Man who, according to Marvel Comics, is also being stalked by a "mysterious stranger."
"I'm very excited to work with Al again, this time to celebrate, and add to, the legacy of Ant-Man!" said Reilly. "Several different people have taken the name, and Al's written a fun story that gives them all a chance to shine. I also look forward to working with Jordie Bellaire again, her colors elevate any book that she's on. There's lots of inspiration to be taken from Ant-Man's rich artistic history, and there'll be plenty of room for both of us to experiment in this series. I can't wait for everyone to check it out!"
Ant-Man was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales to Astonish #35, published by Marvel Comics in 1962. The covers for all four issues of the 60th-anniversary limited series, Ant-Man, can be found below, the last of which gives fans a glimpse of the new Ant-Man's costume.
Written by Ewing and penciled by Reilly, with colors by Jordie Bellaire, the first issue of Ant-Man hits stores in June.
Source: Marvel Comics