When Scott Lang’s daughter gets kidnapped by an old enemy, he’s going to need some super-powered help getting her back. D-LISTERS ASSEMBLE!
Written by Nick Spencer
Illustrated by Roman Rosanas• Ant-Man has to pull off an impossible break-in, but he can’t do it alone. Which means… he’s gonna need a new gang!
• Er, of criminals. New gang of criminals. Probably should mention that part.
• This is all because of that stupid mysterious bad guy we can’t tell you about. Man, that is annoying.
• Out with it already, right? Comics.
Poor Scott Lang has only been in Miami for three short issues, and things just getting worse and worse the hero. First, he struggles to get his new private security business off the ground, then when an old enemy appears to bring a bit of excitement back into his life, Lang learns that it’s all just a distraction while his daughter is whisked away. Now he has to assemble a team of crack powerful brilliant terrifying dastardly competent reformed D-list villains to track her down before she’s harmed. Because you know what’s cooler than a guy in an iron suit? A guy in a bear suit.
Actually, that sounds like it could only be hotter.
Nick Spencer’s “Superior Foes of Spider-Man” was a series that took what seemed like a dead-end premise and made it an incredibly fun book filled with great characterization and a ton of charm. While it’s unfortunate that “Foes” only lasted 17 issues, fans of the series can rejoice in the fact Spencer has taken all of his talents to South Beach for this new, high profile series.
This book makes you care about a guy who wears a grizzly bear suit in one of most humid places in North America, a knock-off of a Daredevil villain who’s in denial about it, and a former villain reduced to being a glorified birthday party clown. And that’s just the supporting cast. This group of odd-ball characters show off a side of villains that is rarely seen in comics, which is how they spend their time when all their master plans have completely failed and they don’t have an unending fortune or of bottomless pit of psychosis to keep them going.
Spencer keeps the characters feeling different and unique, even as they team up and work together. While Grizzly and Machinesmith fall under the same category of bad-guys-going-good, Spencer gives them motivations and reasonings that are clearly different from another. Grizzly seems down-right earnest in his desire to do good and find a little air-conditioning, while Machinesmith is obviously the least altruistic one in the group. Spencer’s dialog further express these character personalities so well that even if there weren’t any pictures, you would still be able to tell who was speaking,
Spencer doesn’t forget about the titular character as he weaves the baddies throughout the story. Scott Lang comes across as classic type of hero: determined, hopeful and optimistic even when faced with the odds. If you were expecting Lang to go full bad-cop and start breaking kneecaps in order to locate his daughter, you’ll probably feel a bit let down, but that clearly doesn’t fit in with the distinctive tone of the series. Besides, we’ve seen heroes wander into morally grey areas in the name of the greater good before. Have you ever seen a grown-man in grizzly bear suit break through the wall of the bad guy’s lair? Didn’t think so.
That’s not to say that there are no stakes in this issue. From the moment you see what Augustine Cross has planned for Cassie, Scott’s daughter, there is no doubt that something really bad could happen to her by the climax of the story. The Cross family has a history with Ant-Man and this lends a real weight to the situation. Darren Cross, father of Augustine, was clearly not a good guy, and his return would have real repercussions for the superhero community. Spencer’s choice to write the young Augustine as a so-nice-he’s-terrifying villain is actually quite affecting. He seems so unfazed by the horrible things he’s planning to do that it really emphasizes the danger that Cassie is in.
Continued belowHopefully Roman Rosanas has as much fun drawing this book as the audience has reading it. With a story that bounces around so many different locations with a cast of visually eclectic characters, it would be possible for that art to feel disjointed and fragmented. Instead, Rosanas’ creates a book that is remarkably consistent, even as bear and metal men leapfrog around Miami.
Miami is not a city that has received a lot of attention from the superhero community, and Rosanas and colorist Jordan Boyd have clearly put the effort into creating a unique environment for these characters to inhabit, one where towering skyscrapers have been replaced by palm trees. Boyd’s palate manages to use the pastel tones and warm colours that are associated with Miami, without invoking easy 80’s stereotypes.
Rosanas comes from the Samnee school of hard lines and distinctive figures that make every character stand out and lend themselves to clear expressions of emotion. Many scenes feature conversations between the aforementioned guy-in-a-grizzly-bear costume and a guy wearing an ant helmet, and their facial expression don’t get lost under the visual weight of their costumes. The book really only features one big action scene near the conclusion, but the art feels kinetic and fast-passed for the entire duration. When Scott Lang does use his ant powers, Rosanas keeps every panel just as detailed and clear as the previous pages.
As a team, Roman Rosanas and Nick Spencer work together to create a distinctive tone that is present in every panel of “Ant-Man” #4. They work hard to balance a story that has real stakes with a spirit of fun and enjoyment. Spencer’s dialogue is really funny, without venturing into flat out wink-at-the-audience joke territory. Rosanas’ art also fits in many fun visual moments, while also delivering character and action driven scenes that are equally good. This a really great issue, and will make you root harder for reformed D-list villains then you ever thought possible.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – This issue is a joy to read, and combines distinctive characterizations with strong story development. Also, there’s a Miami Vice inspired cover that is a work of near-genius.
