The Matt Signal Advent Calendar 2015 Day 11: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes "To Steal an Ant-Man"

Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

“To Steal an Ant-Man,” Season 2, Episode 5, 2012

Dan Says:

Earth’s Mightiest Heroes was great for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the way it adapted classic stories. Among the best examples is this animated take on 1979’s Marvel Premiere #47, in which Scott Lang assumes the Ant-Man identity from Hank Pym.

The Ant-Man movie goes back to this same adaptation well, with more than a few changes and a wider audience, to be sure, but EMH did it first and best. There’s a great montage in which Lang shrinks for the first time and discovers what Pym’s tech can do, narrated over by Pym, that serves as an example of how exposition can work without feeling forced.

As EMH episodes go, it’s a quieter, self-contained one. Such episodes became more common in Season 2, after the first year rolled out everyone from Loki to Kang to Ultron. Pym, racked with guilt over having created a killer robot dedicated to wiping out all humans, has given up superheroing and is in the process of moving out of the Avengers’ mansion.

While packing, he catches a news report showing someone using his shrinking technology to commit bank robberies: Lang. Rather than go to the Avengers, given his current feelings about the team, he hires Marvel’s best best friends, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, to track down the culprit. No disrespect to Disney XD’s Ultimate Spider-Man, but I much prefer seeing the animated adult Cage and Fist banter over their teenage USM counterparts.

When Lang is uncovered by the Heroes for Hire, he launches into the familiar story about how he’s forced to steal to save his daughter, Cassie. In the end, Pym, Lang, Cage and Fist take down Darren Cross – more generic crime boss than generic corrupt industrialist in this iteration – and his goons, and Pym lets Lang keep the Ant-Man gear, providing the alibi that Lang was on an undercover operation for the Avengers.

And Cage gets off the last line: “Yo, Pym, where should I send our bill?” It’s no “Where’s my money, honey?” but it works in a pinch.

Thursdays With Wade Interlude: Revisiting John Ostrander's Deadpool

Today's reading: Heroes for Hire #10-11, Apr.-May 1998
Story: John Ostrander
Art: Pascual Ferry, Jaime Mendoza, & Joe Rosas (#10), Scott Kolins, Dan Pansonian, & Joe Rosas (#11)
Guest writer for this column: Matt Lazowitz

So, it might be surprising to those who have come to comics in the past ten years or so, but there was a time when Deadpool wasn't as ubiquitous as Batman or Wolverine, with dozens of guest shots a month. Early on, during the time that Joe Kelly's run was taking place, a Deadpool guest appearance was a fairly rare thing, outside of his recurring role in X-Force. So, I'm giving Dan the week off so I can discuss one of those early guest appearances, one that's important for a couple of reasons that tie into recent Deadpool history.

First a little history: as Dan has talked about, Deadpool's own series debuted during the time of Heroes Reborn, when many of Marvel's seminal heroes were shunted off to a pocket dimension inside a blue rubber ball being carried around by Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman's son (Hey, he's Franklin Richards. You tell him he can't use his god-like powers how he wants). So with the Avengers and Fantastic Four off the playing field, and the X-Men more hated and feared than ever before, some other heroes needed to step up. And so Danny Rand (Iron Fist) and Jim Hammond (the original Human Torch) took their considerable holdings in the Oracle Corporation and established a new Heroes for Hire, superheroes who were being paid to superhero, with Danny's old pal Luke Cage front and center. A Defenders-like non-team, the cast rotated, but included such characters as She-Hulk, Hercules, Ant-Man (Scott Lang), and the first female White Tiger, although she's not the same one from Ultimate Spider-Man.

Heroes for Hire was written by John Ostrander, hence my interest in the series. For those of you who haven't read any of my numerous pieces spotlighting his work, Ostrander became a household name in the 80s and 90s with both creator owned work, like his creator owned bounty hunter series Grimjack, and work for DC, including Suicide Squad, Firestorm, Manhunter, and Spectre, to name just a few. By this point in his career, he was doing a lot of work for Marvel, not just Heroes for Hire, but X-Man, Punisher, and a series of mini-series about Bishop of the X-Men. The art for most of the Heroes for Hire series was provided by Pascual Ferry, whose other works include a couple issues of Mr. Miracle with Grant Morrison, Adam Strange with Andy Diggle, Ultimate Fantastic Four with Mike Carey, and Action Comics with a guy you might be familiar with if you've been reading "Thursdays with Wade," Joe Kelly. One of these issues is a Ferry, while the other has art from Scott Kolins, probably best known for his partnership with Geoff Johns on The Flash.

One of the reasons to call out these issues now actually ties in to last week's new Deadpool #1. There, Deadpool comments that the Heroes for Hire were the first team he ever joined. While that is actually a reference to one of the excellent flashback issues from the previous Dedapool series, it is actually true! Yes, Deadpool appeared in a couple issues of Secret Defenders (along with Luke Cage, who never brings it up again) prior to this, but that isn't a team, just a random group of character Dr. Strange would summon to solve a particular problem, and Deadpool wasn't trying to be a hero back then. Here he's in full superhero mode (or as much as Wade ever can be).

By this point in the series, the other heroes have just returned from the pocket universe, but the Heroes for Hire are still up and running. There are a lot of subplots running, as Ostrander is a slow burn kind of plotter, with stuff like Iron Fist summoning K'un Lun to return to the mortal plane and Scott Lang having issues with his daughter, Cassie, long before she would become a superhero herself, but I'm going to stick to the main, and Deadpool relevant, plot.

The current assembled team at the beginning of this issue is made up of Luke Cage and Iron Fist, and their often partners Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. Colleen is a martial artist and her partner in private investigation is Misty Knight, a trained P.I. with a cybernetic arm who is Iron Fists's on-again/off-again girlfriend. Jim Hammond calls the team together to tell them that they have been hired to stop a rogue biochemist, Professor Wolfgang Hessler, from selling his new bioweapon to the highest bidder. The thing that makes this a matter for super people is that Hessler has fled to his native country, Symkaria, home of international mercenaries Silver Sable and the Wild Pack, and Sable is keeping him protected, using a special Wild Pack composed of then-reformed Spider-Man villain Sandman, mercenary for hire Paladin, the former Bucky called Nomad (in whose comic Deadpool made his very first non-X universe appearance), and the martial artist known as the Cat. Cage is concerned that, with most of their regular team members away, they'll be underpowered for the mission, but Hammond assures them that another agent will meet them at the private jet to Symkaria. Oh, and all of this is being observed secretly by the series's main villain, the Master of the World, former Alpha Flight nemesis and a weird combination of Dr. Doom and Vandal Savage, who isn't as cool as either of them and has the least imaginative villain name of all time. More with him later.

When the Heroes arrive at their private airstrip, they find waiting for them... Indiana Jones! But no, hat's not Indy, it's Deadpool using his handy image inducer. You see, Hammond contacted Landau, Luckman, & Lake, and they sent their newest employee, Deadpool (wait, Deadpool wasn't working for LL&L last column. When did that happen? Keep reading this column to find out). Deadpool immediately starts to introduce himself to the Heroes, starting with a joke that would never fly today, addressing Colleen and Misty as Soy-N-Peppa, then tries to be a bro with Luke Cage. And when he gets to Iron Fist, he literally falls over laughing, commenting about Fist's footwear, calling them ballet slippers. When the Heroes get on the plane and start to take off without him, Deadpool quickly joins them and says he's trying to be a hero now, and keeping up with the George Lucas theme, starts making Star Wars jokes, asking to be taught by Obi-Wan Rand and all sorts of, "Use the Force, Luke," jokes. So Ostrander definitely has the Deadpool patter down.

Arriving at Symkaria, the team finds they must scale a treacherous mountain to arrive at the Monastery of St. Eobar's, where Sable has set Hessler up with a lab. Deadpool complains, makes some meta-commentary about how the team has no fliers and they need a better balance of super powers, and then simply teleports away, pretty much ruining the element of surprise. In the monastery, Paladin and Nomad are talking. Well Paladin is talking, and Nomad is replying with grunts and whistles. After Paladin makes a then-topical joke about Millennium, Chris Carter's nearly forgotten follow-up to The X-Files, Deadpool teleports in and he fighting commences.

The Heroes for Hire arrive during this initial fight, as do the rest of the Wild Pack, and issue ten ends with the two teams facing off. But that's after one final revelation. It turns out Nomad wasn't speaking because he isn't Nomad; he is, instead, a disguised Madcap! This is the first meeting between Deadpool and Madcap! While they haven't been together a lot on page, Madcap is one of the team of Deadpools in the current series, and was also, thanks to a retcon by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker, the second voice in Deadpool's head throughout Daniel Way's entire run on the series, so it's become a pretty important first meeting.

Issue eleven starts out with the classic superhero vs. superhero fight. The splash page is Deadpool and Madcap face to face, Deadpool talking about his healing factor and how that means he'll win and Madcap saying he doesn't feel any pain so that's why he'll win. The fight seems pretty evenly matched, but the Wild Pack slowly takes out the Heroes for Hire, leaving only Deadpool up, and then Wade heroically teleports away, Mighty Brave Sir Robin style (yes, that was a Python joke, but it's relevant, trust me).

When Iron Fist comes to after the Cat took him out, he's imprisoned with a still unconscious Cage shackled to a wall and Misty and Colleen nowhere in sight., Silver Sable arrives to take him to meet Prof. Hessler and talk, laving Cage alone, who promptly breaks free and reveals that he has been working for the Master of the World. It's been years since I read any of the issues of this series other than the reread of these two, so I don't remember if this is where we learned Cage was a mole for the bad guy, but he breaks out of his cell to go and take Hessler off the board, as it turns out Hessler was working for the Master through a series of blinds before he ran away.

We cut to Colleen and Misty, who are being guarded by Madcap, who is basically doing the entire Spanish Inquisition bit from Monty Python's Flying Circus for them (see, I told you the Python reference was relevant) whether they like it or not. There's a knock on the door, and when Madcap opens it, it's Madcap! No, it's actually Deadpool using his image inducer again, and he coldcocks Madcap, frees Colleen and Misty, and they escape, bumping into Cage, and together they head off to find Iron Fist.

But when they find Iron Fist, he has been talking to Silver Sable and Hessler, and it turns out Hessler didn't know he was making a weapon for his previous employer, who Danny is surprised to find was a subsidiary of his own Oracle Corporation; seems Sable had a good reason to attack when the Heroes for Hire showed up. He was doing research, and when he found out it was being weaponized, he ran off to where he knew he was safe and where he could design an antidote to his research. At that point, usually the two super tams would join forces, but the Master pops up in hologram form and tells Cage to put a mind control device on Hessler, blowing Luke's cover. Deadpool starts shooting Cage (showing he's not exactly the most heroic of dudes yet), and the fight commences again. When Madcap and Paladin arrive, they see a fight going on, and immediately start attacking whichever Hero is closest, not knowing that Luke is the only real threat. Finally, the Master teleports in, takes Luke and the now mind-controlled Hessler, and leaves the Heroes for Hire high and dry. It's not exactly an auspicious ending for Deadpool's first outing with a real superhero team.

So, what exactly have we learned in these two issues about Deadpool? Not much, but hey, that's cool. It's still a fun two-parter, Wade gets to joke around, and we get some stuff that will later become important to Deadpool. So, it's well worth reading if you have the chance.

And if you want to read it, as well as the other early Deadpool appearances I mentioned here (Nomad, Secret Defenders), as well as some early appearances in X-Force, Wolverine, and some other random issues, they are all available in the Deadpool Classics Companion trade.

Next week, Dan's back with issue fourteen of Deadpool, where the fallout from "The Drowning Man" hits the proverbial fan. See you then.

Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 1/7

Detective Comics #38
Story & Art: Brian Buccellato & Francis Manapul

Detective Comics continues to be the most gorgeous comic coming out on a month-to-month basis. Not in a sexy way, but in an exciting, dynamic way. Whether it was the traditionally exciting Batman stopping the explosion from the end of last issue scene or the bank robbery at the end, or the quieter moments on Matches Malone talking to a snitch or Batman shaking down Mad Hatter, every moment brims with energy. I have a particular affection for Batman's other secret identity, his undercover in the mob identity Matches Malone, so any time Matches pops up I'm pleased, and to see how Batman can use Matches for more than just getting dirt, but to test the crooks he gave another chance to, gives that identity a bit of nuance. The A-plot of the issue continues the return of Anarky story. I like the way the creators are playing Anarky. Many stories with Anarky over the years made him out to be a homicidal whacko at one moment and this petulant child in the next. In the world of Anonymous, I feel like the character has a renewed purpose and message, a character who really works, especially because the idea of someone with the know how erasing all of our digital background and giving us all a clean slate is something not out of the realm of real possibility. The new design for Anarky is closer to his look from Batman: Arkham Origins than to his original costume, which is more grounded in reality, as Anarky's original costume is a bit goofy with the long neck and robes, and might be telling about his secret identity. I feel like we're being presented with two suspects for Anarky, and I'm completely unsure which it might be. Is it Sam Young, Gotham City councilman who had some dirty dealings with the Wayne Enterprises exec Anarky killed last issue and seems to be using Anarky's attack as a platform to run for mayor, or is it Lonnie Machin, the original Anarky from the pre-New 52? If it's the former, it wouldn't be unprecedented; a similar fake out happened in Nightwing Annual #1 with the identity of the new Firefly. And the end of the issue certainly seems to indicate Machin isn't a suspect. But I think Buccellato and Manapul might have something up their sleeves. I'm also curious how the Mad Hatter plot is going to fit in; it might be an unrelated subplot, but I think it might have more to do than it seems now. Buccellato and Manapul have breathed new life into Detective Comics since coming on the book, and this story is their strongest yet.

The Fade Out #4
Story: Ed Brubaker
Art: Sean Phillips

As the first arc ends, I have to say that I think The Fade Out is the best Brubaker/Phillips collaboration since Sleeper. And that's not to put down any of the intervening work; Criminal, Incognito, and Fatale are all brilliant. I just have a real love for Sleeper, something in it struck me, and this is a book that hits a similar cord, but in a very different way. The Fade Out is like the best historical fiction, dancing in and out of the real world in ways that make you ask exactly what they're creating and what actually happened. If you know anything about the Golden Age of Hollywood, you know that all that gold did not glitter, and this is a series about murder, loyalty, and what it takes to get ahead. This issue sees Charlie Parrish, the series principal protagonist, going to a Hollywood event to show off the new starlet of the movie he wrote, the one who replaced the woman who was murdered in the first issue, the murder Charlie knows more about than he can remember. He interacts with most of the series principals along the way, lecherous leading man Earl Rath, his old writing partner Gil Mason (who is on the Communist blacklist now), Dottie Quinn, PR girl, and Maya Silver, the starlet. What initially seems a scene that is just there to show off exactly what a scumbag Rath is and to maybe give Charlie a further hint at what he doesn't remember about the night of the murder through his drunken haze turns out to be something much darker by issue's end. And the web connecting the characters draws tighter, as what wasn't a date with Dottie might have been more. Along the way, we also get an appearance by Clark Gable, mentions of Ava Gardner, and a photo of then Screen Actors Guild president Ronald Reagan. These appearances give the issue a sense of veracity. The issue's end deepens the mystery at the center of the series, adding a new element that might just make Charlie's ties to it all the more dangerous to him. A murder mystery/conspiracy story with compelling characters and a setting that allows Phillips to show off his artistic talent makes The Fade Out a must read.

Nailbiter #9
Story: Joshua Williamson
Art: Mike Henderson

Every time I think Nailbiter can't get any creepier, if finds a way, and that's the finest compliment I can give a horror comic. This issue has a lot going on in it, the least of which is the payoff to the end of last issue and a new Buckaroo Butcher with his bees. Poor Finch, former NSA intel agent on the outs, winds up once again looking like he's not quite right, although he has discovered more of the tunnels that seem to honeycomb below the town of Buckaroo. There are clues to the conspiracy that seems to lie behind some of what is going on in Buckaroo, but no answers yet. The centerpiece of the issue is the introduction of Mr. Crowe, the school bus driver who we see at the beginning of the issue has driven more than his share of the Buckaroo Butchers, the serial killer Buckaroo seems to create as its chief export. What happens to Mr. Crowe, as he drives children to school who are fascinated by the Bucthers is something dark. It begs the question where the Butchers stop and people who are broken by living in a town with such a dark history and reputation begin. I want to see where the story with Mr. Crowe goes next issue to see how far down the path of madness we've seen so much of in Buckaroo he has gone. But if you're looking for a scene that packs all the best, most violent cut punch a horror and suspense comic can pack, you go no further than the scene where Sheriff Crane comes home. Finding Reverend Fairgold in her house, she has an exchange with the preacher before sending him off, and then lies down in her bed, where... Now why would I spoil the surprise? It's a punch right out of the best urban legends and horror stories, and Mike Henderson is at the top of his game in how he presents the sequence, making it all the creepier. As the clues mount and the horror factor amps up, Nailbiter goes beyond all expectations to present human horror; if you're suffering withdrawal from Hannibal, Nailbiter is the book for you.

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1
Story: Ryan North
Art: Erica Henderson & Maris Wicks

I admit freely, I never thought I'd pick this book up. My exposure to Squirrel Girl is limited to her appearances with the Great Lakes Avengers, and I have no particular feeling for the character. But the advance buzz was so good, and having just finished the fourth volume of Ryan North's work on Adventure Time, a book rife with the humor and sadness that permeate the best episodes of the cartoon on which the comic is based, I figured why not give this book a try. And it is outstanding. Doreen Green, the titular Squirrel Girl, is a charming lead; she's a little spacey without being ditzy, loves what she does as a super hero, and is excited to start college, Marvel's catch all school Empire State University. The issue has its share of action, starting with Squirrel Girl defeating some muggers to the tune of the Squirrel Girl theme song (you know the one that sounds suspiciously like the classic Spider-Man one), and has a throw down with Kraven the Hunter, who she defeats not with her fists but with a clever gambit. We also meet Tippy-Toe, Doreen's pet/sidekick; I don't know if previous appearances have had Tippy-Toe's speech appear as words only Doreen understands or just as symbols, but I'm glad North chose to have the squirrel speak, as it gives the reader someone Doreen to talk to and give exposition to. And upon arriving at ESU, readers are introduced to characters who I assume will be the principals of our supporting cast: Tomas, who offers to help Doreen move her boxes and is tossed for a loop by her quirky demeanor, and Nancy Whitehead, Doreen's prickly but good at heart roommate. Erica Henderson has a delightful, light style that works perfectly with Squirrel Girl's world, and Maris Wicks adds to it by drawing the illustrations for the trading cards Squirrel Girl uses to determine who the villains are, cards narrated by Deadpool in his inimitable voice. This is the most all-ages comic that exists from Marvel, more so than Ms. Marvel or Rocket Raccoon, finding a perfect balance of character, action, and humor; and yes, it is a very funny comic, both in character and in situation. I would love to know why the "T" rating was decided on for the book, but regardless of that, this is a book that can be shared with anyone. Oh, and if you do pick the issue up, be sure to check out the text along the bottom gutter of the page; North got his start doing a webcomic, Dinosaur Comics, and as webcomics usually have hidden scrollover gag text, he places similar jokes down there both in Adventure Time and here, and it's worth reading.

Before we move on to Dan's review of the week, I just wanted to call out some of the announcements from last week's Image Expo. I love how Image uses the expo to announce projects and build buzz around their existing books; it feels like they're really excited about comics, something that's missing from some other publishers.

- The creative team of the incredible first arc on Marvel's recent Moon Knight series, Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire, reunite for a sci-fi series very much in the Ellis mold called Injection.

- A.D.: After Death is an original graphic novel from Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire about a world after the cure for death has been found.

- From Jeff Lemire (as writer this time), with art by Emi Lenox, is Plutona, where a group of kids find  the body of the world's most famous super hero. It made me immediately think of Stand by Me, which Lemire states as an influence.

- Sons of the Devil is a thriller from Detective Comics writer Brian Buccellato with art by Toni Ifante With how impressive Detective has been, I want to see Buccallato work his own suspense series.

- I'm always willing to try out new James Robinson, and Heaven, with art by Philip Tan, is the story of mankind going to war with God and his angels, and I'm on board since if Supernatural has taught us nothing else, it's that angels are dicks.

- I Hate Fairyland is from Skottie Young, known for his darling Marvel babies variants and work on books like the Oz adaptations. This book seems like the reaction to years of having to be so nice, as he has a protagonist who murders her way through a children's book world.

- Not one but two new projects from Matt Signal favorite Brian K. Vaughan! Paper Girls, with a excellent Cliff Chiang on art, is about four paper girls making deliveries the day after Halloween, when something weird happens, and We Stand Guard, with art by Steve Skroce, where,100 years from now, Canada must fend off an invasion from mechs from the USA.

- Last but most assuredly not least is a new mini-series from the always incredible Darwyn Cooke. Revengeance is a three part murder mystery set in Toronto, which is Cooke's first long form story that is not licensed or adapted from another work. He says he wants to play with form and storytelling, which for anyone who has seen what he's done with style his Parker series knows means it's going to be quite a ride.


And now, from Dan Grote:

Ant Man #1

Story:  Nick Spencer

Art: Ramon Rosanas and Jordan Boyd

Last week, Marvel released a two-front Ant-Man assault: a teaser trailer for this summer’s movie starring Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, and a new comic centered on Lang, the second Ant-Man, written by the mastermind behind the dearly departed Superior Foes of Spider-Man, one of the best series you didn’t read.

The print Ant-Man won, on account of it had all the heart and humor the trailer didn’t appear to have time for.

Like the nonheroes of Superior Foes, Lang is a loser. He’s out of work, divorced, separated from his daughter, can’t hang on a superhero team for very long and maybe lost a step after spending most of the past decade dead-ish. He wears his costume in public hoping people will recognize him, but more often than not he’s mistaken for Pym.

The first issue goes a bit heavy on history – new readers need the exposition, quite frankly – but it ups the page count to compensate. That said, I could have used a box or two explaining why Lang’s daughter, Cassie, is in middle school when just a few years ago she was in the Young Avengers. Was she de-aged when she was resurrected? Feel free to tweet @danielpgrote if you know.

The book also relies on a big-three cameo from post-Axis, Jerkface Iron Man, who pits Lang against some special guests from Marvel’s more critically celebrated titles for a security job at Stark Industries. Look for the gag early on referencing everyone’s least favorite Iron Man story.

There’s a twist at the end that sets up the true premise of the book, as well as its true setting, that keeps the whole thing from falling into the cliché of the ex-thief who becomes head of security because he can think like the bad guys. Here’s hoping Spencer can keep Ant-Man fever going till the movie premieres this summer.