Tales to Astonish #27
Tales to Astonish #27 is where Henry Pym — the scientist who would become Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, and Yellowjacket — first set foot in the Marvel Universe, making it the foundational origin point for one of the Silver Age's most restlessly reinvented characters. The seven-page story 'The Man in the Ant Hill!' introduced the core concept of Pym Particles, the size-altering technology that would later power not just Pym but a whole lineage of size-shifting heroes. Because Ant-Man and the Wasp (whose own debut traces back to Pym's introduction here) went on to be founding members of the Avengers, this single issue sits at the root of Marvel's most important super-team. It also stands as a clear example of the early Marvel method at work: a disposable sci-fi anthology tale that sold well enough to be retrofitted into the superhero line, demonstrating how the young company's entire Silver Age expansion was built on audience feedback rather than advance planning.
In "The Man in the Ant Hill!", Henry Pym’s groundbreaking shrinking serum takes a terrifying turn when he accidentally tests it on himself—only to find himself trapped in an ant hill, facing a swarm of hostile insects. With the help of an unexpected ally among the tiny creatures, he narrowly escapes and, shaken by the danger, chooses to destroy the formula. A bold early tale from Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, and Dick Ayers, with vibrant colors by Stan Goldberg and dynamic cover art by Kirby and Ayers, this 1962 classic captures the wonder and peril of scientific ambition at a 10-cent price.
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The issue was produced during the final stretch of Tales to Astonish's pre-superhero anthology phase, when the title — part of the same early-Marvel wave that included Tales of Suspense — was running science-fiction and mystery shorts by Stan Lee, his brother Larry Lieber, and a stable of artists anchored by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers. Lee plotted 'The Man in the Ant Hill!', Lieber scripted it, Kirby penciled both the cover and interior story, and Ayers inked; the issue hit newsstands on September 28, 1961, with a January 1962 cover date. Lee later recalled in a 2008 interview that the story's strong sales directly prompted him to revive Pym as a costumed superhero, which happened eight issues later in Tales to Astonish #35 — a decision made reactively, not as part of any planned continuity.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and origin of Dr. Henry 'Hank' Pym (Earth-616), the scientist who would later adopt the identities of Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, and briefly the Wasp.
- Lead story: 'The Man in the Ant Hill!' — a seven-page science-fiction anthology tale in which Pym develops a shrinking serum, tests it on himself, becomes trapped inside an ant colony, and is rescued by a single friendly ant before destroying his formula.
- Creative team: plot by Stan Lee, script by Larry Lieber, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers; cover also by Kirby and Ayers.
- The issue was released on September 28, 1961, carrying a January 1962 cover date, while Tales to Astonish was still operating as a general sci-fi/mystery anthology before transitioning to a superhero-driven title.
- Pym was revived eight issues later as the costumed superhero Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish #35 (September 1962), directly because — per Stan Lee's own account — the original story sold well enough to warrant a superhero follow-up.
- The concept of 'Pym Particles,' the size-altering subatomic particles central to multiple Marvel characters' powers, is introduced here in its earliest form as Pym's unnamed reducing and enlarging serums.
- Pym's subsequent identities established in later issues: Ant-Man (#35), Giant-Man (#49), Goliath (Avengers #28), Yellowjacket (Avengers #59), and briefly the Wasp (Secret Invasion: Requiem #1).
- The story has been reprinted in numerous collections, including Essential Ant-Man Vol. 1 (2002), Marvel Milestones: Iron Man, Ant-Man & Captain America (2005), Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant-Man Vol. 1 (2006), Marvel Firsts: The 1960s (2011), and the Ant-Man/Giant-Man Epic Collection (2015).
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Henry Pym invents a shrinking serum, but is trapped in an ant hill when he tests it. He is attacked by several ants, but one of them helps him escape and restore his ordinary size. He destroys the serum because it is too dangerous.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).