Tales to Astonish #27
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeTales 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.
In "The Man in the Ant Hill!", Henry Pym finds himself shrunk to the size of an ant after testing his revolutionary serum—only to be trapped in an ant hill and forced to survive the very creatures he once studied. As he faces danger from the colony, an unexpected ally among the ants offers a surprising chance at escape. The story explores the fragile line between science and peril, as one man’s ambition leads to a life-or-death encounter in the unseen world beneath his feet.
Bill Carter buys a mirror for his wife Anne’s birthday, unaware it’s cursed. Soon, Anne begins acting strangely, her reflection moving on its own—until the glass seems to hold a power beyond the living.
When the horse Silverstreak suddenly starts talking, jockey Barney Sloan is stunned—but not surprised when the animal convinces him to bet on their own victory. As the race looms, tensions rise between man and beast, and Barney finds himself caught between loyalty, greed, and the consequences of a gamble he never meant to make.
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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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Reprints
↩ Reprints Journey into Unknown Worlds #49 (1956)
Reprinted in Misterios del Gato Negro #143 (1961), Amazing Stories of Suspense #21 (1964), Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #22 (1969), Capitaine America #12 (1972), Fantastic Four #15 (1972), L'incroyable Hulk #42 (1975), Der Eiserne #1 (1975), Journey into Mystery #19 (1975), Vault of Evil #23 (1975), Secrets of the Unknown #166 (1976), Astounding Stories #124 (1977), Hulk Comic #1 (1979), Hulk Comic #2 (1979), The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe #1 (1985), Strange Spécial Origines #202 (1986), Marvel Limited: Fantastic Firsts #[nn] (1994), Essential Avengers #2 (1998), Fantastic Firsts #[nn] (2002), Essential Ant-Man #1 (2002), Marvel Milestones: Iron Man, Ant-Man & Captain America #[nn] (2005), Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man / Giant-Man #1 (2006), Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Tales to Astonish #3 (2010), Marvel Firsts: The 1960s #[nn] (2011), Avengers: The Many Faces of Henry Pym #[nn] (2012) + 16 more
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