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Cover: Jack Kirby

Tales to Astonish #40

Name: Tales to Astonish #40
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Feb 1963 · Marvel · 0.12 USD

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★ 1st appearance — Hijacker

About this Issue

Tales to Astonish #40 marks the first appearance of the Hijacker (Howard Mitchell), a minor but persistent Silver Age Marvel villain who would resurface across decades of Marvel continuity — from Marvel Two-in-One to Captain America — before meeting his end at the hands of the Scourge of the Underworld. The issue also closes a creative chapter: it is the final Ant-Man story penciled by Jack Kirby, who handed the interior art duties to Don Heck beginning with the very next issue. Within the Ant-Man run it stands out for framing Henry Pym less as a miniature brawler and more as a deductive detective — a storytelling approach critics have noted may have contributed to the character's difficulty connecting with wider readership at the time.

Contains 3 stories

The Day That Ant-Man Failed!

11 pp · Superhero

In "The Day That Ant-Man Failed!", the diminutive hero takes on a string of mysterious armored car heists, using a clever ruse to expose the true culprit—only to uncover a shocking twist tied to the company behind the crime. With his size and wit, Ant-Man dives into a high-stakes game of deception, where the line between criminal and victim blurs.

I Was Trapped in the Mad Universe!

7 pp · Science Fiction

Tommy JordanPhil JordanGinger

The Worst Man on Earth!

5 pp · Science Fiction

Hogarr

In the year 2000, a convicted criminal known as Hogarr is exiled from Earth, sentenced to drift in space as punishment for his crimes—now that death has been abolished. Mocking his judges, he activates a hidden micro-drill in his finger, confident he’ll escape his orbital cell. But when he finally breaks free, he realizes too late that his so-called freedom is a gilded prison, adrift in the endless void.

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VG) $79

CGC 9.6 · 3 in census $3,983

CGC 9.4 · 3 in census $1,858

CGC 9.2 · 6 in census $1,697

CGC 9.0 · 10 in census $1,140

CGC 8.5 · 21 in census $392

CGC 8.0 · 22 in census $392

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CGC 7.5 · 19 in census $379

CGC 7.0 · 29 in census $191*

CGC 6.5 · 32 in census $191

CGC 6.0 · 30 in census $154

CGC 5.5 · 12 in census $136

CGC 5.0 · 28 in census $136

CGC 4.5 · 24 in census $136

CGC 4.0 · 20 in census $136

CGC 3.5 · 14 in census $111

CGC 3.0 · 17 in census $90

CGC 2.5 · 5 in census $90

CGC 2.0 · 5 in census $46*

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 · 1 in census $31*

CGC 0.5 · 1 in census $28*

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CGC 3 ▾ $115–$250 3 listings

CGC 3 $115 CGC 3 $135 CGC 3 $250

CBCS $295 1 listing Raw — VG+ $150 1 listing Raw — VG $110 1 listing

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GD $48.75 GD $59

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Raw / ungraded $39.99 Raw / ungraded $45 Raw / ungraded $49.4 Raw / ungraded $57 Raw / ungraded $89.99 Raw / ungraded $437.5 Raw / ungraded $488.4

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History

The series was plotted by Stan Lee and scripted by his brother Larry Lieber throughout the early Ant-Man run, with penciling first by Kirby and later by Don Heck and others. For issue #40 specifically, the unusual choice of Sol Brodsky as inker — rather than Kirby's frequent collaborator Dick Ayers — gives the art a noticeably different finish; Brodsky typically confined himself to production duties in the early Marvel Bullpen rather than finished inking. The issue went on sale November 8, 1962, with a February 1963 cover date.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of the Hijacker, whose secret identity is Howard Mitchell, owner of the Mitchell Armored Truck Company — he is both the villain and the ostensible victim of the story.
The Hijacker's method relies on an amnesia-inducing knockout gas whose formula Mitchell learned during a trip to Peru, a plot clue telegraphed by Incan statues displayed in his office.
This is the final Ant-Man story penciled by Jack Kirby; Don Heck took over as interior penciler starting with Tales to Astonish #41.
Full creative credits on the lead story 'The Day That Ant-Man Failed!': plot by Stan Lee, script by Larry Lieber (credited as L. D. Lieber), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Sol Brodsky, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek.
The issue is a 36-page anthology containing two additional backup stories: 'I Was Trapped in the Mad Universe!' (art by Don Heck) and 'The Worst Man on Earth!' (art by Steve Ditko), plus a text story.
The Hijacker returned in Marvel Two-in-One #24 (Feb. 1976) and #96 (Feb. 1983), before being killed by the Scourge of the Underworld in Captain America #319 (July 1986).
The lead Ant-Man story has been reprinted in Essential Ant-Man #1 (February 2002, black and white), Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant-Man Vol. 1 (2006 and 2013 editions), and the Ant-Man/Giant-Man Epic Collection Vol. 1 (2015), as well as in several international editions including a Marvel UK version heavily condensed to four pages for Hulk Comic #11 (1979).
On-sale date was November 8, 1962; cover date is February 1963.