Tales to Astonish #40

This February 1963 issue of Tales to Astonish promises an intriguing twist on superhero adventure with a story titled "The Day That Ant-Man Failed!" — a refreshingly candid premise for the era. Jack Kirby's cover captures the Astonishing Ant-Man at insect scale, scrambling urgently across the massive mechanical components of what appears to be heavy machinery or a vehicle undercarriage, while oblivious full-sized bystanders — men in suits and hats, a blonde woman — go about their business just above him. It's a wonderfully effective image that sells both the charm and the peril of a hero operating in a world that can't even see him.