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scans_dailyIn 1963 someone at Marvel decided that Ant-Man needed more soap opera in his life. Tales to Astonish 44 not only introduced Janet Van Dyne as his partner, it also established an angsty backstory for Hank: the death of a former wife.
At first I was only going to post the flashbacks of Maria's death, but as I was reviewing the issue, it seemed relevant to include bits with Jan. The way Hank and Jan form a partnership driven out of their respective losses (Hank's wife, Jan's father) gives more insight into the impact of Maria's death on Hank. It's also a rather good story.
So, jumping right into the story:
I'm a little disturbed by Hank talking to the memory of his dead wife.
Something I personally found interesting here is the fact that after Maria died Hank briefly went a little, well, crazy. And I have to wonder if there's a part of him that's never been quite right again since.
I know the Hank Pym Has a Mental Illness concept has become a bit of a third rail due to the infamous Slapping Incident, but that incident aside, I've personally always been fascinated by (and rather liked) the idea that Hank Pym struggles with mental illness. It makes him interesting and real. And in the context of this backstory, it makes a lot of sense.
But moving on. Hank decides that he needs a partner to carry on his work in case he dies. Conveniently he is visited by fellow scientist Vernon Van Dyne and his daughter Janet.
Van Dyne wants to collaborate with Pym, but Hank turns him down. Later, Van Dyne is killed by an alien (just accept it and move on, people), and Janet calls Hank for help (since he's a fellow scientist and all). Hank considered her a shallow society girl earlier, but she proves herself otherwise:
Well, I think you know how things go from there. Hank later asks Janet to be his partner and she agrees. Later, when they are off to fight the alien monster that killed Mr. Van Dyne, Janet confesses to Hank that she's falling in love with him.
But despite Hank's attempts to distance himself from Janet, in the end they become close friends:
At first I was only going to post the flashbacks of Maria's death, but as I was reviewing the issue, it seemed relevant to include bits with Jan. The way Hank and Jan form a partnership driven out of their respective losses (Hank's wife, Jan's father) gives more insight into the impact of Maria's death on Hank. It's also a rather good story.
So, jumping right into the story:
I'm a little disturbed by Hank talking to the memory of his dead wife.
Something I personally found interesting here is the fact that after Maria died Hank briefly went a little, well, crazy. And I have to wonder if there's a part of him that's never been quite right again since.
I know the Hank Pym Has a Mental Illness concept has become a bit of a third rail due to the infamous Slapping Incident, but that incident aside, I've personally always been fascinated by (and rather liked) the idea that Hank Pym struggles with mental illness. It makes him interesting and real. And in the context of this backstory, it makes a lot of sense.
But moving on. Hank decides that he needs a partner to carry on his work in case he dies. Conveniently he is visited by fellow scientist Vernon Van Dyne and his daughter Janet.
Van Dyne wants to collaborate with Pym, but Hank turns him down. Later, Van Dyne is killed by an alien (just accept it and move on, people), and Janet calls Hank for help (since he's a fellow scientist and all). Hank considered her a shallow society girl earlier, but she proves herself otherwise:
Well, I think you know how things go from there. Hank later asks Janet to be his partner and she agrees. Later, when they are off to fight the alien monster that killed Mr. Van Dyne, Janet confesses to Hank that she's falling in love with him.
But despite Hank's attempts to distance himself from Janet, in the end they become close friends:
