TALES TO ASTONISH #45: Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Wasp!

Published: July, 1963

Before I read a single word of this new Ant-Man story, I noticed on the cover that the Wasp is depicted as a Damsel in Distress, imprisoned in a bubble from which the mighty Ant-Man will no doubt need to rescue her. Coming so close on the heels of Iron Man’s encounter with Kala, Queen of the Netherworld—in which I lament how quickly and easily our first female villain is neutralized—I’m just about ready to throw up my hands in disgust and say, “Well! It’s the early 60’s! What should I expect?” At this point, I found myself hoping the Wasp was not simply introduced as a handy plot device to give Ant-Man something TO DO.

In their first adventure, he pulled her away from danger, and it appears he’ll have to do that again. Will this be a recurring theme? If so, it will become mighty tiresome, especially for my 21st century sensibilities.

Apparently Egghead, the villain in this story, has appeared before, but I have not spoken of him, as that was one of the stories I skipped over, so this blog won’t be stuck in the 1960’s when I’m 98 years old. From what we can see here, though, the name “Egghead” derives not only from his unusually shaped head, but also from a grand intellect, as evidenced by his scholarly facial hair, and penchant for poetic justice when he devises “a lovely, intricate scheme” of employing an anteater to bring about the demise of Ant-Man. Your common criminal might employ an anteater to destroy Ant-Man, but he would never use the words “lovely” and “intricate” to describe his “scheme.”

As our story begins, we get more information about the villain, a “twisted mind eaten with bitterness and the galling ache for vengeance.” Man! These may just be comic books, but I swear, sometimes they read like poetry! (Giving credit where credit is due, Stan devised the plot for this story, but H.E. Huntley came up with the script.) And later, we get even more information, so that it doesn’t matter whether or not you ever read the first Egghead vs. Ant-Man story, because the entire thing is rehashed in the first page and a half.

We learn that Egghead was relieved of his duties at the atomic research center for selling government secrets, so with all the free time now on his hands, he plots to destroy Ant-Man. Rather than simply set forth a plan to STEP ON Ant-Man (to which Egghead would reply, “He’s not that easy to step on, my friend”), he creates a device to turn the ants against their tiny leader. But since Egghead “misunderstood the psychology of ants,” his plan fails miserably and he ends up a bum in a flop-house.

Now, months later, two thugs named Ape and Twister team up with Egghead in a diabolical scheme to destroy Ant-Man. Egghead grows a beard and assumes the disguise of Dr. Carl Striker, a respected zoologist, who devises a convoluted plan to capture the Wasp by first stealing a famous diamond. There are a lot of steps in this plan, and Ape and Twister don’t understand why it has to be so complicated, and frankly, neither do I. But when Janet van Dyne shows up at the Professor’s wasp exhibit and sees the stolen jewels hidden in a wasp’s nest, she makes the bold decision to solve the crime on her own, so Henry will stop thinking of her as “a scatterbrained little girl.”

Of course we know that any time a member of a team decides to strike out on their own, it can only mean trouble, and that’s exactly what happens. The Wasp is captured, and when she sends for Ant-Man, Egghead forces him to fight an iguana, then the anteater. Yet in the end, it is the Wasp who, finding new reserves of strength and power, uses a straight pin to “sting” the criminals.

Twister and Ape are captured, but Egghead escapes in the commotion, vowing to do better next time he faces his arch-enemy…the diminutive Ant-Man!

Okay, yeah. It’s all kinda silly, I admit. But as this is the second appearance of Egghead, and he escapes in the end, vowing vengeance, I’m sure we’ll see him again. So I guess I’ve got to say a word or two about Egghead. Sigh…

Egghead. What good is he, you might ask? I say “you might ask,” because I find myself asking that very same question. Okay, he’s smart, but so are a lot of other villains. He’s bitter and full of hatred, but then again…so are a lot of other villains. So what sets this villain apart, makes him fearsome, a force to be reckoned with? His egg-shaped head? Sorry, not good enough. I’m unimpressed.

But there are other elements to recommend this thirteen page tale. In case there was any lingering doubt, we now know with certainty that Janet is in love with Henry, and will do just about anything to prove her love to him. Anything, that is, except to do as he asks.

More importantly, though, the Wasp finds the one thing she previously lacked: real power! It’s not enough to be small and look cute in your costume, a REAL wasp has a stinger! And now our little superheroine has advanced to a higher level with the discovery of her own distinct WEAPON. It seems unlikely a small girl with a straight pin could cause any real damage, but in this story, Wasp gets the job done…and with gusto!

So I’ll be back for more Ant-Man tales, if for no other reason than this: unlike Kala, our first Marvel villainess from this month’s Tales of Suspense, who was softened and neutralized, our newest superheroine, the Wasp, is now empowered! And any time a superhero adds to their arsenal of weapons, it’s a good thing.

At one point in this story, we see Wasp marvel to Ant-Man, “Your catapult is still faster than my wings.” To which I say…so what? They both arrive on the scene about the same time, and with her straight pin, in her own small way, the Wasp is now able to make a valuable contribution to the fight against evil.

As for that “bubble” prison depicted on the cover, it did not appear in the story. Bait and switch? You decide. And as for Ant-Man having to rescue his pretty partner, yes, it’s true. But at the same time, once free, Wasp joins in the battle, no longer the hapless female. Something new is happening here. It’s still only 1963, but with the introduction of the Wasp and her one little straight pin, it seems Marvel has poked its first tiny hole in the social climate that will eventually evolve into the upheaval of the late 60’s and 1970’s.

And that, too, is a good thing.

You go, girl!

And speaking of upheaval, in our next story, all signs point to certain doom for our team of superheroes. But…you don’t really think that’s going to happen, do you? Find out next time, when we meet for further travels through the Marvelous Zone!