*Marvel: We commence a new season of our highly popular Mighty Marvel Firsts event with a very timely twosome. What better time than the present, with the newly-released ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ film doing great business, to release the first appearances of both size-shifting super-stars? In Tales to Astonish #27, scientist Henry Pym became ‘The Man In The Ant-Hill’, in a slight variation on the usual ‘big-panty monster’ tropes which bore no foreshadowing of his heroic future. Nevertheless, Hank came back in costume in TTA #35, and embarked on a long career as Ant-Man, then Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, and possibly a couple more identities we forget. By #44, it was decided that Hank needed someone to talk to who was a little more cuddly than an ant, and Janet Van Dyne was introduced as Hank’s partner in life and love, the Wonderful Wasp! These two premier issues have, to put it mildly, seen better days. The #27 in particular suffers from (deep breath): a 1” tear mid-spine, through the entire body of the book, scribble on head of middle ant on cover (that’s a description, not an instruction!), spine glued at cover and first & final pages, also glued at centrefold, interior pages frayed at edges, with some small margin corners missing, but all pages present, all stories complete. Generally a very tired and ‘limp’ copy, but a complete low-grade key issue. Tales to Astonish #44’s faults are more limited – it has no cover. Otherwise, it’s a complete Fair/Good copy of Janet Van Dyne/the Wasp’s debut and origin. Tales to Astonish #27 is PR p £325 (front and back covers shown below and high resolution scans available on request); #44 coverless is on sale at £50. More Mighty Marvel Firsts on an occasional basis as we go through the remainder of the summer into autumn.