HESTER ON THE IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

So, as it was announced at WizardWorld LA, Ant Man, with Robert Kirkman writing was the gig that artist Phil Hester said he could not pass up when he announced that he and inker Ande Parks were leaving Nightwing for a new Marvel project back in November of last year.

Kinda.

“Believe me, when you hear the words "Ant-Man," you're not exactly blown away,” Hester admitted. “It's not like you've been handed Daredevil or Silver Surfer. But when Robert [Kirkman] actually explained what he wanted to do with the book and how Marvel was trusting us to build something from the ground floor, it was an easy decision. At the time Nightwing was becoming very, very continuity heavy. Major events in Dick's life were taking place outside of his own title and it was becoming tough to keep up with everything. Starting fresh with a new character of our own design was just too appealing. Plus, I'm getting a chance to work with a great writer in Robert, and I get to keep working with my best pal and inker Ande Parks.”

And thus, The Irredeemable Ant-Man, an October-debuting ongoing series by Kirkman and art by Hester (pencils), Parks (inks) and colorist Bill Crabtree, was born.

When it comes to Ant-Man, two personalities come to Marvel’s fans’ minds: the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym (that’s him in the middle tier of that page on the left, by the way); and Scott Lang, who was killed during “Avengers Disassembled”. In the new series, however, the man, or rather men, behind the suit are totally new guys. They are Eric O’Grady and Chris McCarthy, two low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who also happen to be long time friends. As described by Kirkman previously, "Chris is the all-American, the hero. Eric is kinda this rotten guy."

When it comes to designing the looks for the two new characters, Hester said that he’s not a big fan of physiognomy. “Plenty of awful people are beautiful and plenty of hideous people are saints,” he said. “Chris is by far the better guy, but Eric is the car wreck you can't look away from. There are some stringent physical standards for being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, I imagine, so both guys are athletic and young. My job is just to make them look distinct enough that there's no confusion for the reader. As far as when they're in the suit... Well, they're never in it at the same time.”

In terms of the new duds, Hester and co. initially came up with one version that was basically just a modernized version of the old Pym suit. “But in the end, we didn't want to harken back to that too much,” he explained. “We wanted something more ant-like, so we gave him an exoskeleton, mandibles, bug eyes, antennae, etc. We tried to make something that was both functional and wonky. If not wonky, at least distinctive. We wanted him to have a little weird edge and I think the helmet and antennae do that.”

What about new gadgets? “He's got a pair of robot legs that only unfold when he's small (and yes, we made this up before we saw Iron Spidey) to stabilize him when he's trying some heavy lifting stunts. The legs also have thrusters in them so he can sort of blast long distances. Also, his wrist armor has mandible-like tools that swing out like claws, or can openers, or whatever. They're tool more than weapons. The great thing about the costume is it's sort of Pym playing Tony Stark. It shrinks and everything, but it has innumerable hidden gadgets and traits that we haven't mapped out yet. It's armor, not just a suit.”

Other than the two new main characters (and according to Kirkman, Hank Pym is a “central” member of the cast) and other familiar ones making cameo appearances in the new series such as Wolverine, there’re also S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Mitch Carson, Dum Dum Dugan and Veronica King. “Robert really wanted to get across just how massive S.H.I.E.L.D. is, so a guy like Dugan, who is second banana in a Fury book, is actually too big to be involved in our little story for more than a cameo. When he does show up, he's larger than life. To these low-level guys Nick Fury may as well be a myth, so Dugan's a rock star here. Mitch is our grizzled vet and Veronica King is probably the only person with her act together. She's on the fast track, while Chris and Eric are one screw-up away from the janitorial staff.”

Didn’t Scott Lang’s daughter, Cassie, also donned the Ant-Man costume once? And she’s now going by the codename Stature and hangs out with the Young Avengers? What's the likelihood of her (and her YA members) turning up in the pages of The Irredeemable Ant-Man? “If they ever did it would be waaaay down the road. Robert has things planned out pretty far in advance. Our Ant-man has enough of his own crap to wade through without dealing with Hank Pym or Scott Lang's issues.”

Kirkman had earlier said that the pages would be formatted “on a loose 16-panel grid just like Dark Knight Returns. That means a lot of panels and a lot of story. It's a hard book to pencil, ink and color... and it's coming out just beautiful!" Hester admitted that it’s tough work “but I like the idea of our book looking like nothing else out there. Robert isn't just adding panels for the hell of it. We're trying to pack a lot of information into each issue and the dense grid is a necessity. However, we do get to punctuate that relentless rhythm with occasional splash pages and money shots. When those do show up they're made all the more powerful for having been preceded by lots of tiny Frank Miller slivers of panels.

“On most pages, the challenge is just making it read without being too crowded. That means always working in an establishing shot early, so you can abandon it for talking heads when necessary. Also, I try to use composition inside the panel to push the reader along into the next. Often it means repeating an image, while only changing one aspect of the image; an expression, a background element, a time shift indicator - to properly convey the rhythm of the scene.

At the end of the day, Hester’s only hope is “to do a good job and communicate Robert's script. I take storytelling opportunities when they present themselves without blowing up the pacing with hot dog moves. I'm trying to find a balance between the understated brilliance of Dave Gibbons and the bravura guitar solos of Jim Steranko. Of course, I can't hold either guy's jock, so we'll see how it pans out.”

The new series has been compared to the Distinguish Competition's new Blue Beetle series. The Blue Beetle made his debut in Infinite Crisis while the new Ant-Man will be appearing in Civil War first before starring in his own series. Why is it that super hero characters need that revamp exercise once every few years even though super hero titles still rule the comic shops? What’re Hester’s thoughts on this matter? After all, he did “bring back” Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow with writer Kevin Smith. “It never hurts,” Hester said. “Spider-Man is an icon. Running around in the Iron Spidey suit for a few months will not diminish the power of Stan [Lee] and Steve [Ditko]'s Spider-Man shrugging of the avalanche of drainage pipes. Batman can even be someone other than Bruce Wayne for a year and still survive. Many of these characters have had literally thousands of stories written about them. They all need to have the status quo shaken from time to time to make them fresh. I know I wasn't crazy about Hal Jordan becoming Parallax, but it made Hal Jordan's return to greatness all the sweeter. When Ben Grimm spends a few issues as a normal man, it makes his return to Thing-dom even more bittersweet. I know for someone out there, Hank Pym or Scott Lang are the only "real" Ant-Men. That's cool. These new characters don't make those old stories disappear. They're just another tile in the mosaic of that legacy. It's our job to make that new tile as interesting as possible, and to do that we have to be free of some of the past history.”

Lastly, how does the new series tie into Civil War? “All I can say is that the first arc plays out over a long period of time. You'll see these characters long, long before Civil War breaks out and then get to ride it out with them.”

Look for The Irredeemable Ant-Man to debut in October.

Related article:
ROBERT KIRKMAN TALKS ANT-MAN

[EmeraldGuy32]

wouldn't it be funny if Antman and Wolverine become like The Atom and Hawkman? cuz I think it'd be hilarious bub!

[Reliant]

This sounds like it could really be a lot of fun...

[the rainking]

It's Kirkman so it has to be great right

[SpyGuy]

"Irredeemable"? The new Ant-Man's not capable of being bought back of turned in for exchange?

[Kolimar]

These pages look great. I'm very much looking forward to it.

[geekoftheday]

Looks pretty cool.

[c_andrew_s]

I am really looking forward to this series.

[Kolimar]

Originally posted by Reliant
This sounds like it could really be a lot of fun...

I agree.

[Kolimar]

Originally posted by the rainking
It's Kirkman so it has to be great right

You're right.

[BlueThunderArmy]

Liking what I'm hearing so far.

[defjoe]

love Phil Hester's work. One of the best artist around.

[dchart1]

This looks good! Wolvie is kicking serious ass on that one page!

[Kevin T. Brown]

As long as Hester is on the book, I'm buying this.

[samnoir]

I've loved Phil Hester's work ever since the Mark Millar/Grant Morrison run on Swamp Thing.

You really have to wonder why DC didn't give Hester an a-list book like Batman after his highly successful run on Green Arrow.

I'll definately be picking up Antman, but I would love to see Hester on a high profile title like Spiderman.
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[Book of GOB]

Hester and Parks rawk! I will be picking this up.

[s*p rules]

Ok, I'm confused. I blame it on being up till 2:30a watching the Tribe lose to the Sox (f u Jim Thome) and waking up at 6a for work, but if this series doesn't come out til October, and Civil War starts in May, someone please explain this quote: "You'll see these characters long, long before Civil War breaks out and then get to ride it out with them". Even if they make their first appearance during the Civil War mini, it's not the same as seeing them long, long before CW.

[sixsh0t]

October's so far away....

[Bevbos]

Originally posted by sixsh0t
October's so far away....

Indeed.

[HG_studios]

Is Wolvie biting off that dudes finger in that splash page? If so that is friggin' hilarious!!!

I must say that I have been a fan of Hester's since Green Arrow, and I'd be an idiot not to pick up a book written by Robert Kirkman (read Marvel Team-Up, fools!). Just having these two names on this book practically guarantees a hit! Don't miss out...I know I won't!

[The Next]

Hmm, it looks alright! Maybe I'll try it out.

[michaelman9]

I love the new look. I like the creators involved, I may just give it a shot.

[Skinshark]

Wow, nice spotting of blacks!!!

Solid pages!

=s=

[BradE]

Bill Crabtree on colors! This will be the Invincible for the Marvel Universe!! This will be like the new Nova.. minus the last ten years. The new spider-man maybe.

[dantebk]

I love Hester's art but am hit or miss with Kirkman. I'll wait 'til I see some preview pages. (I was hoping they'd tap Hester for X-Factor since Sook isn't going to be on it anymore)

The new design looks a LOT like "The Ant" in the Freedom Force PC game. I hope Irrational Games doesn't have any sue-happy lawyers on retainer.