Letters to Astonishing Tales #1

An action packed first issue, Don! The opening was a bit heavy on exposition, but the dialogue was tight, Henry and Bill were fun to see together (I'm a big fan of the old Avengers issues where Bill helped Hank return to his normal size) and the chase with Cannon was really cool! You've got a brilliant grasp of these characters and their nuances. Looks like we have a winner on our hands! Keep up the good work!

I was never a big fan of Hank Pym before though I've always loved the Wasp, so I didn't know what to expect prior to reading this. I think the characterizations of Hank as the "wife-beater" have always left a sour taste in my mouth.

I'm happy to report I enjoyed this issue immensely, even (especially) Hank. This is no morose abuser- here is a humble scientist who revels in his scientific triumphs even as he enters impromptu superheroics. I liked how he hesitated each time he used his "powers", as if he wasn't sure they were going to work and half expecting them not to. An almost, but not quite, bumbling persona that i found entertaining.

And Janet is spot on. She really is adorable, with her somewhat naive, yet somehow worldly attitude, and that comes across plainly. Here's hoping she becomes the Wasp in this series, and maybe an eventual roster spot on the Avengers.

Bill Foster didn't make much of an impression on me, other than he responds well to a crisis, but I expect he'll grow on me as his character is fleshed out.

I absolutely loved the cover.

Great start to this series, and I look forward to more.

Well, I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to reply, seeing I edit this title, but I wanted to say a few things.

Don did a great job setting up this book. This was an origin story without being an origin story. We've got the beginning of the road map laid out, a hold on how some of our characters are going to be handled and a little mystery with Hanks brother and Ex-wife.

I'm not a fan of the Wasp at all. Over all she's a character that is vapish and unlikable to me. Hank and Bill Foster are characters I do like however. Don seems to have a good sense of all of them. It'll be interesting to see where he goes with them all.

The "Oh Boy" at the end brought memories of QUANTUM LEAP.

The cover? Amazing. GREAT work.

Thank you for all the nice comments so far, I'm glad the issue has made a good impact at this point. This is not an easy book to write. First of all, writing small heroes so they can be effective is tough work. LOL

Hank (here and in the MU) has always suffered from low (to no) self-esteem. That's such a great trait to play with in a character who's a super-hero, so you'll be seeing him deal with that aspect of his career(s) as the issues continue to unfold. In fact, Bill will be touching on that in the very next issue, I believe. But he's actually interesting to write, because I think he's a lot like many of us: he just now has to learn "If at first you DO succeed, don't act surprised".

There was a comment that Bill was dependable in a crisis: kind of the feel I wanted to get across. So I'm glad that stuck out. I didn't want him to outshine our star and starlet for the first issue, but I wanted his strongest traits to shine through, and for me where Bill was concerned, those traits is dependability and support. Don't you worry, his part only gets...larger in future issues.

Janet is meant to be a bit...well...waspish in a way. Whimsical, flirty, with some intelligence of her own, but maybe not a ton of depth yet. She's young, she's a single daughter and heiress and she's got her own successful fashion design house, so I wanted her to come close to the line of today's "celebutante" without completely crossing the line into useless. Sounds like I got her there. Never fear, Jan-hater, I think she'll be growing on you as she grows herself as a character. But if she's not well-liked by everyone? that's okay, she's not meant to endear herself to each and every reader at this point.

Avengers roster? Oh, I think people will find that interesting, but rest assured, two of our three stars will be there from the ground up.

And yay! Pat got (and mentioned) the pop culture reference! One of them, anyway. Yes indeed, "Oh Boy" was stolen from Quantum Leap. I always loved that. Glad you enjoyed it too.

See you all in thirty (well, for this title, and sooner with others)

Don

This was an excellent, damn near perfect, introduction to Hank, Janet, and all the rest.

The oh boy made me chuckle, but the Dammit Janet was what made me laugh out loud. I almost thought Cannon was going to break into song.

The two main characters were done perfectly here, really showing Henry's desire to be the hero he wants to be, but unsure of himself. Janet has always been one of my all time Marvel favorites, and she was written exactly as she should have been.

The cover was outstanding, to say the least. Five stars all around for this first issue! My hats off to writer and artist! I can't wait for the next issue!

Yay! And the other pop culture reference was found! That's great. I love stuff like that, glad they got picked up.

And thanks for the kind words, Brian. I'm glad the characters all worked for you in their varied ways, and I think you'll like how each one continues to develop.

Don

Hank Pym: Making nudity accpetable for superheroes since 2008.

Great issue. Pretty funy, a bit creepy and definately action-packed. Keep em coming, boys!

-UM

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Don that was a great first issue. I've never read about these characters before, so I can't say if they were in or out of character, but you definately made me feel with them. Good job.

Not much I can say that hasn't already been said... so..

I'm not such a big fan of these characters but I enjoyed this issue!

Loved to see Hank and Bill together: Some have said this and I must repeat it because it's great to have them star in this book as the main characters. Especially since Bill died not long ago... (damn Mark Millar, I love you but you hurt me sometimes)...

Interesting to see David Cannon and I'm wondering where his Marvel2 appearance will lead him...

Loved the "Oh Boy" because Quantum Leap rocked...

And the ending itself was hilarious. Glad to see an action-packed, humorous Hank than a "I beat my wife but as a superhero i beat up other men and women who beat up the weaker people".

Keep it up.

I liked this issue, it was sharp and it flowed well. It felt very natural and I liked how there seemed to be a lot going on here, with plenty to keep people drawn back into it. Based on the reaction you've gotten so far, I don't think that'll be a problem.

The opening scene was a nice introduction to some of the main characters, gives you many little insights to both Bill and Hank. They compliment and play off one another nicely. I also liked how you provide a lot of exposition here without it seeming overwhelming to the reader, both from a technical standpoint as well as informational one. It flowed nicely and naturally.

The next scene introduces us to Janet and David Cannon, two more important characters in this adventure. Janet seems like she's going to be a lot of fun here, attractive and resourceful can make for a dangerously fun combination. I'm interested in learning more about Cannon as well - he certainly seems like a villain with potential.

I also liked how Bill and Hank, in their own ways, rise to the occasion here - it shows they really have a good deal of hero into them, while still feeling like real people. I also love when news reporters act clueless, so that scene was a lot of fun for me as well as filling in some more of the details.

Hank's experience leading up to and after he shrinks is very effectively told, you really give a great sense of what's he's going through and how he's dealing with it and you just bring the reader along for the ride. The surprise he has as everything starts to go his way is infectious, and I couldn't have enjoyed this passage more.

The ending is just a great capper to the exciting adventure, this Janet is certainly one to look out for, that's for sure.

A great job on the cover as well, which is really striking and enticing. Borize did a fine job with this one.

As always I loved it Don, hell of a job, you really knocked this one out of the park.

Wow!

That's all I have to say. All of our issues so far have been great, but this one just takes the cake completely! And frankly, it took me by surprise, "Astonishing Tales" and Ant-Man, Wasp, have never really been anywhere near my favorite Marvel characters, but man, was this issue something!

It was fun, it was fast, the dialogue, in particular I thought was superb! The character themselves were just like I imagined them, and I could visually see everything which was occuring on page, which was great, considering that, that in perticular is something which many writers (including me at times) cannot achieve. Overall, fabulous issue, and the first one that I am going to give all Five Stars to! (and believe me, it takes a lot to get that from me )

Well done mate!

Let me throw this out there first- I am indeed the first one to give the issue 4 stars, not 5, but that is in no way due to anything personal or any rubbish like that- Don's a damn good writer, and I think it says quite a lot that the lowest score is 4/5

That said, most of the praise has been aired already. Great sense of empathy with Hank, a very good sense of the characters involved, introductions to our main players, a tight, exciting narrative, you are as ever, Don, a master of pacing and knowing exactly when events should unfold. Oh, and the cover- superb? Normally I'd spend more time on this, but to be honest, it's all been said!

I did have some minor problems with the issue, but they were fleeting. I didn't think we saw enough of the characterization of our stars. To be honest, if I knew absolutely nothing about Bill or Jan or Hank going in, I can't say I'd know THAT much more about their personalities coming out. I am a self confessed fan of Hank and Jan (Though usually as part of the Avengers, obviously) and even I know they aren't as deep or fleshed out as other characters, but I still think it could have done with a little more in this regard. But that's very minor.

So why am I not giving it 5 stars then? That's simple- I'm a harsh marker. I go via my own system, and an issue has to really wow me to get five stars, it has to have something very special. The reason I mention this is to explain that although I loved the issue, it never blew me away. I was impressed, but was never overwhelmed, and I couldn't give it full marks. So again, it's nothing personal and it's something across all my ratings in general; only a very few get full marks from me.

That said, keep up this quality, and I've no doubt I will be blown away in short order. Can't wait for 2!