Despite his size, Ant-Man is a hero who shouldn’t be overlooked. He’s had a big enough impact to appear in the Avengers films, headline three solo movies, and even land his own TV series. There’s nothing boring about this character, even if he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for having some of the coolest powers in Marvel. He’s one of our favorites, and for good reason. With that, here are the best Ant-Man comics.
Best Ant-Man comics as of 2025
Here’s a quick comic history breakdown for you. Ant-Man first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27 (1961), a sci-fi/horror story from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, where Dr. Henry Pym’s risky research ends with the ability to resize objects using serums. After resizing a chair to some success, he decides to skip the animal testing and try it on himself, shrinking to the size of an Ant. With the power to size-shift, he later became a founding Avenger in 1963, though he’s often overshadowed by the ego of Thor and Iron Man.
But as far as our Ant-Man history goes, Hank Pym isn’t the only one who’s worn the helmet. Scott Lang, the ex-con turned hero (and the version you probably know best from the MCU), made his comic debut in 1979 and quickly became a favorite. Then there’s Eric O’Grady, introduced in 2006 as the morally questionable “Irredeemable Ant-Man,” who brought a very different energy to the role. If you’re only familiar with the MCU version, hopefully this list will give you a look at Ant-Man across the decades and help you get up to speed.
The Return of the Ant-Man (Tales to Astonish #35)
After Hank Pym’s strange little debut in Tales to Astonish #27, which actually turned out to be the best-selling Marvel comic of the month when it hit stands in 1961, readers weren’t done with him yet. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Larry Lieber clearly saw potential in the character beyond a one-off sci-fi experiment. So just a few months later, in 1962, they brought him back in Tales to Astonish #35, this time not just as a scientist who accidentally shrank himself, but officially as Ant-Man.
This issue is the real starting point for Ant-Man as a superhero. It gave Hank Pym his signature costume, his cybernetic helmet that let him parley with ants — again, not boring at all — and his first official mission: battling criminals with the help of his tiny insect allies. The story firmly established that this wasn’t just another weird monster-of-the-month Marvel tale, but the beginning of a new hero in the making.
The Birth of The Vision (Avengers Vol. 1 #57-58)
Now, if you still didn’t think Ant-Man was that important as a character, he’s certainly responsible for the creation of other characters and villains. In Avengers #57, published in 1968, Roy Thomas and John Buscema introduced the dramatic debut of the Vision, one of the most enduring characters in Avengers history.
Without giving too much of the plot away, we learn Ultron is the creation of Hank Pym, who had been experimenting with artificial intelligence. Ultron then goes rogue, evolves rapidly, and builds the Vision as his “son” and weapon to destroy the Avengers. So while Hank isn’t the star of those two issues, his role as the “father” of Ultron makes him indirectly responsible for Vision’s existence. Does that make him Vision’s grandfather? Don’t think about it too much.
The New Ant-Man (Marvel Premiere #47-48)
By the late 1970s, Marvel decided it was time for a new kind of Ant-Man. Enter Scott Lang, an electronics expert and ex-con trying to rebuild his life for the sake of his young daughter, Cassie. His debut came in Marvel Premiere #47–48 (1979), written by David Michelinie with art by John Byrne and Bob Layton. In the story, Scott steals Hank Pym’s Ant-Man suit. His daughter is gravely ill, and the only way to save her is to use the suit for a break-in to rescue Dr. Erica Sondheim, the one doctor who can perform the life-saving surgery.
These issues redefined what it meant to be Ant-Man. Scott Lang wasn’t a genius scientist like Hank, but he had the heart and determination to make the role his own. After proving himself, Hank Pym gave his blessing for Scott to continue as Ant-Man, officially passing the mantle. The storyline also went on to heavily inspire the Ant-Man film.
Irredeemable Ant-Man
The Irredeemable Ant-Man (2006–2007), written by Robert Kirkman with art by Phil Hester, is one of the best Ant-Man runs ever. This time, we get a new Ant-Man in Eric O’Grady, a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who stumbles into stealing the newest Ant-Man suit. Unlike his predecessors, Eric is immature and mostly out for himself. He uses the suit to spy on women (yuck), get out of trouble, and really do whatever he wants to give his ego a boost. He’s exceptionally unlikeable as a hero, but you also kind of love the guy. He’s about as far from the typical superhero as you can get.
But that’s precisely what makes this comic so good. O’Grady is funny, flawed, and often terrible, but watching him try (and usually fail) to live up to the Ant-Man legacy is both hilarious and surprisingly human. Kirkman leans into the idea of a “hero” who isn’t redeemable, which makes the series stand out from almost every other Marvel book of its time.
The Name is…Yellowjacket!
Published in 1968, Avengers #59 was written by Roy Thomas with art by John Buscema, gives us the messy, unstable side of Hank Pym in his Yellowjacket persona. This side of the character is one of the most interesting facets, though it absolutely gets the guy into deep trouble down the road. The Fall of Hank Pym (Avengers Vol. 1 #212-213, 224, 228-229) storyline almost landed a spot on this list, but we felt it would be better for newcomers to start with the Yellowjacket origin. But I guess — spoiler alert — this alter ego causes problems.
After a lab accident triggers a serious mental breakdown, Hank fakes his death and invents a new identity. But it’s not just a costume change, complete with a bright yellow costume and high-tech helmet — there’s a lot more aggression. This villainous alter-ego takes on the Avengers and gives them a real beatdown, kidnaps Janet (the Wasp), and everyone’s got to figure out what to do about this guy. As far as the story, it’s a little all over the place and has some, eh, questionable writing that feels very 1960s. But we’re still giving it a place on our list.
How we chose the best Ant-Man comics
Narrowing down the best Ant-Man comics really came down to choices that give the scope of Ant-Man’s history, from Hank Pym’s original adventures to Scott Lang’s heroic redemption and even Eric O’Grady’s irreverent take. Our goal was to include the most memorable stories across the decades, highlighting the different eras, art styles, and writing that have defined the character.
