Hello Ant-Fans and welcome to the Ant-Man & The Wasp comics reading guide!
Hank, Janet, Scott, Nadia, and… Eric? There are so many Ant-Mans and Wasps that if we tried to include all their stories, our Ant-Man guide would turn Giant-Man sized! Instead, gathered below are some of the most essential and most enjoyable stories from Ant-Man & The Wasp comics history, as well as everything you need for Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania!
Ant-Man & The Wasp Comics Recommendations:
Hank & Janet:
- Tales to Astonish (1958) #27, 35, 44, 49; Marvel Feature (1971) #4-10
- Avengers (1963) #28, 54-60, 212-285
- West Coast Avengers (1985) #32-38, 42-45
- Avengers (1998) #1-56, 71; Ultron Unlimited #1; Annual #2001
- Avengers Forever (1998) #1-12
- Ant-Man’s Big Christmas (2000) #1
- Beyond! (2006) #1-6
- Mighty Avengers (2007) #1-11, 15, 20-36; Secret Invasion (2008) #1-8
- Avengers Academy (2010) #1-33, 38-39
- Uncanny Avengers (2012) #5-23; (2015) #4, 9-12
- Age of Ultron (2013) #9-10AI; Avengers A.I. (2013) #1-12
- Ant-Man (2022) #1-4; Wasp (2023) #1-4
Scott Lang:
- Marvel Premiere (1972) #47-48
- Alias (2001) #13-28
- Avengers (1998) #57-76, 500; Children’s Crusade (2010) #1-9
- FF (2013) #1-16
- Ant-Man (2015) #1-5; Last Days #1; Annual #1
- Astonishing Ant-Man (2016) #1-13
- Ant-Man & the Wasp (2018) #1-5
- Ant-Man (2020) #1-5; (2022) #1-4
Eric O’Grady:
- Irredeemable Ant-Man (2006) #1-12
- Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #8-24
- Ant-Man & Wasp (2011) #1-3
- Ant-Man (2022) #1-4
Nadia van Dyne:
- All-New, All-Different Avengers (2016) #9-14
- Avengers (2017) #1-8, 672-690
- Champions (2016) #13-27, Annual #1; (2020) #1-9
- The Unstoppable Wasp (2017) #1-8; (2018) #1-10
- Ant-Man & the Wasp (2018) #1-5
- Wasp (2023) #1-4
Hank & Janet in the comics are pretty different from the movies, and their long history with the Avengers makes their rich saga a fresh experience for fans of the MCU. Scott Lang is still Scott Lang, but his death and return have added some interesting wrinkles to the Ant-Man legacy, like the surprising arrival of Eric O’Grady as the Irredeemable Ant-Man! And most recently, Nadia van Dyne has taken up the Wasp mantle as an all-new hero for an all-new era.
Ant-Man and Wasp comics are full of exciting stories and the MCU has barely scratched the surface of their full potential. So what are you waiting for? Check out these tales to astonish today!
For Cassie Lang’s adventures as Stature and Stinger, see the Cassie Lang reading guide!
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Hank & Janet (1962-2005)
The original Avengers series was like a 40-year soap opera and Hank Pym & Janet van Dyne were at the heart of the drama from the very beginning. Through love, heartbreak, heroism, villainy, abuse, and mental illness, these two have been through it all and more. Below is a hand-picked selection of their most pivotal comics and the stories that might be relevant for Quantumania. If you think there’s something we should add, let us know!
This era also introduced a new Yellowjacket, Rita DeMara. Rita went on to have a major role in the 90s Guardians of the Galaxy series and briefly came back for Chaos War: Dead Avengers in 2011.
- Tales to Astonish (1958) #27, 35-69, 77-78
- #27 is the first appearance of Hank and his shrinking powers!
- #35 Hank becomes Ant-Man!
- #44 is the first appearance of Janet!
- #49 Hank becomes Giant-Man!
- Avengers (1963) #1, 8, 10-11, 16, 28, 54-60, 66-71, 134-135, 138-141, 157, 161-162, 171-172, 181, 195-202, 212-285, 393-395; Annual #2
- #8, 11, 16, 69-71, 141, 267-269 feature Kang!
- #10, 16, 135, 141, 200, 269 feature Immortus!
- #28 Hank becomes Goliath!
- #54-58, 66-68, 134-135, 157, 161-162, 171-172, 202, 280 feature Ultron!
- #57-58 is the birth of the Vision!
- #59-60 is the wedding of Hank and Janet! Hank becomes Yellowjacket
- #161 Hank becomes Ant-Man again
- #181, 195-197, 222-224, 229, 275-277 feature Scott Lang!
- #212-213, 224, 228-229, 273-277 are major Hank/Jan issues
- After #390: Avengers: The Crossing #1
- After #394: Avengers: Timeslide #1
- Fantastic Four (1961) #16
- Ant-Man travels to the Microverse! (The inspiration for the Quantum Realm)
- Marvel Feature (1971) #4-10
- West Coast Avengers (1985) #1-7, 14-24, 32-68, 89-91; Annual #8
- #1-7, 65-68, 89-91, Annual #8 feature Ultron!
- #14-24 is a major Hank arc
- #32-38, 42-45 are major Hank/Jan issues
- #48-56, 60-62 feature Immortus!
- Avengers (1998) #0-4, 10-62, 71, 77-84; Annual #1999, 2001, Ultron Imperative #1
- After #11: Avengers Forever (1998) #1-12
- After #43: Avengers Annual #2001
- After #44: Avengers: The Ultron Imperative #1
- #0, 10, 14-15, 19-22, Ultron Imperative #1 feature Ultron!
- #17 features MODOK!
- #71 is a special Hank/Jan issue
- Avengers Forever (1998) #1-12
- Hank & Janet vs. Kang! Potentially a major influence for Quantumania and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
- Continue with the Kang reading guide!
- Ant-Man’s Big Christmas (2000) #1
- Avengers (1998) #500-503, Finale #1
Extra reading:
- Marvel Premiere (1972) #47-48
- Marvel Team-Up (1972) #59-60
- Black Goliath (1976) #1-5
- Marvel Graphic Novel (1981) #1
- Solo Avengers (1987) #8, 12
- Marvel Double Feature…The Avengers/Giant-Man (1992) #379-382 [B Stories]
- Tales to Astonish (1994) #1
- Onslaught: Marvel Universe (1996) #1
Extra Rita DeMara:
- Avengers Annual (1967) #17
- Captain America (1968) #389-391
- Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) #28-60; Annual #3-4
- Thor Corps (1993) #3
- Chaos War (2010) #1-5
- Chaos War: Ares (2011) #1
- Chaos War: Dead Avengers (2011) #1-3
Ant-Man: Scott Lang (1979-2005)
After a cameo introduction in Avengers #181, Scott Lang suited up for the first time in Marvel Premiere #47 and soon became a regular character in Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and Avengers. Maybe surprisingly, one of Scott’s most defining runs was alongside Jessica Jones in Brian Michael Bendis’ Alias. But his tenure as “Ant-Man II” quickly went south when Scarlet Witch’s actions led to Scott’s shocking death. The story then picks up from Cassie’s point of view in Young Avengers, so check out the Cassie reading guide too!
- Marvel Premiere (1972) #47-48
- Avengers (1963) #181
- Avengers (1963) #195-197, 222-224, 229, 275-277
- Fantastic Four (1961) #384-416; Annual #27
- Scott joins the Fantastic Four!
- Annual #27 features Scott vs. Kang and the TVA!
- Continue with the Kang reading guide!
- Alias (2001) #13-28
- Avengers (1998) #26-27, 57-76, 81-84; Annual #1999
- Avengers (1998) #500-503 (“Avengers: Disassembled”)
- Avengers: Disassembled! Scott is only in #500 but the other issues are helpful context
- Continues with Cassie in Young Avengers (2005) #1-12!
- Continue with the Cassie Lang reading guide!
Extra reading:
- Iron Man (1968) #125, 131-133, 137, 142, 145, 151, 156, 224-225, 233, 243; Annual #12
- Marvel Graphic Novel (1981) #1
- Silver Surfer (1987) #93-97
- Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964) #24
- Marvel Double Feature…The Avengers/Giant-Man (1992) #379-382 [B Stories]
- Heroes for Hire (1997) #5-19; Quicksilver (1998) #11-12
- Marvel Double-Shot (2003) #3 [B Story]
- Cassie’s first date!
- X-Statix (2002) #21-25; X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl (2006) #1-5
- Fantastic Four: The End (2006) #2
- Features a new Wasp who is the daughter of Hank & Janet, similar to Hope in the MCU
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Hank & Janet (2005-2012)
In the aftermath of the Avengers disassembling and the Superhero Civil War, a deluge of new Avengers teams formed. The Mighty Avengers and the Initiative are the main teams that the Ant-Man family operated in. After the events of Secret Invasion, Hank also had some extra adventures of his own including Avengers Academy and battling MODOK during the Fall of the Hulks.
- Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2005) #1-8
- Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes II (2007) #1-8
- Avengers Classic (2007) #1-3, 6, 9-12 [B Stories]
- Avengers: The Origin (2010) #1-5
- Beyond! (2006) #1-6
- Mighty Avengers (2007) #1-11, 15, 20-36
- After #11: Avengers: The Initiative #1-20, Secret Invasion #1-8
- After #33: Realm of Kings: Inhumans (2010) #1-2
- After #38: Giant-Size Avengers (2008) #1
- #1-6, 34-36 feature Ultron!
- #15, 20 are major Hank/Jan issues
- Features Hank, Janet, and Cassie!
- Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #1-13, 20; Annual #1
- After #7: Avengers: The Initiative Annual #1
- After #13: Secret Invasion #1-8
- #8 is a major Ant-Family issue featuring Hank, Eric, and Cassie!
- #20 is a major Hank/Jan issue
- Secret Invasion (2008) #1-8; Front Line #5; Requiem #1
- #7 is a major Janet issue
- Continue with the Secret Invasion reading guide!
- Incredible Hulk (1962) #600-610
- Features Hank vs. MODOK!
- Avengers Academy (2010) #1-33, 38-39
- Avengers Arena (2013) #13, 18
- Avengers Undercover (2014) #7-10
- Ant-Man & Wasp (2011) #1-3
- Features Hank & Eric!
- Avengers Origins: Ant-Man & the Wasp (2013) #1
- Avengers Origins: Vision (2012) #1
- Avengers (2010) #31-34
- Helped inspire Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)!
- Features the Microverse! (The inspiration for the Quantum Realm)
Extra reading:
- Young Avengers Special (2006) #1
- Marvel Holiday Special #2004-2006
- The Thing (2005) #8
- Civil War (2006) #1-7; Choosing Sides (2006) #1 [B Story]
- She-Hulk (2005) #7-9, 15
- Fantastic Four (1998) #539, 547-549, 554-562, 569, 600, 610
- New Avengers (2005) #21, 24, 28-30, 34-36, 60
- Ms. Marvel (2006) #14
- Irredeemable Ant-Man (2006) #1-7, 12
- Avengers/Invaders (2008) #1-12
- Incredible Hercules (2008) #129-131, 138-141; Assault on New Olympus (2010) #1
- Iron Age (2011) #1, Omega (2011) #1
- Secret Avengers (2010) #22-25, 31-37
- Dark Avengers (2009) #175, 179-183
- Avengers Assemble (2012) #6-8, 11, 16-17; Annual #1
Ant-Man: Eric O’Grady (2005-2012)
Meanwhile, in the absence of Scott Lang, a new Ant-Man arose… While Eric doesn’t have the “high morals” (*cough cough*) we might expect from the other Ant-Mans, he brought a dastardly delightful new twist to the title under writer Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible).
Eric’s misadventures intertwined closely with Hank’s, which led to the two men becoming their own twisted version of the Ant-Man and Wasp!
- Civil War: Choosing Sides (2006) #1 [B Story]
- Irredeemable Ant-Man (2006) #1-12
- Avengers: The Initiative (2007) #8-24
- Features Eric & Hank!
- #8 is a major Ant-Family issue featuring Hank, Eric, and Cassie!
- Thunderbolts (2006) #128-143
- Deadpool (2008) #7-9
- Secret Avengers (2010) #1-13, 22-23
- #22-23 feature Hank!
- Onslaught Unleashed (2011) #1-4
- Fear Itself: The Fearless (2011) #1-3
- Ant-Man & Wasp (2011) #1-3
- Features Eric & Hank!
- Ant-Man (2022) #1-4
Extra reading:
- Spider-Woman (2009) #5-6
- Secret Warriors (2009) #7
- Captain America Reborn (2009) #3
- Marvel Apes: Speedball Special (2009) #1
- Mighty Avengers (2007) #36
- Vengeance of the Moon Knight (2009) #10
- Incredible Hulks (2010) #614
- I Am an Avenger (2010) #1-2, 5
- Taskmaster (2010) #4
- Avengers (2010) #10, 12, 18; Annual #1
- Captain America: Hail Hydra (2011) #5
- Iron Man 2.0 (2011) #5
Ant-Man: Scott Lang (2013-2023)
After Cassie’s friends used time trickery to revive Scott during Children’s Crusade, Ant-Man came back in full force for the 2010s! After headlining several of his own series and even holding a major role in Matt Fraction’s beloved FF, there has never been a better time to be an Ant-Man fan. Featuring team-ups with Nadia, Janet, Hank, Cassie, She-Hulk, and more!
This era also introduced a new Giant-Man, Raz Malhotra. Raz helped during War of the Realms and Secret Empire, and even joined the Agents of Atlas!
- Avengers: The Children’s Crusade (2010) #5-9
- Young Avengers Presents (2008) #5
- The return of Scott Lang! Features Cassie as a superhero!
- FF (2013) #1-16
- Prologue: Marvel NOW! Point One (2012) #1
- After #1: Fantastic Four (2013) #2
- After #15: Fantastic Four (2013) #16
- Ant-Man (2015) #1-5; Last Days #1; Annual #1
- Astonishing Ant-Man (2016) #1-13
- Ant-Man & the Wasp: Living Legends (2018) #1
- Features Scott & Janet!
- Ant-Man & the Wasp (2018) #1-5
- Features the Microverse! (The inspiration for the Quantum Realm)
- Ant-Man (2020) #1-5
- Ant-Man (2022) #1-4
Extra reading:
- Fantastic Four (2014) #2, 4, 13, 644-645
- Avengers World (2014) #15-16
- Deadpool: Too Soon? Infinite Comic (2016) #1-8
- Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015) #13-14
- Secret Empire (2017) #0-10
- Secret Empire: Brave New World (2017) #1-2
- Occupy Avengers (2016) #8
- Captain America: Sam Wilson (2015) #22-23
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2018) #146-150
- Fantastic Four (2018) #1-4
- Infinity Wars (2018) #1-6
- Infinity Countdown (2018) #1-3; Prime #1
- Infinity Wars: Soldier Supreme (2018) #2
- The Unstoppable Wasp (2018) #7
- Giant-Man (2019) #1-3
- Marvel’s Voices (2020) #1 [H Story]
Extra Raz Malhotra:
- Ultimates (2015) #3, 9
- Captain America (2017) #25
- Secret Warriors (2017) #5
- Agents of Atlas (2019) #1-4
- Future Fight Firsts: Crescent and Io (2019) #1
- Atlantis Attacks (2020) #1-5
- Marvel’s Voices: Identity (2022) #1
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Hank & Janet (2013-2023)
In the last decade, Hank & Jan have dealt with some of the greatest foes of the Marvel universe like Ultron and Kang! But one of their biggest roles is supporting the Ant-Family with Scott, Cassie, and Nadia, the all-new Wasp!
- Uncanny Avengers (2012) #5-23; Annual #1
- Janet vs. Kang!
- Continue with the Kang reading guide
- Age of Ultron (2013) #9-10, 10AI
- Avengers A.I. (2013) #1-12
- Features Hank & Ultron!
- Avengers: Rage of Ultron (2015) #1
- Ant-Man Annual (2015) #1
- Hank Pym & Scott Lang team up!
- Uncanny Avengers (2015) #4, 9-12, 15-30
- Features Ultron again!
- All-New, All-Different Avengers (2016) #10-12, 15
- The Unstoppable Wasp (2017) #3, 7-8
- The Unstoppable Wasp (2018) #1-10
- Ant-Man & the Wasp: Living Legends (2018) #1
- Features Scott & Janet!
- Ant-Man (2022) #1-4
- Wasp (2023) #1-4
Extra reading:
- Daredevil (2011) #16, 19, 24-27, 31, 36
- FF (2013) #14
- Fantastic Four (2014) #2
- Astonishing Ant-Man (2016) #5
- Avengers (2017) #4-6, 675-690
- Tony Stark: Iron Man (2018) #11, 15-19
The Unstoppable Wasp: Nadia van Dyne (2016-2023)
The 2010s also introduced a new Wasp – Nadia van Dyne! While Nadia does mean “Hope,” she’s an original character to the comics with no connections to Evangeline Lilly’s character in the MCU. Nadia’s comics are pure joy and she has quickly become one of Marvel’s best new additions in recent years.
- All-New, All-Different Avengers (2016) #9-14
- Avengers (2017) #1-8, 11, 672-690
- Nadia vs. Kang! Continue with the Kang reading guide
- After #672-674: Champions (2016) #13-15
- Champions (2016) #1, 13-27; Annual #1
- After #21: Infinity Countdown: Champions (2018) #1-2
- The Unstoppable Wasp (2017) #1-8
- Ant-Man & the Wasp (2018) #1-5
- Marvel and Dell Present: Ant-Man & Wasp (2018) #1
- Marvel and Synchrony Present Ant-Man and the Wasp: Saving Time (2018) #1
- The Unstoppable Wasp (2018) #1-10
- Champions (2019) #1, 9-10
- Champions (2020) #1-9
- Before #1: Outlawed (2020) #1
- Wasp (2023) #1-4
Extra reading:
- Free Comic Book Day 2016 (Civil War II) #1
- All-New Wolverine (2016) #20-21
- Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme (2016) #6-8
- Marvel Legacy (2017) #1
- Ironheart (2019) #7-8
- Marvel Action: Captain Marvel (2019) #4-6
- The Unstoppable Wasp: Built On Hope (2020) (novel)
- Marvel Action Chillers (2020) #3
- Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit (2021) #1-5
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Multimedia
In addition to all their comics, the Ant-Mans and Wasps have also had a long legacy of multimedia appearances across animated series, films, and video games. Many of these also include Hope van Dyne, inspired by Wasp in the live-action movies. So if the MCU isn’t enough for you, here are some more Ant-Man & Wasp stories for you to watch and play!
- Video games:
- Marvel: Avengers Alliance (2012)
-
- Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2 (2016)
- Marvel Puzzle Quest (2013)
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (2013)
- LEGO Marvel’s Avengers (2016)
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 (2017)
- Tie-in series: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled (2015) S1 E1-5
- Tie-in film: LEGO Marvel Avengers: Time Twisted (2022)
- Marvel Future Fight (2015)
- Marvel Avengers Academy (2016)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (2019)
- Marvel Duel (2020)
- Shows & Movies:
- Marvel Super Heroes: What The–?! (2009) S1 E15-16, E29, E36-37, E43, E48, E51, E54-55; Specials E17, E22, E29, E34, E37
- Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010) S1 E1-21; S2 E1-26
- Avengers Micro Episodes: Ant-Man & The Wasp (2010) S1 E1-3
- Tie-in comic: Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010) #1-4; (2012) #1-17
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
- Marvel’s Ant-Man (2017) S1 E1-6
- What If…? (2021) S1 E3, E5
- Extra Hank & Janet:
- The Avengers: United They Stand (1999) S1 E1-13
- Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)
- Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther (2006)
- Marvel Super Hero Squad Show (2009) S1 E4-6, E9, E19
- Tie-in game: Marvel Super Hero Squad Online (2011)
- Marvel Disk Wars: Avengers (2014) S1 E1-51
- Tie-in game: Marvel Disk Wars: Avengers – Ultimate Heroes (2014)
- Extra Scott & Hope:
- Marvel’s Avengers Assemble (2013) S1 E23; S2 E16-26; S3 E18, E24-26; S4 E1-25; S5 E14
- Ultimate Spider-Man (2012) S3 E18, E22; S4 E20, 25-26
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) S2 E1-2; S3 E2
- Tie-in comic: Marvel Universe Avengers Infinite Comic (2015) #1-10
- Marvel Super Hero Adventures (2017) S1 E4, E9; S2 E1
- Tie-in comic: Marvel Super Hero Adventures: Webs and Arrows and Ants, Oh My! (2018) #1
- Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021) S2 E8, E12
- Meet Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021) S2 E3
- Marvel’s Avengers Assemble (2013) S1 E23; S2 E16-26; S3 E18, E24-26; S4 E1-25; S5 E14
And that’s the Ant-Fam! How excited are you for Quantumania? Which Ant-Man or Wasp do you want to dive into first? Let me know on Twitter @vinwriteswords and remember to follow the site @MyCosmicCircus for more quantum comics content coming soon!
Check out our other reading guides here, and don’t miss our guides for Cassie Lang and Kang the Conqueror!
Kang the Conqueror Reading Guide
All images courtesy of Marvel Comics.
