Marvel Studios: The Infinity Saga – The Art of Ant-Man is the 11th release in the 24-book Marvel Studios: The Infinity Saga series, which is republishing previously released art books as a resized matching set. As started in my review of the Ant-Man, “after the world-shaking events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe concluded with a film that had a smaller focus: introducing Ant-Man, a superhero that has been portrayed by different characters.” This installment of the MCU sees the introduction of new characters along with a new dimension, known as the Quantum Realm, a subatomic universe that exists outside of space and time, giving the creative team new challenges.
Buy The Art of Ant-ManIn the Foreword, director Peyton Reed states, “the movie…would require the imaginations of the best artists and visualists working in Hollywood today. Luckily, Marvel Studios is full of them.” Luckily for fans of the movie and readers of this, their work is accessible here.
In the Introduction, author Jacob Johnston details the characters’ origins. Scientist Hank Pym was the first Ant-Man. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, he debuted in Tales to Astonish #27 (1962). Thief Scott Lang was the second Ant-Man, Created by David Michelinie, Bob Layton and John Byrne, he debuted in The Avengers #181 (1979). The script found a way to bring them both together,
Chapter One focuses on the development of Ant-Man’s retro-looking costume, the suit and the helmet. Concept Artist Andy Park explains their approach: “the challenge was to design a suit that reflected this dated look [of the 1960s when Hank Pym created the suit], but was cool enough to be worn in modern times. Chapter Two focuses on Hank’s home and on Scott’s break-in of it, Scott’s first shrink in the costume, and storyboards of the Jailbreak! by Jim Magdaleno.
Chapter Three focuses on the Pym Tech facility and Yellowjacket, which Reed explains “is sort of a malevolent version of the Ant-Man suit.” Concept Artist Jackson “Sze was eager to incorporate [the villain] Darren Cross’s personality into the suit’s design.” He “imagined…a sleeker, more modern and sophisticated suit….deadlier and weaponized,” and the numerous drawings bear that out.
Chapter Four focuses on Ant-Man’s allies. Visual Effects Supervisor Jake Morrison noted, “They add a huge amount of character to the piece.” The ant army is comprised of bullet ants, carpenter ants (winged and wingless), and fire ants. Additional Ant Exploration sees Concept Artist Josh Nizzi creating tech enhancements for the ants. In addition, there are costume designs for the Wasp, worn by Janet Van Dyne and Hank’s wife, whose heroics sent her to the Quantum Realm.
Chapter Five begins with storyboards of the PymTech Escape sequence by David Krentnz, Jim Magdaleno & Third Floor. Chapter Six focuses on the climatic battle sequence between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket from inside a brief case, to fighting in his ex-wife Maggie’s backyard and his daughter Maggie’s bedroom, and Scott’s trip into the Quantum Realm, which Reed says “tapped into that more psychedelic world of Marvel Comics that Ant-Man dabbled in.” The book concludes with a brief look at poster art.
The Art of Ant-Man is a marvelous look at the pre-production art that went into making the movie. After working on a number of sequels filled with returning characters and costumes, the artists involved seemed to not only embrace but be rejuvenated by bringing the world of Ant-Man to the screen.
