Giant-Man and the Wasp: Written by Stan Lee – Art by Jack Kirby – Inks by Dick Ayers – Letters by Artie Simek

The Human Top story picks up right where the last issue left off. Hank is still training with a duplicate of the speedy villain, trying to improve his reflexes enough to finally catch him. He’s become obsessed with proving himself after being embarrassed by the Top in their first encounter. Becoming Giant-Man has given Hank a new sense of bravado, but it hasn’t done much for his underlying insecurities. If anything, his reaction to losing shows just how much he still struggles with his own shortcomings.

Meanwhile, Giant-Man and the Wasp find themselves dealing with an unexpected distraction: a fan club. The two heroes are mobbed by enthusiastic fans, who are so loud that they can barely hear themselves think. There’s a bit of Beatlemania happening here, with Marvel exploring the culture surrounding celebrity in the 1960s.

Kirby is killing it throughout this issue. The action sequences are choreographed across multiple panels, giving the fights a terrific sense of movement. I especially love the way he handles Giant-Man’s size. There are panels where Hank seems almost too big to fit inside the frame, as though the artwork itself can’t quite contain him.

Janet is also developing a more distinct personality. She’s become the wisecracking comic relief, constantly turning Hank’s comments into jokes and double entendres. She’s also leaning into her identity as a wealthy debutante.

There are still some awkward moments in how Lee and Kirby write her, though, particularly when her inner thoughts turn toward how much she enjoys being surrounded by men. She’s getting more personality, but the book hasn’t quite figured out what to do with all of it.

Eventually, Hank finds a way to outsmart the Human Top and finally gets his victory. It’s a satisfying conclusion to the two-issue battle, with Hank’s insecurities continuing to surface and the Wasp’s personality giving the feature a little more spark.

There’s also a bonus story with a plot by Stan Lee, scripted and drawn by Larry Lieber, with inks by George Bell and letters by Artie Simek. The Wasp visits wounded servicemen in a hospital and tells them a science-fiction story. It’s essentially a standalone anthology tale wrapped in a framing sequence, a reminder that Marvel is still carrying some of its older storytelling traditions alongside its developing superhero universe.

Marvel in the 60s – Entry #103