There’s more to this, though — Pym’s deteriorating mental state, the domestic violence, the divorce, his giving up the Ant-Man identity to others, and his momentary pivot to the dark side, where he created the nastiest of villains, the raging robot Ultron. Such is the frank allure of Marvel Comics — these people have issues!
Aaron Damon-Rush counts off his collection as his partner Dray Bourgeois records the event and official witnesses Selene Myx, Christian Reader and Aaron’s mom Cate Damon look on at A2Z Science & Learning Store on May 17. BOB FLAHERTY / For the Gazette
“Ant-Man became my thing,” said Damon-Rush, who realized some 15 years later, “I probably have the most Ant-Man stuff anywhere.”
Now to prove it to Guinness. He thought that A2Z Science & Learning Toy Store, his childhood home-away-from-home, would be the ideal place to make the attempt.
“Aaron used to work at A2Z and he does Dungeons and Dragons with the kids here, his Dungeon Delvers,” said the store’s co-owner Devon Boulay. “This is our first time hosting a world record!” Her daughter Ella couldn’t take her eyes off the squadron of plastic ants on the display table.
The collection, which features a mountain of comic books and a battalion of action figures, commands significant space in the store’s rear gallery.
“Our bedroom looks very bare right now without it,” laughed Aaron’s partner, Dray Bourgeois, who’ll serve as videographer for the official count, but who, shockingly, does not read comic books. “I don’t care for superheroes in general. I’m SORRY,” he said, mock-stifling a collective gasp from the invited guests. “But every Christmas I buy Aaron an Ant-Man bundle.”
The couple, who graduated from Hampshire College, grieve over its closing. Said Damon-Rush: “I was running (D&D) games at that time and wanted to break down that whole thing, not coding games, but breaking down what makes a game a social phenomenon. Outside of Finland, where am I going to get that? Hampshire got me that.”
His day job is alumni coordinator at North Star in Sunderland, which, he says, “takes a Hampshire College approach with middle and high school kids and gives them hope.”
Some of the thousand items in Aaron Damon-Rush’s collection of Ant-Man and the Wasp figures and comic books. CAROL LOLLIS / Staff Photo
He is the son of former New Century Theatre stalwarts Cate Damon and Sam Rush, who always supported him in his Ant-Man quest. “Before online shopping I’d drag my mom from store to store,” he laughed.
“I have a little invested in this,” smiled his mom, who even brought two small figurines to add to the count.
When the collection is all laid out like this, one has to wonder what it all cost. “Ant-Man stuff is on the cheaper end,” he said. “I never paid more than a couple hundred dollars for a plastic figurine.” His prized possession, the 64-year-old Tales to Astonish comic #49, Giant-Man’s debut, was bought for 50 bucks.
Stage is set
May 17, 6:30 p.m.: Christian Reader and Phoebe Zax, co-owners of Comics N’ More in Easthampton, arrive, carrying on a pre-count banter with Damon-Rush that only a real comic-book hound could follow. In fact, the effervescent Reader believes that the only authentic way to experience superheroes is through the inked pages of comic books.
“The way you fill space, two-dimensional space — you can’t get this in the movies.” Reader, along with Selene Myx of Greenfield, will serve as official witnesses, both furnished with handheld tally counters that’ll click off each item presented.
As dragons, bears, giraffes, gorillas and unicorns — the store’s regular denizens — look on from their high shelves, the crowd leans in. Dray Bourgeois hits record on his phone and the counting begins. First up are the comic books, framed and otherwise.
Affixing a tiny numbered sticker to each item, Damon-Rush narrates: “One … Two … Three …” He must reach 1,018, the estimated figure he gave the Guinness officials when he applied. “Seven … Eight … Uh, I can see how this could get boring.”
Reader suggested overdubbing some superheroic music over the thing but Damon-Rush said, “No, the rules don’t allow any editing. Nine … 10 …”
“10!” roared Reader, and the crowd came to life and cheered every milestone ending in zero.
“Also, as the experts here, call me out if I try to sneak a non-Ant-Man thing into the count,” said Aaron, “39 … 40 … 41 …”
“Well, I was already skeptical, but keep going, my friend, you’re doing great,” said Reader.
“48 … 49 … 50 …”
“FIFTY!” cried Reader. “YES!” came voices.
“ONE HUNDRED!” Pandemonium.
To save time, Damon-Rush uses his comments sparingly. “138 … 139 … Ant-Man has to wear doll clothes ’cause he’s trapped in a house … 140 … 150 …”
“ONE HUNDRED FIFTY! Janet van Dyne comes back from the dead!” adds Reader. Click.
“243 … first appearance: Hank Pym as Ultron … 244 … 245 … ” Damon-Rush has now taken to singing the numbers as he counts, in a gorgeous soprano. “This is the issue that made Ant-Man and Hank Pym my favorite character — you can still see the jelly bean stains, typical of a 9-year-old. 261 … 262 … next binder.”
One of the cheering onlookers is Samantha Hinds of Williamsburg, who’d go to comics conventions with Damon-Rush when they were teenagers. “That’s where he got some of these things. It’s been so exciting to watch him amass this over the years, but I’m more of a DC person, actually.”
Wait. A DC person? Isn’t that like wearing a Mets hat at Yankee Stadium?
Witness Christian Reader examines one of the smaller items in Aaron Damon-Rush’s collection as Dray Bourgeois records the event and Damon-Rush and his mom Cate Damon look on at A2Z Science & Learning on May 17. BOB FLAHERTY / For the Gazette
She laughs. “He got me to read a lot of things I probably wouldn’t have, and vice versa.” She collects too, mostly Batman family merchandise. Her holy grail of comicdom? “Batgirl 2000, the intro of Cassandra Cain!”
“Batgirl 2000!” comes Damon-Rush’s fist thrust from across the room. Détente.
“SEVEN HUNDRED!” Yelps getting louder.
“741 … a costume Wasp has never worn … 742 …”
“SEVEN FORTY TWO!” blurted Reader. “I can’t help it — I’m so excited!”
“780 … 781 …” Then, what’s this? Wasp’s rolling head?
“That’s all that’s left of her,” said Damon-Rush.
“Well, we do have two dogs,” Bourgeois explained.
“NINE HUNDRED!” Yipes.
“ONE THOUSAND!” All hearts beat as one.
Number 1,089 shows a molded tableau of Ultron in a death rattle with limbs missing and a hole in his metallic gut. Does this signify the end of one of Marvel’s greatest villains?
“He’s not Animaltron; he always comes back,” said Aaron, “1,090 …” Then, moving to a rack of garments: “1,097 … Avengers #1 Crocs … 1,098 … Ant-Man socks …”
“1,100 … 1,110 …” Then, finally, “An Avengers mini-stocking!”
“ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY!”
“Which is 102 more than the 1,018 that I needed to set the world record,” said Aaron.
Samantha Hinds was all ready to pop a cork and toast him with champagne.
“Let’s hold that thought,” said Damon-Rush, as Reader and Myx signed documents. “I’ll submit this, along with a full inventory, then I wait 12 weeks for the verdict on whether or not I have the record.”
“You have the record in my heart!” cried Devon Boulay, speaking for the crowd.
“One thing for sure, this was the most fun any of us have ever had counting,” said Dray Bourgeois.
