Astro City: Local Heroes

Astro City, Vol. 5: Local Heroes by Kurt Busiek
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Astro City is home to lots of interesting people: a doorman who never managed to leave the city, a comic book writer struggling to write about real super heroes, a lawyer who has to defend a man whom is most certainly guilty, the would-be girlfriend of a super hero, an actor who plays a hero on tv, a girl forced to spend the summer with relatives in the country, and an old super hero who steps up when no one else is available...

Here we are, another visit to my favorite city. It's hard to keep finding new things to gush about. As with the last four volumes, there's a tremendous sense of history. What the hell happened with the Silver Agent, Kurt? Anyway, the familiar song is playing in the background instead of blaring in our ears and the humans take center stage.

The doorman's story in the first issue in this collection is a great slice of life tale. I wasn't as fond of the second one, mostly because I'm uneasy about super hero comics in a super hero universe. It was still good, though. The story of Atomicus was probably my second favorite of the book, a tribute to all those stories where Lois is trying to figure out Superman's identity. Leave Atomicus alone, bitch!

The Crimson Cougar's tale was good. There was a nice "coming to Jesus" moment near the end that I liked quite a bit. When the Samaritan is disappointed in you, it's time to rethink things. It ended nicely. Pastoral, the middle story in the book, was easily my favorite. It was the story of a girl from Astro City experiencing small town life and a small town super hero, much to her chagrin. It rang true on so many levels. So good.

The lawyer's tale was an interesting look at what a lawyer's life might be like in a city of super heroes and showed how broken our legal system can be at times. It would have been a little depressing if not for the Blue Knight. Supersonic's tale, the tale of an old man without a whole lot left to give, was another emotional one. Who can't relate to getting older and not being as capable as you used to be? The story wrapped with a tribute to 9/11 and it was short but sweet.

I see a lot of people bitching about Brent Anderson's art not being typical superhero fare. I don't think it should be since the story focuses more on the human characters. I think it suits the stories perfectly. Also, he hides things in the background. Check out Josh's reflection in lawyer story.

As with the previous four volumes, I feel like there are decades of old comics set in Astro City just waiting to be read in a storage area somewhere out there. I think the reason I like Astro City so much is because it doesn't keep rehashing the same tales of guys in costumes punching each other we've all been reading for decades. Instead, Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson go for the human approach. Four out of five stars.

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Astro City: The Tarnished Angel

Astro City, Vol. 4: The Tarnished Angel by Kurt Busiek
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Steeljack got paroled and tried to go legit, he couldn't find a job. Now he's trying to figure out who's killing the washed up criminals in Kiefer Square, his old Astro City neighborhood. Will Steeljack discover the killer before he becomes the next victim.

I knew this was going to be something when I saw Kurt Busiek dedicated it, in part, to Lawrence Block. Since I've read a few hundred detective books over the years, this one was right up my booze-soaked alley.

The Tarnished Angel is about Steekjack, a crook with metal skin fresh out of stir. With no employment prospects and nowhere to go, he heads back to his old neighborhood and gets caught up in a mystery that other people don't seem to care about. Who cares when criminals wind up dead?

The cover of the trade reminds me of one of the covers in the Hard Case Crime series, an homage to the pulpy Gold Medal and Fawcett paperbacks of yesteryear. Steeljack's Robert Mitchum-inspired Bassett hound looks really add to the feeling of being beaten down and defeated by life.

All that being said, it was a joy watching Steeljack plod his way toward the solution. Along the way, he meets The Mock Turtle, who has one of my favorite costume designs in the series so far. Also in the Mock Turtle's tale, the first reference to The King of Elfland's Daughter in a comic.

Steeljack's wanderings reveal more of Astro City's past. The Hombre and Bravo were great. It's a shame how things went down. When the killer was revealed, I wasn't sure how things would play out. It's a noir tale, after all. The ending was very satisfying.

Astro City tells human stories in a city of super heroes. This is the tale of a downtrodden, broken down man who needs one more chance. This is easily my favorite Astro City tale so far. Five out of five stars.

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Astro City: Family Album

Astro City, Vol. 3: Family Album by Kurt Busiek
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Junkman wants to prove he's still a good criminal even though he's old. Astra Furst wants a chance to be an ordinary kid. Jack in the Box meets versions of his future son. And Loony Leo, the cartoon come to life, is down on his luck. All of this and more in Family Album, the third Astro City collection!

Here we are, the third Astro City volume. It's real and it's spectacular. Busiek continues to focus on the human aspects of life in Astro City. The first tale is about a family that moves to Astro City to start a new life and gets a good look at what that entails. It was a nice slice of life tale.

The second story was my favorite of the collection. Astra Furst, third generation member of the First Family, decides she wants to try out being an ordinary kid. It nearly brought a tear to my eye and made me wish Kurt Busiek would be given free reign on the Fantastic Four. The First Family is what the Fantastic Four could be if they were ever allowed to progress, multiple generations of super heroes.

The fourth story featured a criminal called The Junkman and was about getting older in Astro City. I'm amazed at how easily Busiek made me a fan of The Junkman, who will probably never be featured in another story.

The fifth tale was of The Jack in the Box, Astro City's Batman/Daredevil hero. Super heroing his hard but what about having kids? I would gladly read more about Jack in the Box. And the First Family, for that matter.

I wasn't crazy about the sixth tale when I realized it was about a cartoon lion brought to life but it wound up being really good. Poor Loony Leo.

Kurt Busiek's love for the super hero genre shines through in each story. As with the last two volumes, Astro City feels like it has decades of history prior to this book that I haven't read yet. Brent Anderson and Will Blyberg did a great job bringing his vision to life. Once again, I'm irritated that it took me two decades to get interested in Astro City. I'm not sure I'd put it in the same league as Starman just yet but it's really great. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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Astro City volume 2: The Confessor

Astro City, Vol. 2: Confession by Kurt Busiek
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Brian King goes to Astro City to become a hero, he falls under the wing of The Confessor. But what is the Confessor's secret? Who is killing people on Shadow Hill? And why is Astro City turning against the very heroes that protect it? That's what Brian, The Altar Boy, means to find out...

After loving the first volume, I knew I was in for the long haul. Fortunately, I was able to find Astro City volume 2 on eBay for less than an arm and a leg. How the hell is part of this series out of print?

Anyway, the second volume of Astro City is more focused than the first. A single character is used as the point of view character. Brian King heads to the big city to make a difference and quickly finds himself working for The Confessor. The Confessor molds Brian into a detective, just as the relationship between Astro City and its heroes becomes toxic.

While the story is about super heroes and an alien invasion on the surface, it's really about how easy it is for public opinion to shift and for people to become nasty. When the mayor outlaws super heroes, things get ugly in a hurry. Parts of it felt like Marvel's Civil War event ten years before the event.

Using the powerless Altar Boy as the point of view character worked really well. He was a super hero but still enough of an outsider to make it work. The origin of the Confessor was great, although Wizard spoiled it not long after the storyline concluded back in the day. The truth behind why the city turned on the super heroes made a hell of a lot more sense than Marvel's Civil War at any rate.

While you can feel the reverence Kurt Busiek and company have for the whole concept of super heroes, it doesn't feel like they're constrained by the concept. Focusing on the humans in the middle of the super hero conflicts gives the stories a much more personal touch.

As I said when I read Astro City, Vol. 1: Life in the Big City, I didn't really get Astro City when it first came out. Now, a couple decades later, I totally get it. The best super hero stories are the ones that aren't hamstrung by decades of continuity and aren't forced to maintain the status quo: Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, and later Astro City. Five out of five stars.

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Astro City: Life in the Big City

Astro City, Vol. 1: Life in the Big City by Kurt Busiek
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I normally start reviews with a teaser but this is a really difficult collection to write a teaser for. Astro City was Kurt Busiek's follow up to Marvels. I'm only a couple decades late to the party but I have to say this is a good beginning.

While tales featuring The Samaritan, Astro City's Superman analogue, bookend the tale, it's more about the non-superpowered denizens of Astro City. Like the reporter who witnessed a battle between the Honor Guard and some shark men. Or the crook who saw the Jack in the Box unmasked. Or Marta, the girl from Shadow Hill, the scary part of town. Or the weird old man who seems to be cataloging super heroes.

One thing that knocked me on my ass about Astro City is that in six issues, Kurt Busiek has created a deep sense of history. It feels like there are decades worth of Astro City comics before this that no one has ever read. It would be easy to dismiss this as Busiek's attempt at playing with the Big Two's toys without permission, filing off the serial numbers and calling them something else, but it's a lot more than that.

It's about people living in a world with super heroes in it and the super heroes feel pretty human to me. Samaritan and Winged Victory are overworked. Crackerjack wishes he was the top of the super hero food chain. Marta just wants to escape Shadow Hill. Eyes wants to be a big shot.

I picked this up used for $4, thinking I wouldn't be out much if I didn't enjoy it. Well, now I'm in for the long haul. I've got a couple decades worth of comics to catch up on. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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