Astro City #1-4

 Astro City #1-4

Originally released in 1995

Written by Kurt Busiek

Art by Brent Anderson



I've read and enjoyed Kurt Busiek's Avengers run, so I wanted to read his original work. Astro City is an anthology series set in a city that's basically Metropolis or Marvel's New York, focusing on various perspectives from the people living there - newspaper editors, superheroes, low level crooks...



The book wears its heart on its sleeve when it comes to references.  The first issue focuses on Samaritan, the setting's Superman equivalent, who dreams of flying without a care in the world. (He can fly, but he's always traveling to one disaster or another so he doesn't get to enjoy it) The problem with being a Superman figure, even in a world filled with countless other superheroes, is that there's always a disaster or a problem happening somewhere, and he runs himself ragged trying to fix whatever the problem is, even if it means that he doesn't get much of a personal life or time to himself.



You can tell that there's a lot of love for superhero comics in here, even in these early issues.  Busiek still keeps the story grounded, such as a newspaper editor (in his youth) witnessing a group of superheroes (including some who had vanished for years) battling an invasion of extra-dimensional shark-men, only to be forced by his editor to stick to verifiable facts.



With each story being a single issue and focusing on a new character each time (at least, that's the case so far - I'm guessing that as the series continues, certain characters will get repeat appearances), they go by fairly quickly. Still, it allows for a lot of variety when it comes to storytelling, such as a petty thief accidentally learning the identity (or at least the face) of the hero Jack-In-The-Box.



The references extend to the geography, though I suppose that's pretty common in homages and adaptations. (Such as naming a street after a writer who worked on one of the characters in the adaptation) Issue 4 focused on a part of the city steeped in magical lore, or at least superstition, which helps with giving the city extra character.



I'm curious if the homages will take a darker twist as time goes on or if they'll remain optimistic, though I'm guessing they'll stay optimistic given the tone that the series' title conveys.

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