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| Kurt
Busiek's ASTRO CITY |
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Confession |
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Brent Anderson and Will Blyberg
Cover by Alex Ross
Introduction by Neil Gaiman |
Paperback: 192 pages
DC Comics
ISBN: 1563895501 |
$19.95
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| In the follow
up to "Life in the Big City", Kurt Busiek hits the mark once again in the
fictional world of Astro City, where he brings the "costumes" to a place
every bit the equal to Metropolis or Gotham City. |
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| The story revolves
around a Batman and Robin-type team of the Confessor and his new side-kick,
Altar Boy. The same sense of wonder that permeated "Marvels" is in full
effect here. There are bible-thumping heroes, an X-men-like supergroup,
a superhero-phobic Mayor hell bent on registering all costumed crusaders
and Alien Invaders (summoned in the previous graphic novel). There's a
nice balance between continuity (the unsolved Hill murders, Altar Boy's
revealing apprenticeship with the Confessor, the Aliens) and the randomness
of the stand-alone stories. |
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| Kurt
Busiek's ASTRO CITY |
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Family
Album |
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Brent Anderson and Will Blyberg
Cover by Alex Ross
Introduction by Harlan Ellison |
Paperback: 224 pages
DC Comics
ISBN: 1563895528 |
$19.95
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| Astro City is
a city filled with superpowered beings. You can't walk from street to street
without noticing at least one meta-human, if you're an inhabitant of the
city. But not so like most 'superhero-titles' the focus here isn't only
on the heroes and their deeds, but on the regular people who live (and
try to cope with all the supernatural activities around them) there as
well. It tells about their personal lives as well as about the events they
all witness. |
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This Trade-Paperback
is the first Astro City collection that collects issues from the ongoing
series (#1-3 & #10-13, no loose ends there though).
The great thing about Astro
City TPB's is that they both work for longtime readers as for people who
are new to the title. For 'experienced' readers there are many recognizable
(background-) characters, surroundings and situations that it feels familiair
(without being repetitive), yet never the same. At the same time all those
recognizable parts aren't vital points to the story-arcs so that new-comers
will never feel like their missing out on something (and once they're through
reading their first TPB and move on to another Astro City book THEIR party
of recognition begins, without anything being spoiled in a previous book.
No matter what order you read them in because they work as self-contained
books as well). The issues in this book I'd like to advise to especially
take a good look at are #10-12. Issue #10 is about a man called "The Junkman"
who once managed to pull off the greatest bank-robbery in the history of
Astro City. Only the one thing he wants most, recognition for it, he doesn't
have. He decides to go back and do it again. Issues #11/12 are about one
of the most famous characters of Astro City namely 'Jack-in-the-Box'. One
evening he leaves home and he gets confronted with some persons from his
'possible futures'. An event which makes him rethink his activities, both
private as professional.
Finally, the volume is concluded
with some pages filled with sketches of how the characters came to be what
they are now AND the Alex Ross covers to the original issues which are
collected in here. Like I said in my review-title, I consider this one
of the best titles in the genre where superheroes are involved. It's about
superheroes AND about regular folks among them AND about the the lives
these metahumans have apart from being heroes. Especially people who liked
"Marvels" and Alan Moore's "Top Ten" will have a good time with this book,
but it really should appeal to most other comicbook-readers as well, both
superhero-fans as fans whose interest lies in the more 'serious' sub-genres.
Really well-executed. |
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| Kurt
Busiek's ASTRO CITY |
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The
Tarnished Angel |
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Brent Anderson & Will Blyberg
Painted cover by Alex Ross
Introduction by Frank Miller |
Paperback: 224 pages
DC Comics
ISBN: 156389663X |
$19.95
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| Reprinting the
"Steeljack Saga" from issues #14-20 of the popular series. |
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| Kurt
Busiek's ASTRO CITY |
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The
Tarnished Angel |
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Brent Anderson & Will Blyberg
Painted cover by Alex Ross
Introduction by Frank Miller |
Hardcover: 256 pages
DC Comics
ISBN: 1563896532 |
$29.95
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| The longest
ASTRO CITY storyline ever is collected in a handsome hardcover volume featuring
sketchbook pages and a new cover by Alex Ross. Reprinting the "Steeljack
Saga" from issues #14-20 of the popular series. |
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