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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
I reread this after buying a used copy, and it's just as good as I remember. Every issue in the first volume is fantastic, unique, and beautifully drawn. It never seems to come up when people talk about great, influential comics, but I think it should be mentioned in the same breath as Watchmen and Akira.
Issue 1 is stellar, a couple others are good. It's a strong start.
Honestly I didn’t know what to expect going in. But I’ve got to say I really really enjoyed it. Liked the stories and the art a lot. It was refreshing to read a superhero comic that wasn’t all dark, broody, and moody. It felt intelligent and like the creators knew what they were trying to do and enjoying the process.
A tiny bit confusing for a first comic in a series, but I did really like it.
Kurt Busiek's love letter to superheroes.
After their breakthrough work Marvels, Busiek and Alex Ross launched Astro City to explore the deeper implications of superheroes. Astro City itself is a fully realized superhero setting right off the bat, with distinct neighborhoods, protectors, and villains. But, as Busiek insists in his introduction, it's not a deconstruction or a "realistic" take on superhero universes, but rather a chance to really poke around and explore the implications of them. And so he takes the time to explore the smaller aspects not typically dealt with in mainstream comics.
Each of the six chapters takes a different approach. The first and best chapter is a day in the life of the Samaritan, a Superman analogue who spends every waking moment zooming around the globe, constantly calculating how he can maximize his time to save the most lives, with his secret identity just a means to gather information to aid in this task. Another chapter explores what it would mean to live in a world where supernatural menaces are as commonplace as street crime (a lot of charms and rituals taking the place of a ton of locks on the door, for starters). While not every chapter is a home run, everything here is thoughtful and told with consummate skill, aided in no small part in the slightly sketchy but never faltering art of Brent Anderson.
After their breakthrough work Marvels, Busiek and Alex Ross launched Astro City to explore the deeper implications of superheroes. Astro City itself is a fully realized superhero setting right off the bat, with distinct neighborhoods, protectors, and villains. But, as Busiek insists in his introduction, it's not a deconstruction or a "realistic" take on superhero universes, but rather a chance to really poke around and explore the implications of them. And so he takes the time to explore the smaller aspects not typically dealt with in mainstream comics.
Each of the six chapters takes a different approach. The first and best chapter is a day in the life of the Samaritan, a Superman analogue who spends every waking moment zooming around the globe, constantly calculating how he can maximize his time to save the most lives, with his secret identity just a means to gather information to aid in this task. Another chapter explores what it would mean to live in a world where supernatural menaces are as commonplace as street crime (a lot of charms and rituals taking the place of a ton of locks on the door, for starters). While not every chapter is a home run, everything here is thoughtful and told with consummate skill, aided in no small part in the slightly sketchy but never faltering art of Brent Anderson.
I loved this when I read it back in the 90s, but it didn't hold up upon the re-read. Definitely not my cup of tea any longer.
What a fun freaking comic! The 'a day in the life' introduction to the characters and mythology of Astro City worked wonderfully. The first issue, focusing on Samaritan (a thinly veiled Superman clone) gets across the point that being a super hero in this universe is a lot of work, and sacrifice of any possibility of a normal life. These are themes that get brushed under the rug in the actual Superman books, but go a long way toward making Samaritan, a nearly invincible person, seem infinitely more human and relocatable. The other story arcs dealing with Jack in the box, the Hanged man, Winged Victory, and the Furst Family (fantastic 4, anyone?), are lighthearted and fun. They all have that common thread of showing the humanity of these heroes, and also build Astro City into something of a character itself by the end of the volume. These stories don't take themselves too seriously, and thats a breath of fresh air to the relentlessly dark and grim trend in comics lately. The art is wonderful as well, with a classic Golden Age feel to the character design in particular. The only thing I could do without is the very "90s" looking over-use of computer shading and coloring.
Solid superhero anthology. Really shows how much Busiek loves superheroes.
8/10
8/10
I've never been this interested in superheros. Bravo Mr. Busiek.
I don't know what to think of it right now, but I sure as hell enjoyed it. Loved the art, loved the refreshing take on the genre... I've heard it's a masterpiece, and I believe ya, it will just take some time for that to feel right with me.
But it's definitely an excellent comic book.
Edit after reading up to issue 9:
Well... it's lacking in a certain strength for me to keep the first rating, but on hindsight, it's not a five. Four is good enough.
It's definitely a fine comic book, I'm just more skeptic of its fame now. I keep thinking about Tom Strong and how I enjoyed those comic books more because of how silly and self-aware they were. Astro City doesn't say anything I hadn't read before.
But it's definitely an excellent comic book.
Edit after reading up to issue 9:
Well... it's lacking in a certain strength for me to keep the first rating, but on hindsight, it's not a five. Four is good enough.
It's definitely a fine comic book, I'm just more skeptic of its fame now. I keep thinking about Tom Strong and how I enjoyed those comic books more because of how silly and self-aware they were. Astro City doesn't say anything I hadn't read before.