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jgurniak's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not much of a comic reader, they usually get a 3-star, maybe 4-star rating from me at best. This onw bored me. I didn't find any of the character compelling and any interested I had at the start was completely gone by the 3rd chapter.
guppyur's review against another edition
4.0
I read this a while ago. Realized I only had digital stuff on my Goodreads shelves.
Astro City is kind of a "what if superheroes, but day to day" comic. I'm not much of a comics guy and even less of a superhero guy, but this one hits me just right. Not every issue is about the superheroes; some are about the people who live in the same world as they do.
There are almost as many superhero genre deconstructions as there are superhero series these days, but this is one of the gems.
Astro City is kind of a "what if superheroes, but day to day" comic. I'm not much of a comics guy and even less of a superhero guy, but this one hits me just right. Not every issue is about the superheroes; some are about the people who live in the same world as they do.
There are almost as many superhero genre deconstructions as there are superhero series these days, but this is one of the gems.
geekcliche's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
dubsington's review against another edition
3.0
Astro City might be one of the most awarded comic series of all time. So as I start my journey digging into more graphic novels and serialised comics, I knew I had to check it out.
First off I should say I generally avoid superhero comics altogether. I tend toward other stories. But with the unique take on superheros, or at least unique point of view and the amount of positive feelings around the series, I knew I wanted to dive in.
To begin, Astro city is an anthology series, where each issue is a different and unique story. Characters will eventually repeat, and slowly themes and conflicts will recur and become an undercurrent, but mostly each story is separate. The singular tie being the city. This provides the creative team freedom to explore unique ‘what if’ and small slice-of-life scenarios with superheroes unique from other works.
That freedom of ongoing conflict to explore much shorter stories though, means a trade. Off or sorts for character building and development within a single six volume collection.
That said, the six stories contained in volume one are excellent. For those that enjoy superhero stories but are feeling fatigued by the constant barrage of movies, shows, and comics from the big 2, Astro City might be the perfect balm.
I’ll expect to revisit Astro City’s later volumes here and there when I feel the need to dip my toes into the many interesting stories they are sure to offer.
First off I should say I generally avoid superhero comics altogether. I tend toward other stories. But with the unique take on superheros, or at least unique point of view and the amount of positive feelings around the series, I knew I wanted to dive in.
To begin, Astro city is an anthology series, where each issue is a different and unique story. Characters will eventually repeat, and slowly themes and conflicts will recur and become an undercurrent, but mostly each story is separate. The singular tie being the city. This provides the creative team freedom to explore unique ‘what if’ and small slice-of-life scenarios with superheroes unique from other works.
That freedom of ongoing conflict to explore much shorter stories though, means a trade. Off or sorts for character building and development within a single six volume collection.
That said, the six stories contained in volume one are excellent. For those that enjoy superhero stories but are feeling fatigued by the constant barrage of movies, shows, and comics from the big 2, Astro City might be the perfect balm.
I’ll expect to revisit Astro City’s later volumes here and there when I feel the need to dip my toes into the many interesting stories they are sure to offer.
draackje's review against another edition
4.0
Great story, great art, great characters! Wil be looking for Volume 2!
bfab18's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexism
stormblessed4's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
asparkofc's review against another edition
5.0
“Welcome to Astro city. Whether you’re getting to know the place for the first time, or are a regular commuter, I hope you enjoy wandering its streets and seeing its sights as much as we have”
Loved this. It’s such a neat concept and I always love seeing normal civilian perspectives of the superhero world. (Which is why I loved Marvels so much). Looking forward to getting further into this world
Loved this. It’s such a neat concept and I always love seeing normal civilian perspectives of the superhero world. (Which is why I loved Marvels so much). Looking forward to getting further into this world
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
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.
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.
bkoser's review against another edition
5.0
Third read. Still love it. This time I'm going to go through the whole series. I'm going to keep a running list of questions from the foreshadowing I notice:
- Who is The Tourist?
- What's up with the microspore buildup in the Samaritans "Closet"?
- Who is Boilermaker?
- Who is The Tourist?
- What's up with the microspore buildup in the Samaritans "Closet"?
- Who is Boilermaker?