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rohitremeshhello's review
4.0
The story is so grounded, considering all the fantastical elements involved. Welcome to another "bootlegged" version of Marvel/DC mashed up superheroes. But the writing is so fantastic. In this volume you meet El Hombre, who is not a Latino Batman, among others.
chitownbookworm's review
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dantastic's review
5.0
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.
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.
bkoser's review
5.0
Melissa might be right in saying Steeljack is the best Astro City character. A lifelong criminal with no advantages other than the blessing/curse of metal skin, but one who is loyal, self-sacrificing, and refuses to give up. What mix of nature and nurture makes us who we are? What does it take to transcend both?
clarks_dad's review
5.0
Ok, Ok, I'm not going to say it because I'm just going to start gushing again about how amazing Astro City is, so I'll just stick to what I liked:
In Tarnished Angel (an awesome title on so many levels for this story), Busiek and crew get back to the multi-part narrative format and tell the tale of SteelJack, a supercriminal covered in steel just released from prison after a 20 year stint. His backstory reveals a childhood of poverty, desperation and bad decisions common to many criminals in the real world. He intends to go straight upon his release, but can't catch a break. His condition makes him readily noticeable to everyone around him and he has problems finding even a basic job and is thus forced back into his old neighborhood and old associations just to make a living. The story is about his struggle to walk the fine line between good and bad and is thematically very much "don't judge a book by it's cover."
This was a very emotionally driven story, very different than the wondrous type stories in the previous volumes, and at several points I found myself getting angry at the heroes for labeling SteelJack and for ignoring him when he had genuine problems, at the social injustice of life in Keifer Square and the arrogance of yuppie middle-class people. You find yourself rooting for SteelJack to succeed and gasping when he makes bad decisions and you feel like yelling, "What are you thinking???"
This is another amazing installment and Busiek and crew don't let down.
In Tarnished Angel (an awesome title on so many levels for this story), Busiek and crew get back to the multi-part narrative format and tell the tale of SteelJack, a supercriminal covered in steel just released from prison after a 20 year stint. His backstory reveals a childhood of poverty, desperation and bad decisions common to many criminals in the real world. He intends to go straight upon his release, but can't catch a break. His condition makes him readily noticeable to everyone around him and he has problems finding even a basic job and is thus forced back into his old neighborhood and old associations just to make a living. The story is about his struggle to walk the fine line between good and bad and is thematically very much "don't judge a book by it's cover."
This was a very emotionally driven story, very different than the wondrous type stories in the previous volumes, and at several points I found myself getting angry at the heroes for labeling SteelJack and for ignoring him when he had genuine problems, at the social injustice of life in Keifer Square and the arrogance of yuppie middle-class people. You find yourself rooting for SteelJack to succeed and gasping when he makes bad decisions and you feel like yelling, "What are you thinking???"
This is another amazing installment and Busiek and crew don't let down.
mjthomas43's review
4.0
First time reading anything from the Astro City series or from Homage Comics as far as I know but this was really good. Tells the story of a steel-skinned super-criminal (the word "villain" is a little strong) who is released from prison with the best of intentions, feels drawn back into a life of crime, fights against the pressure but fears the label anyway and finally redeems himself in his own and others' eyes. A subtle story about our idea of heroes and villains, good guys and bad guys, and the thin line between the two. Great story, good art.
mrjohn023's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Astro City is Kurt Busiek's stroke of genius, and The Tarnished Angel is one of his best stories from that world. The plot is familiar to any fan of film noir: A lifetime loser gets out of jail for what he swears will be the last time, but he has nowhere to go but back to the old neighborhood. There, his past looks heavily over him, and the straight and narrow is no easy path. Mix this plot with the casully outrageous world of superheroes and villains and you have The Tarnished Angel. Busiek manages to hit the right notes in our protagonist's internal monologue, finding the man inside the superhuman.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Confinement, and Violence
Probably my favorite fact about this book is that the likeness of the protagonist, Steeljack, was based on actor Robert Mitchum.ostrava's review
5.0
This is one of the best "superhero" comic books I've ever read, and it's not an exaggeration at all. It's better than most of the DC and the Marvel canon I've read.
It's insane.
How did this happen? We we're literally this close of dropping the whole thing, I was mentally preparing myself for a dissapointed one star review, and then Busiek hits me with THIS. How?
This can be read as a standalone story. In fact, if there's one thing you need to read from Astro City it's this (if it gets better, which I doubt, I'll print this review and fucking eat it). READ IT.
The Tarnished Angel is easily an instant new favorite.
It's insane.
How did this happen? We we're literally this close of dropping the whole thing, I was mentally preparing myself for a dissapointed one star review, and then Busiek hits me with THIS. How?
This can be read as a standalone story. In fact, if there's one thing you need to read from Astro City it's this (if it gets better, which I doubt, I'll print this review and fucking eat it). READ IT.
The Tarnished Angel is easily an instant new favorite.
mjfmjfmjf's review
4.0
A re-read. A single great big meaty story. Dark but not too dark. Sad but not too sad. Predictable but not too predictable. Not all that deep. But just damned good.
It's just a crime based superhero book told from the point of view of one of the villains. But a damn good one. Lots and lots and lots of text but a really fast read. Quite good enough art. Tons of characters but they don't distract. And always coming back to our main pov hero Steeljack. This book and this series is in such sharp contrast to [a:Brian Michael Bendis|12424|Brian Michael Bendis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1239763230p2/12424.jpg]' Powers. Astro City doesn't have the language or the tawdriness. Astro City has better and more writing and much much better art. It's kind of telling the some sort of story, just in a better way. 4.5 of 5.
It's just a crime based superhero book told from the point of view of one of the villains. But a damn good one. Lots and lots and lots of text but a really fast read. Quite good enough art. Tons of characters but they don't distract. And always coming back to our main pov hero Steeljack. This book and this series is in such sharp contrast to [a:Brian Michael Bendis|12424|Brian Michael Bendis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1239763230p2/12424.jpg]' Powers. Astro City doesn't have the language or the tawdriness. Astro City has better and more writing and much much better art. It's kind of telling the some sort of story, just in a better way. 4.5 of 5.