Astro City: Family Album

    This Astro City anthology collects issues from the second volume of the award-winning series after it switched publishers from Image to Vertigo (known as Homage/ Wildstorm at the time.) Thankfully, the collective creative team of Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Alex Ross is still the same, as is the city itself. Now, I know why Homage/ Wildstorm eventually became Vertigo as it was bought out by DC- so the only change was ownership rights. But I cannot find a definitive answer as to why the switch from Image. But really, it's all pretty seamless between quality and publishers, if you ask me.

   In this volume, tourists of Astro City will see the superhero metropolis through the eyes of a brand new resident during a major crisis that draws in just about every superhero imaginable against a weather god. Then, explore the wonders of Challenger Mountain as young Astra Furst ponders what it's like to be a normal kid. When she runs off to investigate for herself, her family will literally move heaven and earth to find her in a dazzling voyage to the underworlds of the Busiek-verse.

   The next stop on our tour of the City will have us being bad as a washed up criminal pulls off the crime of the century. But, his new found fortune and cross-country tastes are not enough for the villain who desires a little recognition for his brilliant scheme. Guests will then have a chance to meet Jack-In-The-Box, a clown themed superhero who is given three possible glimpses into his future when his wife announces that she it with child.

    Finally, relive the glory days of 1940s Hollywood with a tale from Loony Leo, a cartoon lion who came about during a mad scientist's testing of a camera that brings motion pictures literally to life. It's a tale of ups and downs, but it's also the best story in the collection and is the purrfect ending of your trip through Astro City.

    This was a very good collection. As I mentioned earlier, the Loony Leo story was the best. But I also really enjoyed the Jack-In-The-Box story too. In previous readings of Astro City, Jack pops up often but his backstory is never explored. I was glad to finally get my hands on the volume that answered all of my questions about the mysterious vigilante.

    Once again Anderson's interior art brings this city to life in vivid color and candor. Busiek's imagination pulls no punches and neither does Anderson's art. You see the city as it really is, warts and all. This is all capped off by cover art and designs from my all-time favorite artist, Alex Ross. You'll really want to look at the back-up feature about the designs and art of the comic as you get glimpses of rare live-action photographs of the muses of Ross' cover work. (You won't believe who or what he used as inspiration for Rex on the First Family covers but it makes complete sense.)

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.