Astro City: That Was Then... Special

One of the biggest crimes in all the modern history of comic books has got to be DC Comics cancelling Kurt Busiek, Brent Eric Anderson and Alex Ross' amazing Astro City. Or maybe I should say, it's a crime DC let this series slip through their fingers! Anyways, running for an amazing 52 issues as part of DC's Vertigo imprint, I was taken away to a new world every time I read a new story. It was immersive and lived in, much like George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy. 

Sure, Astro City had originally been published by Image and Wildstorm prior. But the DC/Vertigo run from 2013-18 was sheer perfection. Shortly after Astro City left DC, promises were made that Image Comics would become the new home to AC. And then the pandemic hit...

Lots of comic book projects stopped. Many were delayed. And for one reason or another, the trio of Busiek, Anderson and Ross just weren't able to get the Astro City mojo going. Then in the Spring of last year, the architects of Astro City reopened the metropolis once again for public visit. Sadly, it was a brief visit. But it was a memorable one.

There's only one story in this special. It takes place a several years in the past as a group of teenage superheroes, similar to the Teen Titans or Young Avengers, spend one last outing together before the team breaks up for the college experience or life as a solo act. Amongst the roasting of hot dogs and drinking of pop, the kiddies get a visit from Astro City's greatest hero, The Samaritan. Then in classic Astro City fashion, the action jumps ahead to the modern day and things get a tad nostalgic and oh so sentimental. 

The plan after the 2018 series ended was that a graphic novel story would be released regularly. I don't know if that meant every 6 months or annually. But it's been 4 years and all we have to ask for is this 32-pager. It was a great read. But man, was it just too gosh darn short!

I'm going to need another visit reaallllll soon!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Astro City: Victory

 

Astro City has always been one of those comics that was both a social commentary and parody of comic books and superheroes. But it's never been this obvious. The main three characters in this story are Samaritan, The Confessor, and Winged Victory. But in reality, these characters are Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.
 
   So, I got excited about an all-new Astro City story and I was really reading Trinity (the name for DC's short-lived Superman-Batman-Wonder Woman team-up from 2008-2009.) Astro City is now published by Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics. Thus, DC is technically the owner of Astro City right now. With 52 potential incarnations of the DC Trinity, do readers really need a 53rd
 
    I've known for a while that Samaritan is an analog of the Man of Steel. But he's not the star of the comic- the city is! Yet in this storyline, that changes very much.
 
    In Victory- the mysterious Winged Victory is under attack by a smear campaign when a group of super villains and students of Victory's women self-sufficiency centers accuse the Champion of the Council of Nike of setting up battles to make her look better in the front of the media's cameras. Naturally, Winged Victory wants to be an independent woman and solve this crisis on her own. But this controversy is proving to be a conspiracy and it may be too much for just one person to solve when the government agency EAGLE comes to shut down her operation and take her in for questioning.
 
    Enter the Confessor and Samaritan.
 
    I really love Kurt Busiek's Astro City. But this storyline is not classic Astro City and that's very disappointing. The story was pretty good. But, it's just too cliched and too similar to other comic book tales I've read in the past.
 
     Thankfully, this volume isn't just about the 'Big Three." Included in this book is the Astro City Visitor's Guide. From 2004, this book is quintessential Astro City because it is about the main character of this series- the bustling city itself. There's some great back story here along with a really neat short story about a girl who takes a superhero tour of the city and ends up becoming a part of the action. There are also about two dozen character sheets about the generations of superheroes to operate in the fair city. Some of these, especially the First Family, are a parody (or knock-offs) of established Marvel and DC properties. Again, they aren't the focus of the book, so it's forgivable.
 
    I got this book from (everyone all at once-) my local library. I'm actually glad I didn't buy this book. In fact if I came across these books as individual issues, the only thing I'd consider buying would be the visitors guide. I look forward to my return visit to Astro City. I just hope that forthcoming trips don't follow the same formula as this venture did.

   Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.