The First Family (comics)
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The First Family is a fictional family of interdimensional explorers and superheroes in the Astro City comic book series, created by Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross and Brent E. Anderson. It was based in part on the acting family of Henry Fonda, and inspired by small, close-knit hero teams of the 1950s and 1960s such as the Fantastic Four, the Challengers of the Unknown and possibly the Doom Patrol.
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[edit] Fictional character history
The Fursts are a multi-generational clan of heroic explorers. The first generation consists of the brilliant Dr. Augustus Furst and his brother Julius, who beginning in the 1950s became monster-hunters and adventurers into the unknown. The second generation includes Dr. Furst's adopted children Nick and Natalie, the twin children of his ex-wife Nadia and one of the First Family's recurrent foes, Kaspian, prince of the eastern European Beast-Men. The twins both manipulate an unusual form of energy, and with them the First Family was officially born. When Natalie married Rex Zorus, the powerful, dinosaur-like son of another longtime enemy, he joined the group as well. The third generation, to date, is Astra, Natalie and Rex's daughter, who is able to transform herself completely into energy.
Astro City v. 2 #2 and 3 spotlight the Fursts, in particular Astra, who finds herself out of touch with other kids her age, having been raised in the (bizarre) home environment of the Mount Kirby observatory. After a successful adventure, in which she almost single-handedly defeats an extra-dimensional menace, she goes off on her own, attending a public school under an assumed name, Astrid Ljinders, until she is able to beat the school's bratty hopscotch champion. Humorously, the remainder of the First Family is shown racing around the world (and off it) to confront old enemies, having misinterpreted Astra's message saying that she was going on an adventure alone.
The First Family also made a major appearance in issue 4 of the original six-issue miniseries of Astro City, where Nick's fiancé, law firm partner Darcy Conroy, summons them in response to an attack by the Unholy Alliance, a band of super-villains. The crux of the story, however, involves one of Darcy's assistants, a resident of Shadow Hill, the city's east European-settled district, who is familiar and calm in dealing with the supernatural creatures which roam her neighborhood, but is frightened and put off by the super-villains which plague most of the city.
[edit] Members
- Astra Furst - a young adventurer/hero able to transform into energy and fly. Daughter of Rex and Natalie born in 1986. While treated as a child by her family, she is actually the most powerful and, perhaps, most competent member of the team. While she looks entirely human, Kurt Busiek is on record as stating that Rex is her biological father. Astra also combines elements of the Human Torch and Franklin Richards. She is expected to be the subject of an upcoming Character Special issue of Astro City.
- Augustus Furst – a scientist/adventurer active from the 1950s through the present. Brother of Julius Furst and adoptive father of Nick and Natalie. Leader of the First Family. It has been revealed that he is based on actor Henry Fonda.[1]
- Julius Furst - an adventurer/hero active from the 1950s through the present. Blue-collar brother of Augustus Furst. Patron of Bruiser's. Visually based on and named for Julius Schwartz.
- Mr. Smartie - a cartoon-like computer construct who serves as Astra's tutor.
- Nadia - a mysterious eastern European woman who was rescued by Augustus Furst, a victim of either a mysterious energy field or her own uncontrollable powers. She became Augustus's third wife, but later married Kaspian. Mother by Kaspian of Nick and Natalie Furst. Disappeared in 1961.
- Natalia Furst (Natalie) (featured) - an adventurer/hero with energy powers that allow her to shift in size. Natural daughter of Prince Kaspian of the Beastmen, adoptive daughter of Augustus Furst, twin sister of Nikolai Furst, wife (since 1979) of Rex, and mother of Astra.
- Nikolai Furst (Nick) - an adventurer/hero with projective energy powers, which he uses for flight and generation of force fields. Natural son of Prince Kaspian of the Beastmen, adoptive son of Augustus Furst and twin brother of Natalie Furst. Nick and Natalie combine elements of the Human Torch, the Invisible Woman, Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, Negative Man and Elasti-Girl.
- Rex - an adventurer/hero, super-strong and dinosaurian in form. Son of the villainess Madame Majestrix, husband (since 1979) of Natalie Furst, and father of Astra. Patron of Bruiser's. Kurt Busiek states that he is Astra's biological father. Visually, Rex appears to have been inspired in part by The Thing, having orange-scales similar in appearance to the Thing's stone skin.
- Uranium - a bizarre fish, either a rare deep-sea angler fish, a mutant fish, or an alien one, which is Astra's pet.
[edit] Villains
- Antibodies - energy-absorbing servants of the Silver Brain.
- Derelikt - no details; currently believed to be somewhere in space.
- The Gorilla Swarm - insect-headed, gorilla-bodied hive-mind entities. The gorilla swarm ramets go berserk when the hive mind is disrupted. Easily used as servants by villains.
- Insectra - no details; currently in custody. Her helmet is on display in the First Family's trophy room.
- Kaspian - prince of the eastern European Beast-Men and natural father of Nick and Natalie. Kaspian is inspired, both in appearance and attitude, by Namor the Sub-Mariner. (Rex also carries elements of Namor, being an amphibious being and a wooer of the team's female member.)
- Kratorr the Invincible - a stonelike, moon-dwelling creature who first fought Augustus and Julius Furst in 1954; served by hundreds of lesser stone-beings.
- Lord Volcanus - volcano-dwelling living fire being with Aztec--aesthetic; served by hundreds of lesser fire-beings.
- Madame Majestrix - queen of Monstro City, a submerged civilization within the Bermuda Triangle, populated by non-humanoid beings.
- Praetor - robot or armored figure with Roman centurion-aesthetic; creator or ally of Omniac, a mechanical intelligence.
- The Silver Brain - Sergei Vlataroff, a scientist who figured out how to become pure brain, rendering himself bodiless.
- Ugly Max - no details; currently catatonic.
- The Unholy Alliance - A gang of supervillains who plague Astro City, including Demolitia, Flamethrower, Glowworm, Slamburger, and Spice.
