Astro City

Astro City

Astro City vol. 2, #1. Art by Alex Ross.
Publication information
Publisher Image Comics
Homage Comics
Wildstorm (DC)
Format Ongoing series
Genre Superhero
Publication date 1995 – 2010
Main character(s) Honor Guard
Creative team
Writer(s) Kurt Busiek
Artist(s) Alex Ross
Brent Anderson
Creator(s) Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
Editor(s) Kurt Busiek
Ann Huntington-Busiek
John Layman
Collected editions
Life in the Big City ISBN 1-56389-551-X
Family Album ISBN 1-56389-552-8
Confession ISBN 1-56389-550-1
Tarnished Angel ISBN 1-56389-663-X
Local Heroes ISBN 1-40120-284-5
The Dark Age Book One: Brothers and Other Strangers ISBN 9781401220778
The Dark Age Book Two: Brothers in Arms ISBN 9781401228439
Shining Stars ISBN 9781401229849

'Kurt Busiek's Astro City' is a comic book series centered on a fictional American city of that name. Written by Kurt Busiek, the series is co-created and illustrated by Brent Anderson with character designs and painted covers by Alex Ross. The first series debuted in August 1995, published by Image Comics, and since then has been published by Homage Comics (now part of Wildstorm Signature Series).

The last saga in the series, The Dark Age, was the sixteen-issue story arc set in the 1970s and 1980s, a period when the citizens of Astro City are pondering the functions and motivations of super-powered individuals, and their overall positions within the community at large.

The series is notorious for its sporadic publishing schedule. The Dark Age was begun in 2005 and finished its 16 issue run in May 2010, with the final four issues published monthly.

Contents

Overview

The metro area of Astro City is a mecca for super-powered beings, largely because Air Ace, the first public super-hero and a decorated veteran, established residency there shortly after World War I. The series has established a large cast of characters, from small cameo roles of a few panels to full center stage attention spanning several issues.

The series is an anthology that focuses on different characters living within Astro City, using a wide range of viewpoints. Some issues are told from the viewpoint of heroes, some from the more typical vantage point of average people, others from villains and shady criminals. Stories also vary greatly in length, from one issue to sixteen in the case of the story arc, Dark Age, whose main viewpoint remains that of Charles and Royal Williams, two brothers in their early adult years living in Astro City. As another interesting twist, this story is set in the 1970s, when some super-heroes were declining in popularity, due to general mistrust of authority figures, along with the more violent, gritty tactics that some super-heroes were practicing. Hence the notion of a "Dark Age."

The essential hook of Astro City is that it explores how people — both ordinary people and the heroes and villains themselves — react to living in their world. For example, in the first story, Samaritan reflects on his life during a typical day in which he spends almost all of his waking hours flying around the world to help people, and never has any time to enjoy the sheer physical sensation of flight. Other stories involve a date between two high-profile heroes, the initiation of a "kid sidekick" hero, the efforts of a reformed supervillain to find a life outside of prison, a superhero being driven away from Earth by his "love's" attempts to expose him, and the life of an innocent bystander in the days after having been held hostage by a super-villain.

While the focus has been on the heroes of Astro City itself, the series does mention, and at times occasionally shows, heroes from other cities such as Boston's Silversmith, Chicago's The Untouchable and New York City's Skyscraper.

The City

The city was originally called Romeyn Falls (until its rebuilding, post-World War II). At that time, it was renamed in honor of the superhero Astro-Naut, who apparently, at the cost of his own life, saved the city from an as yet unrevealed devastating disaster.

Description

Astro City is made up of numerous neighborhoods, which include the rebuilt Center City, centered around Binderbeck Plaza; Old Town; Chesler (also known as "The Sweatshop"); Shadow Hill (below Mount Kirby); Bakerville; Derbyfield; Museum Row/Centennial Park; Iger Square; Kiefer Square; Kanewood; South Kanewood; Fass Gardens; Gibson Hills; and Patterson Heights. Shadow Hill, protected exclusively by the Hanged Man, is featured and focused on in many stories.

Notable locations in Astro City are the Astrobank Tower, home of the Astro City Beacon, the city's warning beacon; the tower also has a statue of Air Ace in front. Other locations include Grandenetti Cathedral; the Outcault Bridge; Bruiser's, a bar catering to heroes; Butler's, a private club for the superhero set; and Beefy Bob's, a fast-food chain.

Astro City's world is also populated by additional fictional towns, as well as real ones. One other fictional town that has been shown is Buchanan Corners, a long overnight bus-ride somewhere to the east of the city. Hood County in an unspecified state. Though there is an actual Hood County in Texas, the name was chosen by Busiek because it "is another play on secret IDs; Mask County or Cowl County wouldn't have sounded right."

Most of the city's physical features, neighborhoods, streets and businesses, as well as the other fictional locales in its world, are named for past individuals or characters associated with the comic book industry and comics history.

For example, the nearby Alcatraz-like penitentiary, Biro Island (where Steeljack once served time) is a reference to comics creator Charles Biro, who is noted for the comics series Crime Does Not Pay.

Characters

Some of the more prominent Heroes and Villains of Astro City are listed below; see the article on Astro City Characters for a more complete listing.

Heroes

Villains

Groups

Civilians

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a number of trade paperbacks:

Awards

Astro City and its creators have won a number of Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards, the American comic industry's equivalent of science fiction's Hugo Awards, as well as several Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards.

Astro City won both the Eisner and Harvey Awards for Best New Series for 1996, the Eisner for Best Continuing Series for 1997 and 1998, the Harvey for Best Continuing or Limited Series for 1998, and was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Limited Series for 1997. The earliest collection Astro City: Life in the Big City, won the Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work for 1997 and the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Novel/Album for 1997. Astro City: Confession was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album of 1998 and 1999. Astro City: Family Album was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album of 1999.

Particular stories or storylines have also come in for honors. Astro City #1 won the 1996 Harvey for Best Single Issue or Story, while #4, "Safeguards", took the Eisner for Best Single Issue/Single Story for the same year. The 1997 and 1998 Eisners went to vol. 2, #1, "Welcome to Astro City", and vol. 2, #10, "Show 'Em All", respectively, and the 1998 Eisner for Best Serialized Story went to vol. 2, #4-9's "Confession" storyline.

"Welcome to the Big City" in Volume 2 #1 was a top vote-getter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Comic-Book Story for 1997. The story "The Nearness of You" from the 1/2 issue received votes for the same award that year, as did the "Everyday Life" story which ran in Volume 2 issues 2 and 3. The story "Confession" from Volume 2 issues 5-9 won the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story for 1998. "Show 'Em All" from issue 10 was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story for 1998.

Kurt Busiek was honored with 1998's Harvey and 1999's Eisner for Best Writer, in both instances for bodies of work including Astro City. Alex Ross took both awards for Best Cover Artist in 1996, 1997, and 1998, in all instances but one for Astro City or bodies of work including it (the exception was the 1997 Harvey, awarded for Kingdom Come #1). He also took 1999's Harvey and 2000's Eisner for Best Cover Artist, again for bodies of work including Astro City.

Other media

In July 2010, it was announced that Working Title Films had acquired the rights to make a live-action feature film adaptation of Astro City.[1][2] Busiek will executive-produce, along with Ben Barenholtz and Jonathan Alpers. Busiek will also write a script treatment.[2] In 2003, Barenholtz, Alpers and Busiek had previously hoped to develop an Astro City movie, with Barenholtz as producer and Alpers as lead scripter,[3] but the plans did not take off,[1] whereupon Barenholtz subsequently brought the project to Working Title.[2]

Notes

References

External links