''Astro City'', also known as ''Kurt Busiek's Astro City'', is an American

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

anthology

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

series centered on a fictional American city of that name. Created and written by

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ; born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the '' Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled '' Astro City'', a four-year run on '' The Avengers, Thunderbolts,'' and ''Superman.'' Early lif ...

, the series is mostly illustrated by

Brent Anderson Brent Anderson may refer to: * Brent Anderson (comics) (born 1955), American comics artist * Brent Anderson (singer) Brent Anderson (born in Pascagoula, Mississippi) is an American country music singer. He has charted on Hot Country Songs with t ...

, with character designs and painted covers by

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book creator, comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which ...

. Its stories focus primarily on everyday life in a superhero comic universe, rather than on superheroic adventures and battles. The first volume was published from 1995 to 1996 by

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

. In 1996, a second volume was launched under the

Homage Comics DC Comics has published a number of other imprints and lines of comics over the years. History In the Golden Age of Comic Books publishing, DC Comics was also an imprint of Detective Comics and its affiliated companies, All-American Publicati ...

imprint of Image partner studio

WildStorm Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC C ...

, which was then acquired by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, where the series later transitioned to the WildStorm Signature Series imprint and continued until 2010. During this period it switched from a regular ongoing series to a sequence of periodic mini-series and special issues. A third, ongoing volume was launched under DC's

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

imprint in 2013 and concluded in 2018, reverting to occasional miniseries and original

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

s. Counting all series, mini-series and special issues, over 100 issues have been published.

Themes

The series portrays different perspectives on what everyday life might be like in a superhero-comic universe, with stories focusing on a variety of different superhero characters and ordinary people. It has been described as representing Busiek's effort to move away from the

Dark Age of Comic Books The Modern Age of Comic Books is a period in the history of American superhero comic books which began in 1985 and continues through the present day. During approximately the first 15 years of this period, many comic book characters were redesi ...

toward more optimistic stories, functioning as a "thesis statement" of how superhero comics work. The series examines the

archetype The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main mo ...

s of older superhero comics, functioning as "a vehicle to comment on opicsburied in the subtext of old comics". Many of the superheroes in ''Astro City'' bear similarities to famous characters from

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. For instance, the feminist superhero Winged Victory is reminiscent of

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

, and the superhero team First Family resemble the

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

Characters

Some of the more prominent personalities of ''Astro City'' are listed below:

Heroes

* Samaritan (Asa Martin) is an extremely powerful hero. A time-traveler, he appeared in this era in 1985, active as a hero since 1986 and is a current member of Honor Guard. He is sometimes referred to as "Big Red". Samaritan is the first hero in the series to receive an origin story. * The Confessor (Jeremiah Parrish) is a mysterious vigilante detective, apparently active from the 1950s to the mid-1990s. His history is a blur of myths and assumptions, as dark as his crime fighting methods. In the ''Confession'' arc from the second volume of the series, even his new sidekick struggles to know more about his mentor. * Crackerjack is an egocentric, reckless crime-fighter, with amazing agility and a staff weapon, active since 1991. * The Hanged Man is a ghostly figure who protects Shadow Hill, appearing as a floating apparition with a burlap sack over his head and a noose around his neck. He is active in Astro City since the 19th century and is rumored to have existed since at least the Middle Ages. * M.P.H. a.k.a. The Acceleration Ace (Michael Hendrie) is a super-speedster and member of Honor Guard. Besides his membership duties with Honor Guard, he operates in his home city of Detroit. * Jack-in-the-Box (Zachary Johnson) is a clown-themed vigilante with no known powers but agility and an arsenal of clown and toy-inspired weaponry. * Silver Agent (Alan Jay Craig) is an armored vigilante who suffers a tragic fate, hinted at for years. He is active from 1956 through the early 1970s, and via time travel, sporadically throughout thousands of years into the future. He is a founding member of Honor Guard. * Winged Victory (Lauren Freed) is a feminist Greco-Roman themed superhero, controversial due to her habit of saving women before men regardless of the situation. * Beautie is a sophisticated android modeled on a popular doll.

Villains

* Bridwell is an Enelsian spy who gathers

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...

on Earth's heroes; he is enamored of humanity's better instincts, but ultimately disgusted by mankind's baser ones. * The Conquistador (Esteban Rodrigo Suarez Hidalgo) is a mysterious armored villain who hired villains from Kiefer Square as part of an elaborate and mysterious scheme. Formerly he has been the hero El Hombre. * The Deacon (Deke MacManus) is a soft-spoken lord of "ordinary" organized crime in Astro City. * Infidel is a slave who became an immortal mystic during the Middle Ages and traveled through time to become a tyrant in the 36th century. Infidel became the archenemy of Samaritan after Samaritan's origin changed history, erasing Infidel's future empire, and Samaritan thwarted Infidel's attempts restore it. He is essentially a

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabas ...

who uses

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

and magic to warp reality. * The Junkman (Hiram Potterstone) is an aged villain seeking vengeance on society for age discrimination. He recycles and enhances his weaponry from discarded trash. * The Mock Turtle (Martin Chefwick) is a generally docile and polite man who grew up obsessed with fantasies, especially ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

''. He eventually became a costumed criminal, employing a weaponized armor themed after the Alice character from which he drew his name.

Groups

* The Astro City Irregulars is a group of outcast heroes founded in the early to mid-1970s, but disbanded by the 2010s, at which time the second Goldenglove was hoping to get it going again. * The Crossbreed is a group of religious themed heroes, consisting of Noah, Daniel, Peter, Mary, David, and Joshua. The group is stigmatized by society as "

Jesus freak The Jesus movement was an evangelical Christian movement that began on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and primarily spread throughout North America, Europe, Central America, Australia and New Zealand, befo ...

s". * E.A.G.L.E. is a government agency charged with dealing with super-powered and other extraordinary threats to public safety. * The Enelsians is a matriarchal alien race that invaded Earth, with Astro City as their focal point. * The First Family is a family of interdimensional explorers and superheroes consisting of brothers Augustus and Julius Furst, Augustus' adopted children Nick and Natalie, Natalie's dinosaur-like husband Rex, and their daughter Astra. * Honor Guard is the most prestigious superhero group. Founded in 1959, members came and went over the years. For much of its history it maintained seven active members; more recently, the group has expanded considerably. The roster as of 2017 consists of Samaritan (leader), Assemblyman (II), Beautie, Cleopatra (II), the Gentleman, Hummingbird (II), the Living Nightmare, M.P.H., N-Forcer (latest successor of the original), Winged Victory and Wolfspider, with American Chibi on detached duty. * Pyramid is a criminal organization with an ancient Egyptian motif, led by the

Sekhmet In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet ( or Sachmis , from ; ) is a warrior goddess as well as goddess of medicine. Sekhmet is also a solar deity, sometimes given the epithet "the Eye of Ra, eye of Ra". She is often associated with the goddesses Hatho ...

Stone, a living mystical artifact from the past.

Civilians

* Looney Leo is a cartoon lion brought to life in 1946, he was briefly the Gentleman's sidekick, then a media star. When his fame faded, he was homeless for a while before becoming a pawn in a supervillain's plot. Afterwards, he was a recluse before becoming host of a nostalgic nightclub bearing his name in the entertainment district. * Steeljack (Carl "Carlie" Donewicz) is a former supervillain and member of the villain group the Terrifying Three. He is a resident of Kiefer Square who attempts to reform after serving his time. He became active as a villain from about 1970 to 1978, then in prison from 1978–1998. He is later tapped by former associates to investigate the string of "Black Mask" murders and later still became a licensed private investigator. * Charles Raymond Williams and Royal James Williams are brothers whose parents are killed in 1959 during a superhero battle. They grew up following very different paths with Charles becoming a police officer and Royal a petty criminal. They are the focus of ''The Dark Age'' four-book

maxiseries In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a number of

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardback (hardcover) books are bound with cardboar ...

: * ''Astro City Volume 1: Life in the Big City'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 1 #1–6) * ''Astro City Volume 2: Confession'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 2 #1/2, 4–9) * ''Astro City Volume 3: Family Album'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 2 #1–3, 10–13) * ''Astro City Volume 4: Tarnished Angel'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 2 #14–20) * ''Astro City Volume 5: Local Heroes'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 2 #21–22, ''Astro City: Local Heroes'' #1–5, ''Astro City Special: Supersonic'', "Since the Fire") * ''Astro City Volume 6: The Dark Age Book One: Brothers and Other Strangers'' (, collects ''Astro City: The Dark Age'' vol. 1 #1–4, vol. 2 #1–4) * ''Astro City Volume 7: The Dark Age Book Two: Brothers in Arms'' (, collects ''Astro City: The Dark Age'' vol. 3 #1–4, vol. 4 #1–4) * ''Astro City Volume 8: Shining Stars'' (, collects ''Astro City: Samaritan Special'', ''Astro City: Astra'' #1–2, ''Astro City: Silver Agent'' #1–2 and ''Astro City: Beautie'' #1) * ''Astro City Volume 9: Through Open Doors'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #1–6) * ''Astro City Volume 10: Victory'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #7–10, ''Astro City Visitor's Guide'' #1) * ''Astro City Volume 11: Private Lives'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #11–16) * ''Astro City Volume 12: Lovers Quarrel'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #18–21, 23–24) * ''Astro City Volume 13: Honor Guard'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #17, 22, 25, 27–28, 31) * ''Astro City Volume 14: Reflections'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #26, 29–30, 32–34) * ''Astro City Volume 15: Ordinary Heroes'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #35–36, 39–40, 42, 44) * ''Astro City Volume 16: Broken Melody'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #37–38, 41, 43, 45–46) * ''Astro City Volume 17: Aftermaths'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #47–52) Beginning in 2022,

began collecting ''Astro City'' in a series of thick trade collections, dubbed "Metrobooks": * ''Astro City Metrobook, Vol. 1'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 1 #1–6 and vol. 2 #1/2, 1–12) * ''Astro City Metrobook, Vol. 2'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 2 #13–22, ''Astro City: Local Heroes'' #1–5; ''Astro City Special'' #1; ''Astro City: A Visitor's Guide''; and portions of ''9-11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember'' #2) * ''Astro City Metrobook, Vol. 3'' (, collects ''Astro City: The Dark Age'' vol. 1 #1–4; ''Astro City: The Dark Age'' vol. 2 #1–4; ''Astro City: The Dark Age'' vol. 3 #1–4; ''Astro City: The Dark Age'' vol. 4 #1–4; ''Astro City: Silver Agent'' #1–2; and portions of ''Astro City/Arrowsmith: The Flip Book'') * ''Astro City Metrobook, Vol. 4'' (, collects ''Astro City: Samaritan'' #1, ''Astro City: Beautie'' #1, ''Astro City: Astra'' #1–2 and ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #1–10, 17 & 22–24) * ''Astro City Metrobook, Vol. 5'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #11–16, 18-21 & 25–34) * ''Astro City Metrobook, Vol. 6'' (, collects ''Astro City'' vol. 3 #35-52) In 2023 Image Comics also announced a series of oversized hardcover collections of ''Astro City'', dubbed "Opus Editions", the first of which is yet to be released. * ''Astro City: The Opus Edition, Book One'' (, collects ''Kurt Busiek's Astro City'' vol. 1 #1–6 and vol. 2 #1/2, 1–22; ''Kurt Busiek's Astro City'' 3D Special #1; ''Astro City: Local Heroes'' #1–5; ''Astro City Special'' #1; ''Astro City: A Visitor's Guide''; and portions of ''9-11: The World's Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember'' #2)

Awards

''Astro City'' and its creators have won a number of

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

and

Harvey Awards The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which wer ...

, the American comic industry's equivalent of science fiction's

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...

s, as well as several

Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards The '' Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG'') magazine administered the annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1982 to circa 2010, with the first awards announced in issue #500 (June 17, 1983). Upon taking over as ''CBG'' editors, Don and Maggie ...

. ''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 "The Nearness of You" is a popular song written in 1937 by Hoagy Carmichael (1899–1981), with lyrics by Ned Washington (1901–1976). Intended for an unproduced Paramount Pictures film titled Romance In The Rough, the studio's publishing divi ...

" 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.

was honored with 1998's Harvey and 1999's Eisner for Best Writer, in both instances for bodies of work including ''Astro City''.

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 Kingdom Come may refer to: * "Kingdom come", a phrase in the Lord's Prayer in the Bible Film * ''Kingdom Come'' (1919 film), a Western short featuring Hoot Gibson * ''Kingdom Come'' (2001 film), a comedy starring LL Cool J * ''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

Film

In 2003,

Ben Barenholtz Ben Barenholtz (October 5, 1935 – June 27, 2019) was a Polish-born American film producer, exhibitor, and distributor with a significant presence in the independent film scene since the late 1960s. In 1968 Barenholtz opened The Elgin Cinema in ...

, Jonathan Alpers and Busiek hoped to develop an ''Astro City'' film, with Barenholtz as producer and Alpers as lead scripter, but the plans did not take off, whereupon Barenholtz subsequently took the project to

Working Title Films Working Title Films Limited, formerly Visionensure Limited and Working Title Limited, is a British film and television production company that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, which is itself a division of Comcast. The company was founded by ...

. In July 2010, Working Title acquired the rights to make a live-action feature film adaptation of ''Astro City''. Busiek was to write a script treatment, and also to executive-produce, along with Barenholtz and Alpers. In May 2013,

said that Working Title's option had lapsed but he was in negotiation with another party.

Television

In March 2018, FremantleMedia North America was interested to produce a live-action ''Astro City'' TV series with a pilot episode written by Busiek and Rick Alexander.

References

External links

''Astro City''
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

. From the original on April 6, 2012.
Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards index
* * * * * * * {{Vertigo Comics Ongoing Series 1995 comics debuts Comics by Kurt Busiek Eisner Award winners for Best Continuing Series Eisner Award winners for Best New Series Fictional populated places in the United States Harvey Award winners for Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award winners for Best New Series Harvey Award winners for Best Single Issue or Story Image Comics titles WildStorm titles Fictional locations in comics Feminist comics Vertigo Comics titles 1995 in comics