Astro City

Astro City

Astro City vol. 2, #1. Art by Alex Ross.
Publication information
Publisher Image Comics (1995-1996)
Homage Comics (1996-2004)
Wildstorm (2004-2010)
Vertigo Comics (2013-present)
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication date (Vol. 1)
August 1995 - January 1996
(Vol. 2)
September 1996 - August 2000
Local Heroes
April 2003 - February 2004
The Dark Age and the specials
June 2004 - August 2010
(Vol. 3)
August 2013 - Present
Main character(s) Honor Guard, The First Family
Creative team
Writer(s) Kurt Busiek
Artist(s) Brent Anderson
Alex Ross
Creator(s) Kurt Busiek
Brent Anderson
Alex Ross
Editor(s) Kurt Busiek
Ann Huntington-Busiek
John Layman

Kurt Busiek's Astro City is an American superhero anthology comic book series centered on a fictional American city of that name. Created and written by Kurt Busiek, the series is mostly 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 eventually moved to Homage Comics, part of the Wildstorm Signature Series.

The first Astro City series was published from 1995–1998, and then returned in 2003 with the Local Heroes and The Dark Age story arcs. The Dark Age was set in the 1970s and 1980s and ran 16 issues. In it, the citizens of Astro City ponder the functions and motivations of superpowered individuals, and their overall positions within the community. The Dark Age began publication in 2005 and ended in May 2010, with the final four issues published monthly.

In June 2013, another Astro City monthly series debuted from Vertigo Comics.[1][2]

Overview

Astro City is an anthology series that focuses on a large cast of characters, from small cameo roles of a few panels to full center stage attention spanning several issues. Most of the characters live within Astro City, a center for super-powered beings, and most stories take place there. Some issues are told from the viewpoint of heroes, some from the 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 was that of Charles and Royal Williams, two brothers in their early adult years living in Astro City. Stories often reflect particular tropes in superhero stories: that heroes have a unique "rogue's gallery" of villains they fight, that heroes from outside New York city have powers/names that reflect where they live, and even specific trends in superhero comics (the Dark Age story arc, for instance, revolved around the gritty style of superhero stories that appeared following the publication of Alan Moore's "Watchmen" series).

Astro City 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, with little 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 supervillain.

While the focus has been on the heroes and residents of Astro City, 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 after 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 unspecified disaster.

Description

Most of the Astro 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, is a reference to comics creator Charles Biro, who is noted for the comics series Crime Does Not Pay.

Astro City itself is made up of numerous neighborhoods, which include the rebuilt Center City, centered on 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 several 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."

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 vote-getter 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 vote-getter 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 2003, Ben Barenholtz, Jonathan Alpers and Busiek hoped to develop an Astro City movie, with Barenholtz as producer and Alpers as lead scripter,[3] but the plans did not take off,[3] whereupon Barenholtz subsequently took the project to Working Title Films.[4] In July 2010, it was announced that Working Title had acquired the rights to make a live-action feature film adaptation of Astro City.[4][5] Busiek was to write a script treatment, and also to executive-produce, along with Barenholtz and Alpers.[5] On May 10th, 2013 Kurt Busiek reported that Working Title's option had lapsed but he was in negotiation with another party.[6]

References

  1. Sun, 03/31/2013 - 1:00pm (2013-03-31). "ASTRO CITY comes to Vertigo | Vertigo". Vertigocomics.com. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  2. "Busiek's Triumphant Return to "Astro City"". Comic Book Resources. 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  3. 1 2 David Rooney (2003-11-19). "Panama Leo shapes up ‘Astro’ pic". Variety. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  4. 1 2 Fleming, Mike. "Working Title Plants Flag in Kurt Busiek's Graphic Novel 'Astro City'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  5. 1 2 "SDCC: Working Title Films Adapting Astro City". ComingSoon.net. 2010-07-21. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  6. Rogers, Vaneta (2013-05-10). "BUSIEK, ANDERSON Gear Up for ASTRO CITY's New Ongoing". NEWSarama.com. Retrieved 2014-05-08.

External links

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