It's a taut little issue, and the moments where Royal sneaks about the Pyramid compound are claustrophobic and well-handled. Brent Anderson's art is note-perfect, especially in the rare glimpses of superhero activity from the Apollo 11 and the First Family. Throughout the first couple of arcs, Royal is the one we worry about, with stable Charles trying to save his criminal sibling, but here the balance shifts, as we see a competent Royal navigating difficult waters while Charles seems to have popped his cork. The reveal at the end was surprising, and the "inside look" at a Kobra Hydra Pyramid induction process is an eye-opener. Kurt Busiek makes a personal search for closure into a pretty good adventure-type story here, and it's well worth the wait. Astro City: The Dark Age Book III #1 earns a spiffy-keen 5 out of 5 stars, even if I've been drinking the Kool-Aid for years. In a perfect world, this book would be the weekly dose of Busiek... Read Full Review
It's also good to hear that future issues in this story will arrive on schedule. It's great to have Busiek and Anderson - and Astro City - back on tour again! Read Full Review
Anderson's loose, sketchy style doesn't prevent him from doing an incredible job of world-building. He makes the Silver Age goofiness of a private army of Pyramid soldiers seem plausible, and he makes the horrors of a demonic, murderous villain seem chillingly plausible. There's a grittiness in his style here that reinforces the darker atmosphere as well. Read Full Review
In many ways, "Astro City: The Dark Age: Book Three" #1 is set-up for the remaining issues of this story, but I'm good with that. This is just the right way for the comic to come back after a bit of an absence, and by the end of the issue things are definitely rolling full speed ahead. It may sound odd to say, "Bring on the dark ages!" but this latest "Astro City" mini-series evokes that exact reaction. It's nice to see it return. Read Full Review
Thom Young: Well, of course. While the Romantics didnt invent escapist fantasy, they certainly adopted it and cultured it. We wouldnt have superheroes, western heroes, Sherlock Holmes, or hardboiled detectives if it wasnt for Romanticism. I love all those things, too, but I just get a feeling that Busiek is no longer building on the foundation he set down in the mid 1990s--but, as I mentioned, it could be that I just need to read the entire Astro City canon in one run rather than in the scattershot method that I have lately. Read Full Review
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