What secrets hide in Astro Citys past? And what does the Broken Man fear? Take a look into the days before Astro City was renamed as you meet the Blasphemy Agency, watch Dame Progress battle Mister Cakewalk, and learn what lies behind the mask of Lord Saampa, the Serpents Tongue, in a trio of revelatory adventures. Hints, portents, and mysteries unfold, as the Broken Mans story is explored.
This is all a lot more experimental than I would have expected for this series, and I think that's a very good thing. As rich and deep as the world of Astro City is, and as happily as I would continue to read about it for decades, there's been a sense for a while now that Busiek and co. have said all they really need to say with this series, and the rest is just filling in the details. But since the Broken Man arc started, Astro City has felt weirdly refreshed, which was particularly needed after the extensive and somewhat exhausting "Dark Age" storyline. Rather than building to bigger and bigger crescendos, the series is suddenly moving sideways and reinventing itself for the modern era. Given how many times it's seemed like Busiek was on the verge of abandoning this series altogether, it's heartening to see it's still capable of surprises. Read Full Review
Since its return, every issue of Astro City has been strong. Sometimes build up issues like this can feel lackluster but Astro City still finds a way to make set-up issues still be enjoyable to read. It will be interesting to see how these stories eventually come around and work themselves into the story again. Long time fans know after this many years Astro City always delivers when it comes to great stories, so stick around and enjoy the ride because it's always delightful to read an issue of Astro City. Read Full Review
The stories break down into a secret government agency in the 1930s dealing with the alien and bizarre, a Kobra-style cult leader in India during the 1940s, and a steam-punk heroine named Dame Progress chasing down a crafty villain whose motives aren't as black-and-white as she believes. Each story, although truncated, is worth reading. Read Full Review
A lot of story for not as much usable information. Although Busiek and Anderson's skills are very much on point, it's not quite as meaningful a product as previous issues. Read Full Review
Busiek promises in the letter column that these story fragments are eventually leading somewhere, and that the Broken Man's strange map of thumbtacks, yarn, and artifacts all really do connect into a larger map. But even if it didn't, I'd be happy with this issue. It's different and quirky, and while it's not something that could be done every month on a successful level, as a little detour it's fun. With next month's issue serving as a follow-up to the current series' debut, there should even be a bit more traditional storytelling ahead for those craving it after this diversion. Any time Busiek and Anderson want to play with traditional storytelling, I'm in. Read Full Review
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