Astro City #51

Two stories that do different things, but both capture a different angle on living in a superhero/supervillain world. Read Full Review

Tolong-time comic readers, the source of the secret makes total sense, but thethe Friends " well, thats another matter. And here lies the strength of thestory, and the series as a whole. AstroCity isnt about the heroes, but more about the citizens, the collateraldamage. As a meta-human, believing the unbelievable is easy, but for usordinary folks on the ground, alien invasions and endless time-loops meannothing but fear and panic. Read Full Review

This issue has a lot to deal with, and as a middle chapter, it doesn't quite resolve anything. But there's one issue left, and this arc has been the perfect contemplative, melancholy capper to a series that has consistently been one of the most human takes on superheroes ever written. Read Full Review

This is difficult material from start to finish, and the entire creative team handles it admirably. Read Full Review

The comic's next issue wraps up both this storyline and (sadly) the series. Although it's the longest run of an Astro City comic to date, it still feels far too early to say goodbye. Thankfully, Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson will be continuing to tell stories less-regularly in graphic novel form. However, we'll only have one issue left to investigate more into Michael's odd story and whether or not he can find the support and solace he needs from those he's offered the same to week after week. Worth a look. Read Full Review

Spock's Brain

Apr 17, 2018

I missed issue #50 of "Astro City," but knowing it was shutting down soon, gave issue #51 a read; it does, after all, have a creepy old-school monster cover. This issue is just great. I should have known with a writer as skilled as Busiek I wouldn't miss a beat despite missing an issue, and this is certainly so. This is the story of the unknown victims of super-heroic exploits, the friends, relatives, lovers of the killed, missing, and disappeared. Having the story narrated by one of these victims is well done, as is the reveal of what happened on that fateful night. The host of a support group, Michael, is left with ghosts and the shadows of memories from a universe realignment that took the life of his love. This is certainly powerful stu ff, a different way of looking at heroes and villains, as "Astro City" so adeptly gives us. more