Astro City MetroBook 4 begins with a few specials as the series was transitioning once again from one publisher to another. We see the last few Wildstorm branded issues before beginning the long run of Vertigo issue. By this point Astro City has become one of the most well-crafted and sensitive comic series in the history of the medium. These issues don't let the reader down.
This is a story of Astro City's mightiest hero Samaritan, but seen through the jaundiced eyes of his arch-enemy the Infidel. The Infidel is an immortal and began life as a young boy sold into slavery who turned the tables on his captors because the underrated his intelligence. He has gone on to be a major villain with little regard for the human society that treated him so harshly centuries ago. Now we see that he's a relentless foe pitted against a hero of incredible power. The contest has refreshed him, and he knows that in time, which he has a boundless amount of, he will be the victor. He imagines he's the Eagle who chips away at the mountain, but is he wrong.
These two special editions tell the story of Astra, the lovely and powerful girl who is a member of the Furst Family, the Astro City version of Marvel's Fab 4. In this issue, she's graduated, but being a celebrity of the highest order her every move is surveilled by a version of the paparazzi. We learn all sorts of secrets about adventures the FF have been in as one strange creature after another arrives to wish Astra the best after school. Like all young folks she is trying to decide what to do with her future and we discover that and so much more. I really liked how Ross imitated the style of magazines of the day.
Astro City regular series begins again under a new brand with brand new numbering. Astro City began under the Image banner, then shifted slightly to wear the Wildstorm badge. When that was sold to DC it was a smooth enough shift, but now Astro City becomes part of the Vertigo offerings. At this point the series has been around for seventeen years, a good healthy run for any comic let alone an indy. And what's amazing is the quality has not dropped in the least.
The first issue opens with a bang (almost literally) when a bizarre portal appears over Astro City and a giant shiny armored giant appears proclaiming to be a representative of a distant and powerful clan. He seeks someone to function as an intermediary and introduce him to the world he's visiting. Busiek reaches back to one of Astro City's earliest stories about a single father who brought his two daughters to Astro City and liked it. Now they have grown and he's looking for his next chapter. We also meet the strange purple fellow who calls himself "The Broken Man" who operates as a narrator for the story who has a secret of his own.
The next two issues answer the question of how a group like Honor Guard can stay on top of the many problems a world like ours can present. We are introduced through the eyes of one young female recruit the operation which fields the emergency calls from around the globe and decides which threats meet the standard Honor Guard can respond to. When this young woman makes a very slight error in judgment it results in catastrophic mayhem, and she feels that she must do something personally to make up for her mistake.
Issue four introduces "The Sideliners", an association of people with powers and abilities but without the ambition to becomes superheroes. But while they only seek to use their abilities to make their lives and the lives of folks around them better, some of a more villainous nature seek to use these people for their own nefarious ends. But as it turns out when a baddie dubbed "Majordomo" tries to bend these folks to his will it turns out badly.
This is a strange one which takes us back to the 1930's when Astro City was still called Romeyn Falls. We meet a group of "Untouchables" types named the "Blasphemy Boys" who battle bizarre threats with great danger to themselves, then we slip into a meeting of the cult of Lord Saampa and his slavish followers, but then abruptly we encounter a heroine dubbed Dame Progress who is contending with a rogue called Mister Cakewalk and who is not at all what he seems. Our purple-skinned narrator returns but this time seems greatly concerned that we are learning more than we should.
In a follow-up to the first story in this new series we ae updated on the doings of ambassador from the depths of space when we follow along with a man who represents the longshoreman of Astro City visits and strikes a bargain. This chap has some criminal ties and hopes to use this access to his best effect and gets his wish when a case with several strange containers is smuggled into the city. One of those containers is breached and creates a powerful supervillain. The question of how much power any one man should have, is broached, and also what constitutes happiness.
Then we are treated to a quartet of issues focusing on Winged Victory and a scheme to undermine the public trust in her mission to help women around the world. She is assisted in fighting back by her boyfriend Samaritan and the new Confessor. It's Astro City's version of DC's "Trinity". Winged Victory has been a part of the Astro City story from the beginning, but this story really makes her and those who assist her front and center. Busiek and Anderson really knock it out of the park with a story which puts each of the three forward, with narration from all three during the mini saga. Alex Ross is in top form as well with some of his best covers for the series.
We jump ahead to issue seventeen and welcome a guest artist in Jesus Merino. The Honor Guard learn the secret of the special treat that arrives every year in their headquarters. They also learn the secret of Krigari Ironheart, a relentless and murderous conqueror from a universe hidden in the very molecules around us. The Honor Guard had bettle Krigari many times, but now they learn how that came to be and who was to blame.
Merino returns on art duty in issue twenty-two as we follow a hero once known as Starfighter. We learn his secrets, meet his family, and learn a few of his regrets. He's a man who is now a novelist but was once a very successfull superhero who has fought for justice for many years and finds that as he ages the call might not be as frequent. But getting used to that has its issues as well.
Brent Anderson returns in issues twenty-three and twenty-four as we mee the rambunctious Sticks, a talking gorilla who is equally adept saving lives, fighting crime, and playing the drums. It's the latter he really wants to do, but finding a way to do it and still keep his human friends safe is a challenge indeed. And wait until you meet Tuxedo Gorilla!
The fifth MetroBook is upcoming, but since I have to wait for them to actually publish it, I'll get to it when I can. It's been a blast and Astro City is a place all should visit.
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