Astro City

Astro City Comic Book Series by Kurt Busiek (Author) and Brent Anderson (Illustrator)

Hello, I know you missed my terrible camera skills.

This is a special edition blog post. I love the Astro City comic book series. Today, the final volume, Aftermaths was published. I read it immediately (thank you amazon prime for same day release date delivery, holllllaaaaaa), and definitely cried over a few of the precious moments presented.

Now, to the past!

I first read Tarnished Angel back when I was in middle school. It was the first time I had ever read about someone with super powers trying to live a normal life. It changed a lot of things for me. I had only ever read comics like Batman, Superman, Justice League, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Wonder Woman, Hulk, Hercules, etc. before. Basically only DC or Marvel, and even then, only superheroes. But, this book took someone who was extraordinary and kind of made them into a regular person. Mind blowing. So, of course I had to immediately track down all the other comic books that were currently out at the time.

...then, as an adult when I had a minute amount of disposable income... I promptly started collecting the series and eagerly awaiting the next book. My love for this series only grew over time as each story showed different aspects of humanity whether it be hero, villain, civilian, or well, someone who just happens to have powers.

I haven't come across another book series that portrays different aspects of humanity so well, while also leaving the conclusions a bit open ended and thought provoking.

The artwork is also gorgeous which certainly helps, but I think the stories would still come across well if the artwork was less good.

So, if you're looking for a comic book with a bit more heart, I'd really recommend reading any of the Astro City books. Here's the amazon link to the first book: Astro City: Life in the Big City (which looks like it's free to read through Kindle unlimited, so that's neat).

Happy reading!