I just finished reading Astro City: Life in the Big City and let me tell you, I want more! Something tells me I will be heading to St Marks Comics as soon as tomorrow to buy the next volume...I think what has me so hooked on this comic book is the character development. Action isn't much of the focus in these first few stories, but rather the people who are affected by it and the superheroes who are taking part.
While I very much enjoyed each of the stories, my favorites would have to be two that do not really focus on the superheroes themselves - "The Scoop" and "Safeguards." Like Busiek mentioned in his introduction, it is a completely different approach to explore the ways in which normal people who live in this "superhero world" are affected. That idea is not something that I had ever really thought of before, but it makes sense that people living amongst super human beings would have a different mentality than those who do not. This is apparent in the way Marta looks up in awe at Winged Victory and is fascinated by the humanity of Nick Furst. What I also enjoyed about this story was the juxtaposition of the seemingly "old world" type magic and creatures of Marta's Shadow Hill neighborhood vs. the "steel and glass," superheroes and villians of downtown Astro City. I'm still trying to figure out what exactly it was that changed for Marta and convinced her to stay in Shadow Hill. I found the story very complex and believable, because the outcome wasn't necessarily what I expected.
The ending of "Scoop" was what really made me smile. I think it was my favorite story of the whole volume because its amusing way of expressing the importance of truth, especially in reporting. The whole story I was so anxious to see what the article was going to end up being about! It was a interesting angle to approach the story from, and I found myself wishing I was sitting in that office listening to the story from Mister Mills himself. What a great character! Even in Astro City, where it's obvious that superheroes exist, it is still important that the news does not become sensationalized. Even in the presence of the supernatural, it is still important to get the cold hard facts before publishing a story. I think that this story spoke to more than just the Astro City enws...
Of the superheroes of Astro City, Samaritan interests me the most. I was glad to find out his back story when he explains it to Winged Victory, as it added a new element to his character. The conversation between Winged Victory and Samaritan (or rather, their alter egos) was my favorite part of that whole story, because it showed these two superheroes having a very real debate about the motives behind their actions. It showed that superheroes are still capable of having doubts, just like the other Astro City citizens.
