The Best Superhero Series Ever!
It's no secret that I think Kurt Busiek is the best comics writer of the superhero genre active in comics today. After writing for numerous titles at DC and Marvel, and creating the landmark Marvels mini-series with Alex Ross that showed the Marvel Universe in a whole new light, Busiek set about to 'reconstruct' the superhero after a decade of 'deconstruction' that began with The Dark Knight and Watchmen.
Teaming up with Brent Anderson, and recruiting old pal Alex Ross for the covers (which are gorgeous as always) Busiek does more than just rejuvenate the genre (ironic because what he sets out to do is make the superhero genre less juvenile) by restoring a sense of wonder and imagination to superheroes, he takes the genre places it's never gone.
In this first issue we follow a day in the life of, Samaritan, Astro City's Superman archetype, complete with red, yellow and blue costume. Every issue of Astro City addresses a question that goes unanswered in a typical issue of one of the mainstream superhero comics, and in this issue it's 'what is a typical day like for Superman?' The thing is, while you may think we've seen that before, we never really have - not the whole day.
This story, 'In Dreams' shows us what Samaritan (Superman) dreams about - and it turns out that's not much different from the things we all dream about. Then having to answer the alarm clock in the morning. Prioritize the day - how exactly does Superman decide who to save when he can't save everyone? Co-workers at the secret identity job as well as co-workers at the super team job. The requisite supervillain battles. Then to bed... and back to dreaming.
Simply put, there has never been a Superhero series as well done as Astro City. It's a superhero comic about superhero comics.
If you've never read Astro City, and you like superhero comics, you MUST check it out!
