Astro City: The Dark Age, Book Two #1
Publisher: Wildstorm
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Brent E. Anderson
Cover: Alex Ross
Letterer: John Roshell
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn

24 Pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Premise: Two brothers’ parents are killed in 1959. They set upon different paths and find themselves on opposite sides of the law, but in similar situations during Astro City’s Dark Age.

Synopsis:

Charles and Royal Williams are brothers. Their parents were killed in 1959. They were close until 1973, but their paths separated and they are now in very different places.

The book sets up a situation where many of the marquee heroes are absent from Astro City. The second-tier heroes and villains fight amongst each other in the streets of Astro City. Charles is a cop with a corrupt partner and a gold-digging wife. Royal works for an underworld crime boss and manages to get by through laying low.

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Review:

I’ve enjoyed Busiek’s previous Astro City series, though I missed the first Dark Age miniseries. He is an engrossing storyteller. He sets up a situation in which Astro City has lost much of its lustre. He then throws us down in the street with the common man to experience everyday life. He masterfully weaves together Charles and Royal’s stories, giving depth to both characters and their situations. The pace of the story increases until both brothers are faced with a climactic decision of remarkable similarity.

Anderson’s art combined with Sinclair’s colors is reminiscent of classic silver-age comics without seeming hokey. A story like this would lose a lot if it looked too much like modern superhero books with their garish colors and too-clean lines.

The only letdown in the book is that it is part of a larger story arc. I’m more used to Busiek’s Astro City being self-contained single issue stories, and was expecting the same sort of thing. The cliffhanger at the end was a bit jarring given that expectation, but certainly nothing to blemish the other great parts of this book.