Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Astro City: The Dark Age: Book Four #2 (of 4)

It's always great to see another issue of Astro City out, and happily, they've been arriving fast and furious in recent months.

That's good news because this is one of the best comics around. The whole Dark Age series of stories is proof of that (in a perverse way) - the storyline has been spread over such a long period of time that I would have lost interest in it, had it been in the hands of a lesser creative team.

But thanks to writer Kurt Busiek, each issue is filled with interesting characters and pivotal moments. This story continues to explore life in Astro City during a "grim and gritty" period in the 1980s - not my favorite topic - but it does so with a clever story that holds your attention throughout.

The creative team is playing with some big concepts here, mostly as seen through the eyes of two men bent on revenge. We see how their quest has changed them and how it has affected the world around them.

As always, the interior art is provided by Brent Anderson, and it's simply outstanding. He seems to combine the best of artists like Neal Adams and Gene Colan, but he gives it all a fresh, original spin. He's one of the best in the business right now.

The cover is by Alex Ross, and this one jumps out at you - as a good cover should.

The ending to this story is drawing near, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

If you're not familiar with the Astro City stories, it might be difficult to jump in at this late date in this particular story - but do yourself a favor and pick up some of the early collections - they're some of the best comics around.

Grade: B+

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