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Astro City #11
Astro City, Vol. 11: Vidas Privadas
Em Astro City, pessoas comuns já estão acostumadas a caminhar lado a lado com heróis, vilões, monstros e muito mais! Os aclamados criadores Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson e Alex Ross agora lhe convidam para um passeio por trás das manchetes dos jornais, para além das aventuras convencionais, para testemunhar o mundo dos super-heróis com um novo olhar: de perto e em primeira mão. Dê uma espiada na vida privada das pessoas comuns que habitam essa cidade maravilhosa e veja você mesmo! A assistente de uma feiticeira. Um bandido fantasiado lutando contra o cotidiano. Uma visita divina ao mundo mortal. Um museu de beira de estrada. A fatídica festa de aniversário de um jovem cientista louco. Momentos privados. e você está aqui. O décimo primeiro volume da premiada série ASTRO CITY reúne as edições 11 a 16 de Astro City Vol. 3.
180 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2015
About the author
Kurt Busiek
1,858 books641 followersKurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 10, 2019
Essentially a focus on a number of characters, that on the face of it, should be background characters. A sorcerer's personal assistant, a dapper retired (failed) robber, a bank teller, an old lady with a talent for robotics and an Astro City power! In somewhat delightful little tales these characters are introduced to us, and continue that awesome retro sci-fi feel of this book. 7 out of 12, Astro City Three Star read.
2019 and 2016 read
2019 and 2016 read
December 31, 2015
More of the excellence I've grown to expect from this marvelous series.....
November 3, 2018
The Silver Adept's assistant struggles to keep her affairs in order. A former super villain tries to keep on the straight and narrow. A woman running a robot museum has to contend with a slippery nephew. And Starbright and Simon Says struggle to understand one another. But that's how life is in Astro City.
Kurt Busiek and company serve up more slice of life tales set in or around Astro City. I'm running out of things to say about this great series. This was a good volume but not exceptional. When they're all high quality, you get kind of numb after a while. All of the stories were engaging. The little old lady running the robot museum was my favorite but I don't think there were any duds.
As always, the world has a lot of weight to it, like it's existed for 50 years and we're only given small glimpses of its vast history. I want more adventures of Silver Adept, Starbright, and the others! 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Kurt Busiek and company serve up more slice of life tales set in or around Astro City. I'm running out of things to say about this great series. This was a good volume but not exceptional. When they're all high quality, you get kind of numb after a while. All of the stories were engaging. The little old lady running the robot museum was my favorite but I don't think there were any duds.
As always, the world has a lot of weight to it, like it's existed for 50 years and we're only given small glimpses of its vast history. I want more adventures of Silver Adept, Starbright, and the others! 3.5 out of 5 stars.
February 13, 2026
I'm always happy to visit Astro City. As is typical with AC books, this one features several unrelated stories, one of them a two-parter. There's a bit at the end of the last story that hints at a possible link between all of them, and there's always the possibility that we'll see that thread–or another continuation of any one of these–picked up on in a future volume.
For those new to the series, Astro City is a way for Busiek, Ross, and Anderson to tell their own superhero stories without regard to which characters are owned by which company. Many of them are clearly based on existing heroes and villains, but some are more original, or at least less obviously sourced. Recognition isn't the point, though. They're out to tell stories that are more emotionally resonant than typical superhero fare.
For instance, the first story, “The Sorcerer's Assistant,” we have the Silver Adept, who uses her mystic powers to battle magical threats, keeping not just Astro City, but multiple dimensions safe from harm. She's clearly based on Dr. Strange, among others, but this isn't her story, but rather that of her personal assistant, Raitha. What's a typical day of fielding calls–both phone and more esoteric–maintaining the SA's schedule, reminding her of appointments, accepting packages, etc. like? Grounding these tales in the mundane makes the heroics more relatable. I can't speak for everyone, but these are the sorts of superhero stories I always wanted to read, even if I didn't know it until I started reading them.
One nice benefit to this type of storytelling is that it means that reading the Astro City books out of sequence isn't as big a deal. Stories don't often–possibly never? I haven't read all of them, so I'm not sure–continue from one volume to the next. You might miss a character's first appearance, but that's about it. So don't feel like you have to put off checking out the series until you can find a copy of volume one. Feel free to dive in wherever.
Astro City is, and always has been, a love letter to superhero comics, using their tropes to tell truly different stories from the standard fare. I never get tired of them. Highly recommended!
For those new to the series, Astro City is a way for Busiek, Ross, and Anderson to tell their own superhero stories without regard to which characters are owned by which company. Many of them are clearly based on existing heroes and villains, but some are more original, or at least less obviously sourced. Recognition isn't the point, though. They're out to tell stories that are more emotionally resonant than typical superhero fare.
For instance, the first story, “The Sorcerer's Assistant,” we have the Silver Adept, who uses her mystic powers to battle magical threats, keeping not just Astro City, but multiple dimensions safe from harm. She's clearly based on Dr. Strange, among others, but this isn't her story, but rather that of her personal assistant, Raitha. What's a typical day of fielding calls–both phone and more esoteric–maintaining the SA's schedule, reminding her of appointments, accepting packages, etc. like? Grounding these tales in the mundane makes the heroics more relatable. I can't speak for everyone, but these are the sorts of superhero stories I always wanted to read, even if I didn't know it until I started reading them.
One nice benefit to this type of storytelling is that it means that reading the Astro City books out of sequence isn't as big a deal. Stories don't often–possibly never? I haven't read all of them, so I'm not sure–continue from one volume to the next. You might miss a character's first appearance, but that's about it. So don't feel like you have to put off checking out the series until you can find a copy of volume one. Feel free to dive in wherever.
Astro City is, and always has been, a love letter to superhero comics, using their tropes to tell truly different stories from the standard fare. I never get tired of them. Highly recommended!
October 15, 2015
This volume of the anthology series had one of the few duds in Dancing Master. It was barely coherent. Much better were the stories about the little old lady who fixed broken evil robots and the one about the magician's assistant trying to help keep her priorities straight in order to stave off dimensional annihilation.
October 22, 2016
And then we talked about the book. And it was pointed out that the dancing master story only makes sense if you recognize every page is out of order and you have to read the time. And we walked through the bad guy geek story. And now I like it more. So back to 4. I think I'm wishy washy.
A re-read. Pretty much read like the review. Except this time I just didn't like the dancing master story at all and found it all but unreadable. And the bad guy geek clearly had layers in it that didn't survive a careless read. Reading this one made me wonder if perhaps reading a volume a week of Astro City is too fast a pace. 3.5 of 5.
A bit uneven. But some of the stories were definite solid standouts.
The magician's assistant was certainly a different take - and exhausting. But a fine mix of modern and magical. And real-world and fantasy.
The bad guy story of the clothes-horse villain with little red riding hood overtones world worked pretty well. Believable if negative.
The dancing master story was just confused and I didn't like the art.
And the bad guy geek who had a birthday party was mild but sweet.
The two part robotocist/dotty old woman story was the longest and had its up and downs but as always was not your typical superhero story.
Another good volume, if not one of the best ones.
A re-read. Pretty much read like the review. Except this time I just didn't like the dancing master story at all and found it all but unreadable. And the bad guy geek clearly had layers in it that didn't survive a careless read. Reading this one made me wonder if perhaps reading a volume a week of Astro City is too fast a pace. 3.5 of 5.
A bit uneven. But some of the stories were definite solid standouts.
The magician's assistant was certainly a different take - and exhausting. But a fine mix of modern and magical. And real-world and fantasy.
The bad guy story of the clothes-horse villain with little red riding hood overtones world worked pretty well. Believable if negative.
The dancing master story was just confused and I didn't like the art.
And the bad guy geek who had a birthday party was mild but sweet.
The two part robotocist/dotty old woman story was the longest and had its up and downs but as always was not your typical superhero story.
Another good volume, if not one of the best ones.
January 23, 2020
I know a lot of people love this series, but it barely ever rises above merely adequate for me. There is a pretty good two-part story about an old woman running a museum of broken-down robots used in various crimes, but beyond that, things are just okay. The artwork is decent throughout, but this seldom rises above a "Meh" reaction for me...
March 22, 2015
Yet another fantastic Astro City collection. The blurbed story, about the personal assistant who keeps a Doctor Strange-like character going, was particularly good. But I have to say, I'm about ready for Busiek to deliver on these hints towards a bigger story he drops every now and then.
April 2, 2016
This collection is more of the same, and when it comes to Astro City, that's a good thing. This is another collection of loosely-related short stories, with a hint they might tie together later.
Busiek is a comic book historian, and he clearly delights in plumbing the tropes of superheroes. Best of all, though, is when he gives them a slight twist, making them feel familiar yet new at the same time.
Also, the inclusion of main characters who are elderly, black, or LGBT, helps round out the world. By going beyond the typical buff bods and sexy outfits and exploring humanity in all its variety, Busiek and artist Brent Anderson really make Astro City feel like a place people actually live.
Plus, Alex Ross' cover to the story "Ellie's Friends" is one of the coolest he's done in a while. And this is a guy who churns out awesome art daily.
Busiek is a comic book historian, and he clearly delights in plumbing the tropes of superheroes. Best of all, though, is when he gives them a slight twist, making them feel familiar yet new at the same time.
Also, the inclusion of main characters who are elderly, black, or LGBT, helps round out the world. By going beyond the typical buff bods and sexy outfits and exploring humanity in all its variety, Busiek and artist Brent Anderson really make Astro City feel like a place people actually live.
Plus, Alex Ross' cover to the story "Ellie's Friends" is one of the coolest he's done in a while. And this is a guy who churns out awesome art daily.
November 3, 2015
This volume of Astro City is about average for the series, which still puts it several steps above a lot of its competition. The small stories of people surrounding super heroes as well as the heroes themselves still carry some emotional weight. This selection has its hits (the two-part Ellie's Friends is the definite high point for me), and its misses (Waltz of the Hours just didn't work for me, and the Deep Dark Woods missed the landing after an interesting story), but overall they're pretty good. There are concepts I've not seen played out before that work well, and a couple of tropes that are reused to good effect. The last page, hinting at the overarching plot of the Vertigo Astro City, seems a little out of place as the only mention of that concept, but it's easy enough to overlook. Astro City remains an enjoyable place to visit, with something new to see every time.
June 29, 2016
This volume is another solid story telling volume of Astro City in modern times. What I have said before when reviewing previous books of this series is how it tells the story from the "bystander/secretary" point-of-view and/or not-superhero point-of-view. We get stories of outsiders who move to or involve the superheroes of Astro City and one very surprising story of redemption to end the book. Of course the volumes all pertain to a meta-narrative that has been building since Astro City, Vol. 9: Through Open Doors (it is very Grant Morrison-ish). To conclude, very solid book on the newer characters of Astro City.
June 25, 2018
Astro City is such a great series. This installment is a great jumping-on point, a set of slice of life superhero and villain stories with folks behind the scenes.
I reread this volume, checking out again thanks to Fulton County Public Library, and I ahad forgotten just how good these short stories are.
I'm also a fan of artist Graham Nolan, who draws a fine issue/chapter/installment here, Bit all the talent here rocks.
Highest recommendation.
I reread this volume, checking out again thanks to Fulton County Public Library, and I ahad forgotten just how good these short stories are.
I'm also a fan of artist Graham Nolan, who draws a fine issue/chapter/installment here, Bit all the talent here rocks.
Highest recommendation.
August 22, 2026
Another quality set of stories, with the highlight being the two-parter about the proprietor of a roadside robot attraction. (A-)
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May 10, 2016
Huh. This was the most uneven entry to date in the series, likely because it felt like they sacrificed the timelessness of previous volumes at the altar of cashing in on "social justice" box-checking. It honestly felt like they clumsily shoehorned a gay (male) couple & a trans (m2f) protagonist into two random stories simply because they were afraid of being accused of not being progressive enough. Which they probably would have been, if we're honest. And this isn't a matter of me objecting to the inclusion of gay or trans characters -- because if they'd had established characters revealed as gay or trans instead, I actually think that would have worked better. I mean, the title of the volume is "Private Lives," so learning that the Samaritan is secretly bisexual (since they've already established that he likes women) or that Quarrel wishes she were a man could have worked. Heck, the first story opens up with a female sorcerer-supreme and her female personal assistant and that would have been an excellent opportunity to introduce a lesbian couple, or an unrequited love for one by the other. But nope. Here they just threw together some random stereotypes, pretended they were characters, and trotted them out in front of the audience because "Progressive!" They knew that simply including them would get rounds of applause from the unthinking masses and diffuse any potential accusations that they were somehow worse than Hitler because they hadn't checked those boxes yet. These characters and their stories just felt...hollow. Cheap. Flat. Because they felt like intentional box-checking, not ideas the writer & artists had felt inspired to create and just had to debut. Especially on the heels of the last volume which seemed to be a criticism of both Male Chauvinism AND 3rd Wave Feminism right up until the end when it just spat out some now-obligatory political punditry. It feels like they're wading into waters that are deeper than they are capable of navigating, and that's just depressing. Astro City works best when it deals with the human angle of superhero comics, embodying the iconic and giving it flesh and blood, hopes and dreams. These two stories felt like regular comics from a regular publisher, hamfisted and artless, and we've come to expect more from Astro City.
Even that opening story about the sorcerer's personal assistant was cute but insubstantial.
But the stories about an old woman and her robots (where, again, you could have introduced a solid lesbian angle) and the clothes-horse robber (who, kudos to the author, flouts expectations and does not turn out to be gay)? Gold!
Even that opening story about the sorcerer's personal assistant was cute but insubstantial.
But the stories about an old woman and her robots (where, again, you could have introduced a solid lesbian angle) and the clothes-horse robber (who, kudos to the author, flouts expectations and does not turn out to be gay)? Gold!
April 13, 2016
These aren't Busiek's strongest shorts, but they're still quite a nice collection of Astro stories that continue to innovate the setting.
Starbright (16) is the best for reasons that would be spoilers. But it's a really nice character study of an outsider.
Silver Adept (11) is next after that, mainly because she's a delightful new hero. The actual story isn't that different from Busiek's original Samaritan short, with a slight twist.
Robots (14-15). is the only two-parter in the collection. It's a bit slow in the first part, despite its cute story of someone who revives broken criminal 'bots. It picks up in the second half when you realize there's a mystery to be uncovered.
Wolf (12) is nice mainly for its conception of a gentleman thief. Astro City shines when it plays with archetypes.
Dancing Master (13) is my least favorite of the set. It tries to be clever with time and the result is a story that barely makes sense. I like what I get, but the structure obfuscates rather than illuminating.
Starbright (16) is the best for reasons that would be spoilers. But it's a really nice character study of an outsider.
Silver Adept (11) is next after that, mainly because she's a delightful new hero. The actual story isn't that different from Busiek's original Samaritan short, with a slight twist.
Robots (14-15). is the only two-parter in the collection. It's a bit slow in the first part, despite its cute story of someone who revives broken criminal 'bots. It picks up in the second half when you realize there's a mystery to be uncovered.
Wolf (12) is nice mainly for its conception of a gentleman thief. Astro City shines when it plays with archetypes.
Dancing Master (13) is my least favorite of the set. It tries to be clever with time and the result is a story that barely makes sense. I like what I get, but the structure obfuscates rather than illuminating.
July 11, 2015
Another excellent compendium of Astro City stories.
August 27, 2019
Não sei se sou eu que estou ficando mais chato ou se as histórias de Astro City estão ficando mais ruins. Mas esse encadernado de número onze não me agradou tanto quanto os outros que li. A parte de A Era das Trevas também não foi tão agradável de ler assim. Para dizer que também o encadernado não é tão sem graça assim, as histórias da Iniciada de Prata, uma versão do Doutor Estranho de Astro City, e o arco "Os Amigos da Ellie", sobre uma vilã tecnológica reformada são até gostosinhas de se ler. Também vale mencionar que este encadernado, Vidas Privadas, é o primeiro encadernado em que não temos a arte totalmente feita pelo veterano Brent Aderson. Em uma das histórias, sobre o Ladrão de Casaca, quem assume a arte é Graham Nolan, cujo traço não se assemelha ao de Anderson. A razão dessa escolha, não se sabe, mas é um outro sinal de que as coisas estão mudando para as bandas de Astro City, não é mesmo? E, claro, o meu avanço na idade também é um sinal de que o mundo está ficando mais chato e sem graça também. Ainda temos muito de Astro City para ser publicado aqui no Brasil, espero que melhore daqui para frente.
September 14, 2025
One of the best collections from Astro City- each story profiles a more offbeat (even more so than usual) hero or villain. I enjoyed the mix of mystic powers, technical powers and just classic who knows powers. This felt like a golden age comic with the modern sensibilities that make this stuff “art”. Really read this one, lots of good details to dig into.
January 22, 2020
This series started off so well with so much promise and the last two have really fallen off for me. Not to mention the art has deteriorated just like the storytelling. I will give it another trade or two but just not as good as it used to be
November 9, 2015
Astro City Volume 11: Private Lives is an excellent graphic novel that continues the long tradition of sublime storytelling associated with the Astro City brand. This volume is a collection of smaller personal stories that provide nuance and detail to a larger superhero dominated world. One tale focuses on a small-time costumed criminal and another on the brilliant owner of an isolated robot museum. There are also stories focusing on the assistant to a powerful sorcerer, a young hero, and a strange deity. Each of these vignettes are expertly realized with plenty of twists and turns. Busiek is a master storyteller who plays the comic page as if it were a grand symphony. The adventures of the denizens of the Astro City world are arranged and rearranged in carefully orchestrated compositions that play on old tropes and push them into new and exciting directions. Underlying this entire series is a sense of hope and overwhelming wonder. Busiek and his artists utilize the tools of artistic innovation to push forward a life-affirming message that rejects trendy forms of nihilism. Astro City may be hokey, but it is hokey in a profound way that speaks to the inner strivings of the human spirit. I highly recommend this series to all readers.
January 4, 2016
Setting off on another Astro City adventure, Busiek again chooses to tell a series of short stories in this volume instead of one focused tale. We get a smattering of Astro City insights, meeting a handful of new characters, all with the usual Astro City misdirections. Anderson's style is really showing its age at this point, and is becoming a distraction from the excellent Alex Ross designs. That's a tough thing to admit to considering his history with the book, but I'm just not blown away by the artwork anymore. I would have preferred a focused singular story from this collection, but most of the books shortcomings are made up for in the excellent final story of the trade, focused on high school aged heroes and identity issues. Astro City is still on of the smartest books around, but this particular volume felt a bit more like a warm-up stretch than it did a main event. Still, Busiek is a master, and his warm up stretches still read better than most of the competition at 100%.
January 16, 2016
There are two types of KBAC books - the looks at the major heroes and the collections of stories about the side characters. This is one of the latter, and it's a solid enough entry. Half of the stories feel a bit rehashed. They're not poorly written, not badly drawn, but just more tales of the overworked super-hero support staff or the aging women geniuses who just want to be left alone. Stuff we've seen before.
The other half of the stories - the lives of the jack a dandy theme gangs, the outbreak of personified romance, the face to face of the teenage hero and his evil genius villain - are wonderful. The one about the theme gangs is a real stand out. They're the things that make me love Astro City.
The other half of the stories - the lives of the jack a dandy theme gangs, the outbreak of personified romance, the face to face of the teenage hero and his evil genius villain - are wonderful. The one about the theme gangs is a real stand out. They're the things that make me love Astro City.
February 20, 2017
I had been starting to give up on Astro City - the last few entries in the series did not grab me the way earlier volumes had. But after a few years break I couldn't resist. It did feel like returning to a comfortable pair of jeans. Nothing really surprised me or shook me up in this volume but it was entertaining and reminded me of why I like these stories - they are a simple take on the world of super heroes from the perspective of those around them. The idea of Marvels taken to extremes. Solid story telling and solid art. My fav story was probably the first one about the Silver Adept's secretary but they were all entertaining.
March 20, 2018
Smaller story arcs - which I don't always love in Astro City - but some neat twists on magic-laden superhero-ing and a lovely story about robots.
February 28, 2019
I'm running out of superlatives for Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
I've been pretty high on this series since I started reading it and while Private Lives isn't the best of the Astro City trades that are out there, this collection is the epitome of what makes Astro City as a whole great. Much has been made of Busiek's ability to look at the superheroes of Astro City from ground level, and this collection is no different, as the stories revolve for the most part around "normal" people and the effect super powered people have on their lives. Contained therein is are stories about a woman who befriends (and fixes) all of the robots that have previously been used in crimes, a tale about an extra-dimensional being who inspires people to engage their more sensual emotional states and a "dandy" bandit's backstory. But the two stand out stories in this volume are the two stories that bookend the volume.
The volume starts off with "The Sorceror's Assistant." Note that the key word here is "assistant" and not "apprentice." This is just the sort of "ground-level" story that Busiek is so good at writing when writing about the citizens of Astro City and is on par with the story arc in Astro City: Through Open Doors where Marella Cowper works for the Honor Guard answering service. There are tasks that need to be done for the superheroes of Astro City and Busiek's best work seems to when he engages with the mundane nature of these tasks. Something tells me Mikhail Bakhtin may have had a field day with these stories and their "novel" nature.
The end tale, "Wish I may" may probably be one of the best things Busiek has written, period. The story concerns a transgender superhero named Starbright. Though the narrative we see Starbright's origin and journey and how he becomes a she and other changes that I don't want to spoil here. I've started reading Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III's Batwoman and when they wrote the "Elegy" story arc and *gasp*, Batwoman was gay everyone had to note the fact when it was published. "Wish I may" does not draw attention to itself in this way. Starbright's journey is an important one, but Busiek treats it as not much of a big deal. I think the subdued nature of the story along with the moment that Starbright realizes he would rather be a she is quite poignant and human. As I've discussed in some of my reviews of Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing good authors realize that life is not a set of binary decisions. The gray areas are where the best stories are culled from and "Wish I may" is no different. I'd put Busiek in Moore's league.
The end of the volume indicates that there is some sort of end game that Busiek is angling at here, but he's holding his cards pretty close to the vest. Given the importance of "ordinary" people in Astro City, I'm not sure where he's going, but I'm sure it will be a hell of a ride getting there, as it has been so thus far.
I've been pretty high on this series since I started reading it and while Private Lives isn't the best of the Astro City trades that are out there, this collection is the epitome of what makes Astro City as a whole great. Much has been made of Busiek's ability to look at the superheroes of Astro City from ground level, and this collection is no different, as the stories revolve for the most part around "normal" people and the effect super powered people have on their lives. Contained therein is are stories about a woman who befriends (and fixes) all of the robots that have previously been used in crimes, a tale about an extra-dimensional being who inspires people to engage their more sensual emotional states and a "dandy" bandit's backstory. But the two stand out stories in this volume are the two stories that bookend the volume.
The volume starts off with "The Sorceror's Assistant." Note that the key word here is "assistant" and not "apprentice." This is just the sort of "ground-level" story that Busiek is so good at writing when writing about the citizens of Astro City and is on par with the story arc in Astro City: Through Open Doors where Marella Cowper works for the Honor Guard answering service. There are tasks that need to be done for the superheroes of Astro City and Busiek's best work seems to when he engages with the mundane nature of these tasks. Something tells me Mikhail Bakhtin may have had a field day with these stories and their "novel" nature.
The end tale, "Wish I may" may probably be one of the best things Busiek has written, period. The story concerns a transgender superhero named Starbright. Though the narrative we see Starbright's origin and journey and how he becomes a she and other changes that I don't want to spoil here. I've started reading Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III's Batwoman and when they wrote the "Elegy" story arc and *gasp*, Batwoman was gay everyone had to note the fact when it was published. "Wish I may" does not draw attention to itself in this way. Starbright's journey is an important one, but Busiek treats it as not much of a big deal. I think the subdued nature of the story along with the moment that Starbright realizes he would rather be a she is quite poignant and human. As I've discussed in some of my reviews of Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing good authors realize that life is not a set of binary decisions. The gray areas are where the best stories are culled from and "Wish I may" is no different. I'd put Busiek in Moore's league.
The end of the volume indicates that there is some sort of end game that Busiek is angling at here, but he's holding his cards pretty close to the vest. Given the importance of "ordinary" people in Astro City, I'm not sure where he's going, but I'm sure it will be a hell of a ride getting there, as it has been so thus far.
January 19, 2020
4.5 stars
Vol 11 maintains the odd-numbered anthology trend; all five of its stories are good, but three of them hit the high bar of a great AC story for me.
The two-issue story about “Ellie and her friends” follows a traumatized elderly loner who collects and rehabs damaged robots that were used in failed villain plots. Astro City is one of the only comics I can imagine pulling off a compelling cover of an elderly woman doing robotics tech repairs, and her story lives up to that uniquely exciting cover.
Waltz of the Hours shows The Dancing Master visiting Astro City’s dimension for a single day, awakening those nearby out of their life’s routines and inspiring them to seek out joy. In some cases they take charge of their life for the better, and some just have a manic window of irresponsible pleasure-seeking, but the story, presented non-linearly as 24 hours in 24 pages, is filled with the sort of quietly progressive humanity that AC is so good at. The interludes with the Dancing Master shift spectacularly through a range of kaleidoscopic art styles as well.
Wish I may... is a surprisingly touching coming of age story. Fitting in a mystery, school age social politics, and an understated but especially progressive twist I didn’t see coming, it may be my favorite in vol11.
The other two stories include a day in the life of a personal assistant for an overbooked dimension-hopping starlet version of Doctor Strange, and a throwback small-time villain finding out if he can go straight or is destined for crime (drawn in a cartoon noir style that reminded me of Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series art). Plus, the final page in Vol11 teases a character I’d been looking forward to seeing again. I’m as excited as ever to see what’s next.
Vol 11 maintains the odd-numbered anthology trend; all five of its stories are good, but three of them hit the high bar of a great AC story for me.
The two-issue story about “Ellie and her friends” follows a traumatized elderly loner who collects and rehabs damaged robots that were used in failed villain plots. Astro City is one of the only comics I can imagine pulling off a compelling cover of an elderly woman doing robotics tech repairs, and her story lives up to that uniquely exciting cover.
Waltz of the Hours shows The Dancing Master visiting Astro City’s dimension for a single day, awakening those nearby out of their life’s routines and inspiring them to seek out joy. In some cases they take charge of their life for the better, and some just have a manic window of irresponsible pleasure-seeking, but the story, presented non-linearly as 24 hours in 24 pages, is filled with the sort of quietly progressive humanity that AC is so good at. The interludes with the Dancing Master shift spectacularly through a range of kaleidoscopic art styles as well.
Wish I may... is a surprisingly touching coming of age story. Fitting in a mystery, school age social politics, and an understated but especially progressive twist I didn’t see coming, it may be my favorite in vol11.
The other two stories include a day in the life of a personal assistant for an overbooked dimension-hopping starlet version of Doctor Strange, and a throwback small-time villain finding out if he can go straight or is destined for crime (drawn in a cartoon noir style that reminded me of Bruce Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series art). Plus, the final page in Vol11 teases a character I’d been looking forward to seeing again. I’m as excited as ever to see what’s next.
July 15, 2026
"Private Lives" sees Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson's alternate comic universe still delighting nearly 70 issues in.
This is another compilation of mostly one-shots, moving between the characters populating the titular city of superheroes and their foes. We get a disorganized Dr. Strange analogue and her with-it assistant as well as a rivalry between a cheerful high-school hero and his kid-genius nemesis that explores deeper issues of identity.
But my favorite arc is a two parter about an absent-minded old lady in the desert who fixes up injured robots and gives them a home. Imagine M.O.U.S.E.R.S. and Terminators that just need a little love...but of course, there's a nephew with a scheme, and everything nearly goes pear-shaped.
Busiek writes the stories with skill and charm, and Anderson (with covers and design assists from Alex Ross) does an excellent job illustrating. If you like superheroes but welcome a different angle on their exploits, "Astro City" is a wonderful series to check out.
This is another compilation of mostly one-shots, moving between the characters populating the titular city of superheroes and their foes. We get a disorganized Dr. Strange analogue and her with-it assistant as well as a rivalry between a cheerful high-school hero and his kid-genius nemesis that explores deeper issues of identity.
But my favorite arc is a two parter about an absent-minded old lady in the desert who fixes up injured robots and gives them a home. Imagine M.O.U.S.E.R.S. and Terminators that just need a little love...but of course, there's a nephew with a scheme, and everything nearly goes pear-shaped.
Busiek writes the stories with skill and charm, and Anderson (with covers and design assists from Alex Ross) does an excellent job illustrating. If you like superheroes but welcome a different angle on their exploits, "Astro City" is a wonderful series to check out.
October 31, 2019
Another good Astro City volume. As the title suggests, this deals more with the private lives of some characters rather than just superhero action. We have a story very much like Wong and Dr. Strange, focusing on the life of Astro City's top mystic hero, or more specifically, her assistant. Wong and Doc Strange are female here, but otherwise the relationship is a bit similar. We also have a thief who just can't give up his ways, and an aging lady who has turned an army of killer robots into a family friendly roadside attraction. There's also a very human tale about a teenage supervillain genius. Overall a good series of standalone stories, although at the end we find out they may not be "standalone" after all.
June 13, 2020
This was a really great volume. Each story was very enjoyable and original. The Dancing Master issue was such a testament to Brent Anderson's artwork, the shifts in styles and mix of perspective was just so well done. The storytelling in this issue was also very different and interesting. The old lady robot builder was a great character and I loved her attitude towards robots in general it was very wholesome. Also wholesome was the Starbright issue, (SPOILER FOR JUST THIS ISSUE:) the inclusion of a trans character in this series felt so fitting and I hope we see more of her in later issues (and judging by the last page of this volume I suspect we will).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2020
A collection of short stories revolving around new characters for the Astro City pantheon which are all oddly connected by the return of the Broken Man. The first deals with the assistant of the Silver Adept, the Sorcerer Supreme analog for this series and the trials she faces. Next we have a villain's perspective, The Gentleman Bandit, and his rise to crime and why he continues. An out of sequence story appears next, surrounding an extra-dimensional character called The Dancing Master. A tale of a woman who created a museum from repairing criminal's derelict robots.
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