Astro City (2013-2018) Vol. 16: Broken Melody

Astro City #16

by Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson (Artist)

New stories from Kurt Busiek's Eisner Award-winning series ASTRO CITY, home to a world of superheroes, presented in hardcover format.

Kurt Busiek's Astro City is an American superhero anthology comic book series centered on a fictional American city of that name. The ASTRO CITY series continues in ASTRO CITY VOL. 16: BROKEN CENTURY.

The Broken Man returns, revealing secrets that will draw you deep into his broken life, and into turn-of-the-century Astro City, when it was still Romeyn Falls, Dame Progress patrolled the skies and a rebellious power was growing, seething to break free. Featuring Mister Cakewalk, Jazzbaby and a very strange home called the Dream House. Beginning a whole arc of revelations about Astro City's past, and a dire threat to its future.

Continuing the Eisner Award-winning series, author Kurt Busiek presents ASTRO CITY VOL. 16: BROKEN CENTURY.

Collects issues #37, #38, #41, #43, #45 and #46. #41 is the double sized 100th issue!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2018

About the author

Kurt 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,

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Broken Man returns, narrating the stories of a series of heroes influenced by the counterculture of each era. It's an interesting twist. The groundwork for some of this was laid over 20 years ago, which is pretty impressive. I just didn't care how there wasn't a resolution. Hopefully it gets wrapped up in the next volume, the last volume of Astro City for now.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always happy to visit Astro City. The series is and always has been a love letter to the excitement of reading about the adventures of superheroes. Busiek, Anderson, and Ross have taken the familiar tropes of traditional comics and added their own special blend of humanity, emotional beats, and loving pastiche. It never fails to warm my heart. This is the superhero book I always wanted to read as a kid.

This is volume sixteen, I think? I know I've missed quite a few. But this is a series that one can jump into just about anywhere. It's been building like a mosaic, with background characters from early issues having their stories told much later. Astro City has a rich history, with tales of its past having a bearing on its future.

This story follows a musical thread from the past to the present, hinting at a long term conflict that could be catastrophic if the wrong side wins. Among other delights, we learn of the hero after which the city is named, and we finally get the origin of the Bouncing Beatnik!

I don't want to spoil anything, but I'm not crazy about how the story ended. The beginning and middle were fine, and I was really loving the book. And then … it was more anticlimactic than I was expecting. It's the sort of thing that could get picked up at a later date and brought to a more satisfying conclusion, and that may be Busiek's intent. We'll see. In any case, it's still Astro City. And, as such, it is highly recommended!

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yahoo! My new library has all the Astro City volumes my last library was lacking! Time for a week-long binge to catch up!

This is one of the worst volumes of Astro City, redeemed only by the chapter in the middle about the origin of the Gentleman, Astro City's tuxedoed version of the Shazam Captain Marvel.

The rest of the book is a meta mess with a framing device narrator called the Broken Man who, true to his name, babbles, disappears and reappears, and fails to tell one of the stories he is supposed to tell. It's a dull, herky-jerky, and century-spanning tale of heroes and antiheroes who represent the changing music of the counterculture from every decade or so. Sooo meh.

My least favorite volume of the binge, but it still gets three stars thanks to the Gentleman.

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Tis the end of the journey, as season 3 comes to an end, and with still so much to happen surely?
.
Another innovative volume led by the lives of ordinary people a petty crook, an investigative reporter and a man that runs a support group. More highly original origins and/or powers, and a fair amount of reveals.
.
7.5 out of 12

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

And the grand re-read is almost done. I rarely re-read my reviews before I re-read a book when I've already decided to re-read it. So I'm always wondering when I read it after to see if my opinion has changed. This book seemed off. I mean it was fine. And I liked a lot of the details, but I just didn't like the whole. And mostly it was the Broken Man. Which is weird cause I kind of like the Broken Man art. And on this read through, I liked the incarnations of musical rebellion. But this was definitely one of the weaker books.

I liked it, and it was still Astro City. But there was something kind of missing, something that just didn't work. Maybe it was the idea of the Broken Man talking directly to us. Or the idea of the spirit of music. Maybe it was the large number of characters, individually great but otherwise just overwhelming. It was going to see the origin of Astro City, but the Astro-naut was a little lame. Still good though, and better than many. 3.5 of 5.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing that always amazes me about Astro City is not that it tells stories of superheroes in the big city but that it arrived fully created with a an extensive history running back in time for almost a century. Busiek created not only the modern city most of the stories are set in but the full blown timeline of Astro City, complete when issue #1 came out. Excellent stories and art. Highly recommended

[Michael Emond · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this whole Broken Man story-line progresses to an unsatisfying end here. One thing you can always say about Busiek's writing of Astro City is that he takes chances. This one was a long dangling thread brought up dozen of issues ago. It was irritating when it first appeared but you think "maybe it will play out well", but it didn't. In the end it was (for me) a failed experiment. There were still some parts of it that I liked - the idea that the rebellion of music manifested itself as a hero - Cakewalk, Zoot, Jazz, Hippie, Glam Rock throughout the ages and ala Doctor Who the reincarnations each had a different personality. But the overall idea of the Broken Man reveal and the way he breaks the fourth wall to talk to us (ala Grant Morrison and Animal Man) didn't do it for me and came across as forced. I think Busiek wanted us to notice this snake motif in villains popping up when we went back to read past issues and be "oh! I appreciate this in a new light now" but the idea behind it (the snake is "darkness" and it hates the "light" of humans) seemed lame to me.

The other side stories were not that strong - Astro-naut and the origin of the Gentleman BUT still enjoyable.

I think this was one of my least favourite collections so far. I have to admit Astro City has been losing steam for a few volumes now (not with each volume but just as a general trend) and the fact the next one marks the end of the single issues (and the beginning of WHOLE graphic novels) is probably not the worst thing.

To end on a more positive note - I still appreciate the creativity Busiek and his team (Alex Ross and Brent Anderson) bring to every issue. And it is still an above average comic book worth the read.

[Trike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one started off in a hole for me, because of all the Astro City characters — of which there hundreds — the Broken Man is my least favorite. Mostly that’s down to the breaking of the fourth wall, something that I absolutely loathe in comics. Hot tip, creators: it never works. Never. No one is good enough to pull it off.

(Don’t tell me about your favorite example. I’ve read it. I hated it, too. Yes, that includes Deadpool.)

So imagine my surprise to discover that I mostly liked this edition despite Brokie being the feature. We get to finally see the origins of The Astro-Naut, for whom Astro City was named, and The Gentleman, who was always a weird duck, even for this place. Plus, we get to see the over-arching threat that’s been lurking out in the cosmos all these decades. Only slightly disappointed it’s a Cthulhu-type beastie, but it does have nice echoes with the late great MMO City of Heroes.

As always, Busiek, Ross and Anderson have been playing the long game, because a lot of the stuff revealed here was already present back in the day. For instance, The Gentleman’s first appearance had a hint as to his origin, only just now revealed, more than two decades later.

So all in all it far surpassed what I was dreading. I suspect BM will be the star of the next edition, too, since s/he seems to be entangled with the ultimate big bad. But one of the few tropes Astro City hasn’t yet taken on is the world-shattering mega crossover. I hope it’s as big and twisty as the Silver Agent’s story was.

Edit: fixed typos. I had cataracts when I originally wrote this.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this volume isn't as strong as others, it still is an interesting, if not enjoyable, read.

Leave it to Busiek to experiment so heavily and literally outside the realm of the Astro City reality. He brings back the Broken Man to talk to us directly, and yes I mean breaking the 4th wall, to try and give us more of an idea of what is going on with certain characters and a threat to their universe. And while I was hoping for more of a cohesive and emotional ending, Busiek ends the volume rather obtusely and open ended.

A thread, in this case literally, runs throughout the entire volume, about music and the spirit of rebellion that allows new genres to manifest. This spirit then becomes a new hero until the zeitgeist of music changes, and so does the hero. Its an interesting premise, and again one that seemed to be leading to a more cohesive end, but alas its not to be.

Not to say this is a bad volume. Astro city is one of those comics that even the "not as good" are still better than a lot of comic books that are written. And Busiek is one of those writer's that in my opinion, is one of the greats and is under appreciated.

I know there's one more volume coming for Astro City, and I cant wait to see how it will wrap up.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more. Busiek channels some of the more out-there Grant Morrison tropes (and a little Ellis thrown in for good measure), as he uses a fourth-wall-breaking madman to recount a series of events across the decades, focused on a snake cult and a hero who seems to reinvent themselves to embody the counter-culture. It's a great idea and several of the standalone stories work well with it. I especially like that the morphing hero isn't the center of all the stories - sometimes he just appears in a frame or two as we instead focus on the Science Hero that Astro City was named after. It's all interesting, but it never hits the emotional resonance that most Astro City volumes do. And it ends with no real sense of resolution at all. It's not a terrible book by any means, but judged against the higher standards I hold Astro City too, this is a lesser volume. Still definitely worth the read, though. And some of the art is very good, with the character design being particularly on point for the eras.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another volume down, one more to go. I can't believe that volume 17 is the last volume of the Astro City saga after all these years, but I will talk about that after I read volume 17. This volume served to tie in with the meta-story that has been taking place since the title moved to Vertigo Comics with Astro City, Vol. 9: Through Open Doors. This gives us some more history on Astro City throughout the years and includes the 100th issue of the Astro City comic book, that tells the story of how the city got the name "Astro City." I was shocked to realize this had never been talked about in the comic till now. While this was not one of the "stronger" volumes, I still am always happy to read any book from this franchise.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volumes focuses on heroes from Astro City’s past, back to when the metropolis was called Romelyn Falls. We see the origins of The Gentleman and The Astro-Naut (whom Astro City was later named after), two characters mentioned and pictured often, but never before have they been the center of attention.



But primarily The Broken Man describes an entity which shifts with the musical currents of the time. The entity has some strange connections to a snake cult, and The Broken Man describes various stories tracking this odd entity as he becomes Mr. Cakewalk around the turn of the 20th Century, Jazz Baby in the 20s, The Bouncing Beatnik in the 50s, The Halcyon Hippie in the 60s, and ____ in the 70s - then a catastrophe leads to a different entity being spawned. As before each of these characters had been mentioned in various issues, but now they are all drawn together definitively.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the penultimate Astro City collection, which probably explains why we get so many origins: the Astro-Naut (a Howard Hughes/Tony Stark type who goes from pulp crimefighter to Flash Gordon-style space adventurer), the Gentleman (not the origin I'd have imagined), the Bouncing Beatnik and the Broken Man who appeared off and on throughout this series. It turns out there's a looming threat that wants to obliterate humanity, with its willingness to laugh in the face of death. Against that threat, humanity's rebel spirit has manifested through music (Mr. Cakewalk, Jazz Baby, Zoot Suit, the Bouncing Beatnik ...) and this collection shows us how that battle played out over the 20th century (it wraps up, presumably, in the Big Finish out in TPB next year). I could have done without breaking the fourth wall (that rarely works well, and didn't work here) but otherwise very good.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Busiek & co. continue to produce the most amazing superhero comic in the industry. Issue after issue. Year after year. Decade after decade. This series continually leaves me in awe. The team builds on each previous story, on each previous character and arc, on each previous volume - all while making each new issue a fresh launching point. The rich characterizations and emotional resonance of even the seemingly insignificant supporting characters show just how much each creator is invested in this material. This volume also perfectly illustrates how long some stories take to unfold, and enormous amount of reward that a long time reader (or repeat reader) can gain from this remarkable world. Busiek deserves to be recognized as master-world-builder of fantasy.

[Rockito · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know where Busiek is going with all this, but the plots about the origins of Astro City are great.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Astro city meets the Morrison-era of comics that are fueled by a counterculture movement and psychedelics. The fourth wall melts away as the reader is confronted time and again about our own place in Astro City as we gawk at the world within and possibly control the outcomes. The movements change from
Swing to rock but the idea that young people and people of color find things and try to make changes and embrace something new (until they themselves become replaced by something newer).

This one was awesome. Pirogies?

[Jacob A. Mirallegro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume was really incredible and revealed so much. I don't want to give any spoilers but the music avatars were so cool and had magnificent designs. I loved what they represented and how their stories were executed. Learned a lot more about The Broken Man too which was really cool, I only worry that his story won't get wrapped up by next volume and I'll have to eagerly wait for the next series' release (which I'll probably do either way). The Gentleman's origin was a long time coming and what I wasn't expecting was how in-theme with the rest of this volume it would be. All around this volume was very strong and gave a lot to think about and the super creative characters made it enjoyable through and through.

[Randy Lander · Rating 3 out of 5]

For whatever reason, the Broken Man leaves me cold, so his heavy use in this volume drags it down a little for me. Still love these glimpses into Astro City’s past and cant wait for more, as always.

[Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've made no secret that I feel that Astro City is at its best when Kurt Busiek focuses not on the superheroes, but instead on the people who live in Astro City--the sorts of characters that give a sort of "on the ground" feeling for how it is to live in a world where superheroes actually exist, but where the focal point is on people who aren't superheroes themselves. However, Busiek has written good superhero stories for both Marvel (Avengers Forever) and DC (The Legend of Wonder Woman with Trina Robbins) so even though I find myself preferring the "on the ground" (and off the beaten path) Astro City stories, that is not to say that Busiek is unable to write successful superhero focused stories with Astro City. The early Confessor arc is one of the best of the series, so I knew that Busiek was capable, but I also get the feeling that given that some of his heroes are analogues for other pre-existing heroes (the DC "Big Three" and the Fantastic Four immediately come to mind) Busiek didn't see much of a need to care about the superheroes of Astro City very much. However, first and foremost, Busiek is a storyteller, and ever since he introduced the Broken Man (who is the main narrator of most of Broken Melody) it has felt that Busiek has been working to some end game since the beginning of Astro City, vol. 3. After all, the thing that makes Astro City special is the heroes, right?

If there is something that Busiek cares about as much as the citizens of Astro City, it's the history of Astro City. With the exception of the "Astro-Naut" story (which is the 100th issue of Astro City and the origin of how the city got it's name, all of the stories concern themselves with music and a series of avatars who seem to embody the cultural trends of the time and who may or may not have a relationship to the Broken Man (Busiek doesn't come right out and say what this relationship is, but I think most readers will come to the conclusion I did.) It's hard to discuss these musical avatars without blowing some major plot points, but I did appreciate when Busiek's David Bowie-esque avatar mentions the bands Television and in a round-about way the Sex Pistols. As someone who hosts a weekly indie rock radio show, it warmed my wannabe-hipster little heart.

Given the setups in this volume, I have a feeling we've probably seen the last of the "on the ground" Astro City stories and at this point, I think that's okay, having seen sorcerer's administrative assistants, superhero help desk and the reluctant hero storylines. I am aware that there is only one collection of Busiek's Astro City left to read, and I'm sure that Busiek wanted to go out with a bang. Let's hope it's a satisfying end.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reread. I enjoyed this more this time around. I don't normally like meta fiction or breaking the fourth wall, but knowing it was coming made it more palatable. Busiek writes it well. And having two different characters break the fourth wall for different reasons, one surprising the other, was entertaining.

We learn more about the Broken Man. We get stories about the spirit of music and rebellion which manifests as different beings in different generations. We meet the Astro-Naut, who Astro City is named after. We get the origin of the Gentleman. And then back to more Broken Man and the Oubor. For all his fourth wall awareness, the Broken Man isn't omniscient, and gives an skewed perspective to the stories.


-------------------------


First review:

This one didn't grab me. The more I think about it, the more I analyze it, the better it seems. But I didn't love it while I was reading it.

This volume is narrated by the Broken Man. I never liked characters breaking the fourth wall. I like to disappear into a story and this trope always ruins the illusion. For the through-story, we follow a character who is the embodiment of counterculture and rebellion through music. What does that mean? Well, there's Mister Cakewalk, then Jazz Baby, then Zootsuit, the same being changing with the times. But really, this is story is to give us hints of the Oubor, the cosmic evil the Broken Man has been warning us about.

The book uses real unrest in the world as its backdrop, stuff that happened in your great(to the nth power) grandparents time. Don't know what the cakewalk or the zoot suit riots are? They're worth looking up.

I guess I'm not really a fan of abstract concepts as superheroes. Even the origin of the Gentleman fit this theme.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a couple of volumes now, the mysterious Broken Man has been floating in and out of continuity; warning readers of some terrible doom. In Astro City, Volume 16: Broken Melody, many (but not all) of the questions of the Broken Man's origin are explored. Also, we get an in-depth look at the importance of Astro City's music scene and it's long history of music genre themed superheroes.



Somewhere in the middle of this volume is the 100th issue ever published about one of my favorite comic book cities. It explores the controversial origin and history of the Astro-Naut. This Clark Kent/Tony Stark/Howard Hughes hybrid is whom the city gets it's moniker. It was a wild 1940s era ride.



This entire volume was absolutely fantastic. Every story was top notch stuff from Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross. I also pride myself at solving the mystery behind this entire story before the big reveal!



Astro City hasn't dropped in quality. But Broken Melody is one of the best volumes in this series. And it's the best story arc I have read since Volume 14: Reflections; the Tarnished Angel sequel.



If you read one non-main stream superhero this year- this volume is in a very close tie for the one I recommend. Jeff Lemire's Black Hammer, Volume 1 is the other honoree.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Busiek has been teasing at a larger story since the beginning of the Vertigo run. That story comes to a head here, as the secrets of the Broken Man and the Oubor are revealed. I thought it was great. This book essentially constitutes one arc, taking us through a countercultural history of Astro City in the 20th century. The Astro-Naut and Gentleman issues can be read on their own, but they tie in to the larger narrative (even though they’re quite good on their own).

Through the Broken Man, we learn that several beings across time existed as the personification of the rebellious music of their respective eras. This might fall flat to some readers, but as a music nerd, I loved it. It’s so cool seeing different musical eras in Astro City, and the heroes and villains that occupy them. Busiek and co. must have had a blast coming up with these characters. I especially loved the Jazzbaby issue taking place in the 1920s.

The last two issues get pretty trippy and I’m not sure they totally stick the landing. Still, this is a ballsy and unique story for Astro City. If you’re a music fan, you might appreciate it more, but there’re enough neat bits of Astro City history that readers will appreciate.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol 16 finally gives the spotlight to the Broken Man’s meta story teased at since vol9. Overall I’m still not sold on the meta-story being a necessary addition to this series, but this volume gives me more hope that it will be a worthwhile diversion by the end.

The first two issues here are set in the early 1900s, a period that isn’t my favorite, and I don’t love them on their own. They’re also guilty of some clumsily didactic dialogue on race, including several slurs but then pointedly avoiding the one slur that still holds the most power today (probably not a bad choice but still made the inclusion of the others all the more questionable to me). By the end of this collection, though, it becomes clear how these issues tie into the overarching plot and I appreciate the larger context they provide. They also have several great era-specific character designs.

The extra-long middle issue explaining Astro City’s namesake is probably my favorite issue here, and the issue most able to stand on its own. The Gentleman’s origin story is also clever and fun, and seeing that it was apparently seeded all the way back in Vol1 is neat. The Tom Wolfe analogue in one of the later issues is also a funny touch.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the personifications of rebellious music through the years, and the origin of the Gentleman was much more interesting than I ever expected, but I could have done with a bit less Broken Man, or at least a solid resolution to his storyline, and the Astro-Naut just didn't excite me at all.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting that in some places (e.g., here) this volume is referred to as "Broken Century."

Both make sense (and neither, unlike most comicbook subtitles, is a phrase in common use).

This is the story of a somewhat detail-free yellow figure representing popular music in different decades who ultimately becomes the Grant Morrison-style madman that we saw a few volumes ago. Although what's weird is that it does not really relate to the previous few volumes. It was indicated there that this was an overarching story. In truth, it's just an arc that was about as separate as the others.

Clearly, Busiek is uncomfortable with Cakewalk's patois. It's always a challenge whether such tropes should be deployed or not.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

The character design work, world building, and pastiche elements continue to amaze. I especially liked the concept of a heroic entity that takes its power from counterculture music and reborn as it changes. There was something missing here, though. It seems like the saga of the Oubor will continue, but I felt it should've been tied up here with the story of the Broken Man. And I have to say, the Broken Man's final speech wondering about where the spirit of rebellious music went reads like an old fogey complaining about modern music, which is funny considering Glamorax's comments to Carlotta Valdez the chapter before.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite of the Astro City saga, but still full of interesting bits, most of them origin stories about characters we've seen before, and drawing in threads that link several of them

While learning more about both Astro-Naut and the Gentlemen is good fun, the overarching story of the Broken Man and the musical spirit that links different eras of Astro City's history is the centerpiece here. It's a fascinating idea, generally executed well, even if the payoff doesn't quite pay off.

This is the penultimate volume of the Astro City saga. I'm looking forward to the final volume, as much as I regret it coming to an end.

[Willie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading what is currently the last collection of Astro City tales is pretty bittersweet. The Broken Man's origin story is a masterpiece in that it tells you the backstories of a mysterious character without making him seem any less mysterious. I love Astro City, and I do sadly regret that my vacation there seems to finally be at an end.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my least favorite volume of Astro City, although it still was readable. The story just seemed disjointed and confusing. The art was still top notch, but the story got a little metaphysical for me, and seemed a little out of place in this title. I guess Busiek just wanted to get a little artsy, which is his prerogative.

Only one volume left, sad to say.

[Professor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the concept of the counterculture hero and the incarnations but it all feels a little more of the same and the end is a super unsatisfying call to make vital music again, I think, to which I believe the correct response is “okay boomer.” Still I enjoyed it even if it was not my favorite Astro City