Astro City

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Astro City
AstroCity01.jpg
Cover art to Astro City (Vol. 2) #1 by Alex Ross.
Publication information
Publisher
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication date
  • (Vol. 1)
  • August 1995 – January 1996
  • (Vol. 2)
  • September 1996 – August 2000
  • Local Heroes
  • April 2003 – February 2004
  • The Dark Age and the specials
  • June 2004 – August 2010
  • (Vol. 3)
  • August 2013 – August 2018
  • (Vol. 4)
  • March 2022 – present
Creative team
Created by
  • Kurt Busiek
  • Brent Anderson
  • Alex Ross
Written by Kurt Busiek
Artist(s)
Editor(s)
Collected editions
Metrobook One ISBN   1-5343-2204-3
Metrobook Two ISBN   1-5343-2317-1
Metrobook Three ISBN   1-5343-2462-3
Metrobook Four ISBN   1-5343-9971-2
Metrobook Five ISBN   1-5343-9709-4

Kurt Busiek's Astro City is an American superhero anthology comic book series centered on a fictional American city of that name. Created and written by Kurt Busiek, the series is mostly illustrated by Brent Anderson, with character designs and painted covers by Alex Ross.

Contents

The first volume was published from 1995 to 1996 by Image Comics. In 1996, a second volume was launched under the Homage Comics imprint of Image partner studio WildStorm, which was then acquired by DC Comics, where the series later transitioned to the WildStorm Signature Series imprint and continued until 2010. During this period it switched from a regular ongoing series to a sequence of periodic mini-series and special issues. A third, ongoing volume was launched under DC's Vertigo imprint in 2013 [1] [2] and concluded in 2018, reverting to occasional miniseries and original graphic novels. Counting all series, mini-series and special issues, over 100 issues have been published. [3]

Characters

Some of the more prominent personalities of Astro City are listed below:

Heroes

Villains

Groups

Civilians

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a number of trade paperbacks:

Beginning in 2022, Image Comics began collecting Astro City in a series of thick trade collections, dubbed "Metrobooks":

Starting in 2023, Image Comics began releasing oversized hardcover collections of Astro City, dubbed "Opus Editions":

Awards

Astro City and its creators have won a number of Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards, the American comic industry's equivalent of science fiction's Hugo Awards, as well as several Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards.

Astro City won both the Eisner and Harvey Awards for Best New Series for 1996, the Eisner for Best Continuing Series for 1997 and 1998, the Harvey for Best Continuing or Limited Series for 1998, and was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Limited Series for 1997. The earliest collection Astro City: Life in the Big City, won the Harvey Award for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work for 1997 and the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Novel/Album for 1997. Astro City: Confession was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album of 1998 and 1999. Astro City: Family Album was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album of 1999.

Particular stories or storylines have also come in for honors. Astro City #1 won the 1996 Harvey for Best Single Issue or Story, while #4, "Safeguards", took the Eisner for Best Single Issue/Single Story for the same year. The 1997 and 1998 Eisners went to vol. 2, #1, "Welcome to Astro City", and vol. 2, #10, "Show 'Em All", respectively, and the 1998 Eisner for Best Serialized Story went to vol. 2, #4–9's "Confession" storyline.

"Welcome to the Big City" in Volume 2 #1 was a top vote-getter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Comic-Book Story for 1997. The story "The Nearness of You" from the #1/2 issue received votes for the same award that year, as did the "Everyday Life" story which ran in Volume 2 issues #2 and 3. The story "Confession" from Volume 2 issues #5–9 won the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story for 1998. "Show 'Em All" from issue #10 was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story for 1998.

Kurt Busiek was honored with 1998's Harvey and 1999's Eisner for Best Writer, in both instances for bodies of work including Astro City. Alex Ross took both awards for Best Cover Artist in 1996, 1997, and 1998, in all instances but one for Astro City or bodies of work including it (the exception was the 1997 Harvey, awarded for Kingdom Come #1). He also took 1999's Harvey and 2000's Eisner for Best Cover Artist, again for bodies of work including Astro City.

Other media

Film

In 2003, Ben Barenholtz, Jonathan Alpers and Busiek hoped to develop an Astro City movie, with Barenholtz as producer and Alpers as lead scripter, but the plans did not take off, [4] whereupon Barenholtz subsequently took the project to Working Title Films. [5] In July 2010, Working Title acquired the rights to make a live-action feature film adaptation of Astro City. [5] [6] Busiek was to write a script treatment, and also to executive-produce, along with Barenholtz and Alpers. [6] In May 2013, Kurt Busiek said that Working Title's option had lapsed but he was in negotiation with another party. [7]

Television

In March 2018, FremantleMedia North America announced intentions to produce a live-action Astro City TV series with a pilot episode written by Busiek and Rick Alexander. [8]

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References

  1. Sun, 03/31/2013 – 1:00pm (2013-03-31). "ASTRO CITY comes to Vertigo | Vertigo". Vertigocomics.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-31. Retrieved 2013-11-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. "Busiek's Triumphant Return to "Astro City"". Comic Book Resources. 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  3. Whitbrook, James. "Reflecting on 100 Issues of Astro City With Writer Kurt Busiek". io9. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  4. David Rooney (2003-11-19). "Panama Leo shapes up 'Astro' pic". Variety. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  5. 1 2 Fleming, Mike (21 July 2010). "Working Title Plants Flag in Kurt Busiek's Graphic Novel 'Astro City'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  6. 1 2 "SDCC: Working Title Films Adapting Astro City". ComingSoon.net. 2010-07-21. Archived from the original on 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
  7. Rogers, Vaneta (March 23, 2018). "Busiek, Anderson Gear Up for Astro City's New Ongoing". newsarama. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  8. Musnicky, Sarah (March 23, 2018). "FremantleMedia North America to Tackle an Astro City Series". Comingsoon. Retrieved March 23, 2018.