Astro City: Confession

Comic Info

Astro City #6

Reprints Astro City (1) #4-9 and Wizard Presents:  Astro City #1/2 (December 1996-January 1998).  Brian Kinney is a young man beginning a new life in Astro City.  When he becomes a busboy at club known for being frequented by superheroes seeking sidekicks, he catches the eye of a superhero known as the Confessor.  Becoming Altar Boy, Brian finds himself fighting crime…when the world begins to turn on the heroes who have protected them, Altar Boy learns that the Confessor might not be all that he seems and a greater threat could be facing the world.

Written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Brent Eric Anderson, Astro City:  Confession is the third collection of Astro City series and follows Astro City:  Family Album (which also contains Astro City (1) #10-13 that follow this collection).  The series collects the “Confession” storyline along with the award nominated Astro City #1/2 story “The Nearness of You”.

I love Astro City.  The idea of looking at the basic core of heroes is a great idea.  This volume looks at the life of a Robin-like sidekick which is fun.  While that could be the simple hook of this storyline, Busiek also weaves a rather strong story with Watchmen-esque elements.

Astro City #8

The series Brat Pack took a hard and dirty look at sidekicks with abuse and this story takes a more positive spin on the subject.  Here, a sidekick really is a hero in training and their “hero” is a mentor.  Much of Astro City is about the human aspect of heroes and in Brian you get a character who leaves the “normal” world to become a superhero.

The story also deals with a plot against superheroes.  In Watchmen, a fake alien invasion is plotted to unite the world.  Here a real alien invasion is created and unites the world.  The heroes of Earth find that an “evil” hero is the savior and the little mystery surrounding the Confessor and the invasion adds an extra twist to the story.

The 1/2 issue also provides a great read.  The story revolves around a man who is haunted by a woman who only he seems to know.  The story is almost an ode to these massive crossover series in Marvel and DC where the whole course of the world is changed (like in Crisis on Infinite Earths) and how the rewriting of history affects the everyman’s psyche.

I love Astro City.  It is a comic book reader’s comic book.  It is rich with concepts and ideas that really look at comic books and the reality that surrounds the stories in them.  Astro City:  Confession was followed by Astro City:  The Tarnished Angel.

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Related Links:

Astro City:  Life in the Big City

Astro City:  Family Album

Astro City:  The Tarnished Angel

Astro City:  Local Heroes