You've ALL Been Sleeping On ASTRO CITY!

Welcome to Casually Comics today we're talking about a series that doesn't get enough love. Astro City a world populated by interesting heroes, villains and civilians. Enter this world as we meet the Samaritan,

#astrocity #samaritan #kurtbusiek

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[williamozier]

Honestly the story of the Samaratin added some depth to Clark Kent for me. In this story we can see one of the differences is that Clark decided and worked it out in his mind that it is just as important for him to be Clark Kent with friends and a life, as it is for him to be Superman.

[EmptyGoat]

I loved the "Why would anyone live in Astro City" story a few issues later. To me, it was one of the first times the true power of superheroes was shown. Great book, thanks for calling attention to it.

[cdusdrei]

His dreams that he's flying naked is a psychological representation of his desire to leave everything behind and just be free. Free of responsibility, of guilt, of worries, and just fly.

At least this is how I saw it.

[blackphoenix]

Poor Samaritan. He needs to get some sidekicks so he can take some time off.

[TarSpartan]

I was introduced to Astro City by the proprietor of a comic shop in Lansing, Michigan, who said "Kurt Busiek writes Iron Man for the paycheck. He writes Astro City for love." Since Busiek was in the middle of writing one of the best takes on Iron Man I knew, I took the proprietor at his word and checked out Astro City. I have loved the series ever since. Thanks for being a fellow lover of Astro City.

[victorstalnaker]

It is crazy how underappreciated and little known Astro City is.

[freman]

Samaritan is, in my opinion, the best non-Superman I've read, because he embodies the most important aspect of Clark Kent, his heart.

[chefedegaru]

"... But you do have to listen to me talk about it." - Sasha

"Absolutely." - littrtally everyone

[stevebruns]

It's surprising that no one's tried to adapt Astro City for television.

[Sklabah]

Yes yes yes. I've been re-reading Astro City recently, and just finished Confession. It brought me to tears, in that there is just so much humanity packed into the fantastic. It's inspiring and exciting and fun - The type of story creators wish they could write.

Astro City builds on and pays homage to what has gone before in comics, with love and respect. It's like the anti-Watchmen in so many ways. Cynicism is ditched for an earnest longing for joy, and I love it for that.

[morgandfreeman]

"Flying naked"..another thing I'd never would've thought of. Thank you comics

[defenstrator]

I love this issue as well. Another favorite is his nemesis who tells his own story when the Samaritan visits him for diner.

[johnathonhaney]

I'm an unapologetic evangelist of Astro City myself. I got interested flipping through some random issues during the much-delayed original run of the Confession storyline (yes, I am that old). But what sold me was that first story you just highlighted, which I read in Life In The Big City.

At the start, I was thinking Samaritan=Superman clone. Then my brains slammed on the brakes when I saw him stop a tsunami with a handful of lightning. I know it sounds silly but that moment of "Superman can't do that" was enough to make me go for the rest of the series. I've not regretted it since.

[InEachRetellingPodcast]

As someone who often experiences burnout AND guilt for not doing more with my life, I won't lie, the summary of this choked me up a bit. I'm gonna have to give this a try.

[SeekerLancer]

I love Kurt Busiek. He has such a deep understanding of super hero comics that allows him to give a perspective that's respectful to the genre while approaching it from an angle few people think about.

[vereen]

Wow when I was a young 20 something back in the 90’s I picked this comic up put it in plastic, added into my collection and never read it. It’s ironic that almost 30 years later I would have a young person with the same love for comics as I had back then would review this book that I purchased because I liked the cover art but no time to enjoy the story. Thank you, because you helped me scratch this off a very old to do list 👍🏾

[davna]

The most memorable thing from Samaritan was the way he was overbooked. He is micromanaging how much to dedicate to rescues and supervillain battles 😂 I mean if you have the luxury of allotting time to villain battles, you have to be awesome.

[DurrtyGato]

Astro City would make for a good HBO series one day.

[joeker]

The confessor arc was amazing. Astro city kept me in comics for a long time.

[garbodude]

Maybe my favorite comic series of all, there have been issues of this that have made me cry, or smile, or something in between. Beautiful stuff