Astro City: Family Album

Busieks Astro City is a place where superheroes live more than it is a place where superheroic stories happen, and this book is more an ode to the myth of superhero lore than an adventure tale, although elements of the adventure permeate it. Busieks hope is to highlight the more humane elements of the superheroic existence, and to some degree the attempt is successful. We feel, for example, the conflict inherent in being both a superhero and an expectant father. However, the pace, which served Busiek well in Marvels (Marvel, 1994), another laconic superhero tale, is too slow here. The art is rich and resembles movie stills, as is appropriate for a family album. Readers steeped in superhero lore will probably enjoy this book. Others wont recognize the family whose portraits adorn this album. For large public libraries.Stephen Weiner, Maynard P.L., MACopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.