Astro City #1/2 - What I Saved

   (Continuing the series about the comics I saved when I sold most of my collection recently. This post includes sections from an essay in 2015.)

   As much as I hate admitting having, well, human emotions, last night I was eating dinner at a restaurant, reading a book on Kindle, and I reached a surprising, sweet and touching moment, and my eyes started to fill with tears. 

   Fortunately, no one noticed, and I kept it together - but it made me think about the rare times that a comic book has caused such an emotional reaction.

   For example...

    The seamy underbelly of comics collecting - especially in the 1990s - was the exclusive comic, available only through special orders, extra expense or some such subterfuge.

   I usually ignored that sort of thing, but yes, I admit, I occasionally broke down and put in an order. And sometimes, it was worth it.

   Case in point: Kurt Busiek's Astro City #1/2, which just happens to be one of my all-time favorite comics.

   It tells the story of Michael Tenicek, a regular guy in a regular job who has an unusual problem - he keeps dreaming about a beautiful woman. He feels a connection to her - but he can't figure out who she is, or where he's seen her before.

   It's a mystery that consumes his life, until the answer arrives in the form of the mysterious Hanged Man, a mystic guardian in Astro City.

   He tells Michael the story behind the dream - and forces him to make a painful choice.

   It's a heart-breaking story that's sweet and touching and unforgettable - and yes, it brought genuine tears to the eyes of this grizzled comic book veteran.

   It was just another day at the office for the team of writer Kurt Busiek and artists Brent E. Anderson (here with inker Will Blyberg). They've teamed up on an incredible number of wonderful stories in the wide-ranging Astro City series, and this may be the best of the run - and that's really saying something.

   This story has been reprinted elsewhere, but I treasure this issue - as much as I hate to admit it, it was well worth the hassle and expense of the original order.

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

Grade: A+