Astro City Vol. 02: Confession

Astro City is a metropolis filled by a multitude of superheroes and dastardly villains. It’s a place where Busiek explores the genre, the cracks in between the stories and how real people would fit into and react to such a world.

Confession is the 2nd in the series but I think can be taken standalone. We follow young Brian Kinney running from his past to become something big in the city and so he does.. sidekick to mysterious The Confessor.

It’s another great multilayered tale with luscious artwork. A tale of sidekicks and their teachers, of what it means to be a hero and if we can ever recognise those that are. It's a commentary on popularist politics, a fun superhero fight to save the world and an intriguing mystery.

Personal show more preference means I preferred the short story approach in Volume 1. However there is an extra separate story at the end of book, a lovely heart-rending story of loss and the comfort of memory. Gets extra brownie points for that.

Highly recommend this series to even non superhero fans. show less

The first novel-length story in the Astro City series. It tells the story of the Confessor and Altar Boy, (essentially the Astro City equivalent of Batman and Robin). There are no bad Astro City stories in my opinion, but this is probably my favorite of the whole series. As a bonus, it also includes the brilliant short story "The Nearness of You" at the end, which is probably the most famous AC story.

I haven't loved a comic book series so much since Locke and Key, The Walking Dead or early Fables. While these all have very different stories, the high quality of characterization and world building are what I admire in all of them.
Astro City is a city inhabited by superheroes, but most of the stories are told from the point of view of the humans whose lives are affected, for better or worse, by living among these powerful beings. Great great stuff, and I'm glad there are many more to read.

This volume of Astro City stands alone with the majority of the trade taking up the story of The Confessor and Altar Boy. More than that, as Introduction writer Neil Gaiman promises, this is a story where there is room for things to mean more than they literally mean. As a stand-alone story about a wide-eyed teen being mentored by one of Astro City's more mysterious heroes during one of it's darkest hours it is a great story. As a story about the nature of heroics and what it ultimately takes to be called a hero - it becomes so much more. When it begins to dig into the nature of humanity in the face of the gift of heroics - and whether we even recognize them when we see them, it is even better.

As always, Astro City is a lush and show more colorful place thanks to the talented artistry. Costume design for superheroes featured in just a few panels get amazing detail and thought. show less

How more people do not read this book I will never know. This story arc makes up one of the finest TPBs ever, in my Top 5 for sure. Great story about how easily popular opinion can be swung against those who stand out from the crowd, which in today's love 'em today - hate 'em tomorrow world of 24-hour news-entertainment is very poignant.

A young wannabe superhero called Brian Kinney arrives in Astro City and through diligent work attracts the attention of the Confessor, who takes him under his wing. He becomes a crime-fighter with the Confessor and finds that the superhero life is not all roses. The climax of this story made me sad, so that's a decent achievement.

This volume of Astro City there are two stories, one about a superhero called the Confessor and his sidekick Altar Boy and another about a man named Mike who remembers a girl. The first story is just so incredibly engaging, especially the relationship between the hero and his sidekick. The second story while incredibly short, is so heart wrenching how could it fail to move anyone.