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Two Comics Every Superhero Fan Should Read Today – and One of Them Is Free

Published Wed, 31 Jan 2018 14:30:52 -0600

Last updated Wed, 31 Jan 2018 18:57:50 -0600

If you are a superhero comic book fan, there are two things you should do today.

The first is to read Astro City 1/2: The Nearness of You. It was originally published as a sixteen-page story, free with Wizard Magazine #62 if you sent away a coupon, and paid postage.

You can pick copies up on eBay for about $6, but it is also currently available free on ComiXology. Here in America, here in the UK.

By Kurt Busiek. Brent Anderson, Will Blyberg and Alex Sinclair, it tells the tale of a man who is missing something. Or someone. There is a woman he remembers but who doesn't exist. It emerges that it's due to continuity changes, a side-effect of living in a superhero universe.

It's a classic. It won lots of awards. If you follow superhero comic book stories, it's a must. That's the first thing.

The second is to read Astro City #50. The first part of a three-part finale to the ongoing series, before it transitions to ongoing original graphic novels.

Because Astro City #50 is the sequel to Astro City 1/2: The Nearness Of You, twenty years after it was published. And a husband of a woman he never met, keeping her memory alive through support groups for those affected by superhero activity in Astro City. We hear some tales, we have to guess at others. And there are doughnuts. But it indicates that something is coming, And there are endings too.

For those like me, who have enjoyed Busiek's encapsulating of the love for superheroics in all their forms, in one cramped city, maybe popping in for a stay, before leaving for a while, but always returning, it may be time to settle in for this final serialised story.

Here's a preview of Astro City #50, out today.

Astro City #50
Our 50th issue begins a special new story: Michael Tenicek lost his wife, years ago, to a chronal cataclysm. But he's not the only one in Astro City whose life has been upended by life among the superheroes. Today, we'll meet others, learn their stories and see how Michael—and friends—cope with their trauma. A sequel to the Eisner-nominated "The Nearness of You," considered by many to be ASTRO CITY's best story ever.

Art by: Brent Anderson
Cover by: Alex Ross
Written by: Kurt Busiek

U.S. Price: 3.99
On Sale Date: Jan 31 2018

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