Following the triumph of Marvels and from the ashes of a proposed sequel that fell apart, Kurt Busiek launched Astro City with Brent Anderson on interior art and Marvels collaborator Alex Ross on covers and character designs. On the series’ 30th anniversary, we look at the complicated development of the series and its first six stories. We also ask some conceptual questions. Should Astro City be considered part of the larger superhero deconstructionist movement of the Iron Age, or something else entirely? Are the series’ familiar-but-different superheroes “analogues” or “archetypes”? Is there such a thing as including too many Easter eggs? And what’s the difference between “superheroes in the real world” and Astro City?

Discussed in this episode: the first volume of Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #1-6, published by Image Comics (as originally reprinted in the Life in the Big City trade paperback and other subsequent collected editions)

The municipality of Astro City is probably supported with robust and progressive property taxes, but our podcast relies on listener support at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONCLUDES! Where were you when the lights went out? Your hosts were reading DC’s 1996 crossover, The Final Night, in which the Earth’s sun is blotted out, robbing Superman of his powers. A somewhat somber alternative to the traditionally bombastic action-packed crossover, writer Karl Kesel with artists Stuart Immomen with Jose Marzan, Jr. craft a crossover without a main villain (except for the ones trying to help out), focusing instead on how superheroes cope with what looks like the end of the world. This issue also features the final fate of Hal Jordan/Parallax, giving Ron Marz the opportunity to send off the character he so radically upended (and putting a nice neat bow on all our recent Green Lantern coverage).

Discussed in this episode: The Final Night #1-4, plus Parallax: Emerald Night.

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SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! We’ve discussed tie-ins to DC’s 1994 continuity-altering crossover Zero Hour on a couple occasions so far, but now we finally tackle the main series itself. Billed as “The Beginning of Tomorrow!” and a fresh entry point for new and lapsed readers alike, writer-artist Dan Jurgens pits DC’s heroes against Extant and Parallax for the fate of the universe…and the good guys don’t quite stop them in time! The result is a new timeline (reflected in a literal printed timeline of events included in the last issue), a hard reboot for the Legion of Super-Heroes (the first of many, unfortunately), and some questionable changes to Batman’s history (which have since been overturned). We also do a real nerdy deep-dive on DC continuity and the lingering effects of 1986’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Justin finally lets Jim explain what the deal with Monarch was.

Discussed in this episode: Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #0-4 (well, actually #4-0…)

Bonus episodes and a newsletter at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! Comic book annuals are a remnant of the newsstand distribution era, when Marvel and DC tried to get some extra-sized product on the rack for the summer. With the advent of the direct market, annuals lost a bit of their luster, so Marvel began using them as a vehicle for linewide crossovers. “Atlantis Attacks” from 1989 sprawled across 14 annuals, contriving a way for the Silver Surfer, the Punisher, and three non-consecutive Spider-Man annuals to somehow participate in the same story as the Avengers and Fantastic Four. While Atlantis does indeed attack the surface world (eventually), the main focus of this story is actually the Deviant villain Ghaur, seeking to bring Set the Elder God to Earth. We also take a snapshot of the Marvel Universe circa 1989, learn the history of the Serpent Crown (it involves, canonically and inextricably, Conan the Barbarian) and celebrate Namor the Sub-Mariner’s 50th anniversary (largely by sidelining him from the story).

Discussed in this episode: Silver Surfer Annual #2, Iron Man Annual #10, X-Men Annual #13, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23, Punisher Annual #2, Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9, Daredevil Annual #4 (...or is it #5?), Avengers Annual #18, New Mutants Annual #5, X-Factor Annual #4, Web of Spider-Man Annual #5, Avengers West Coast Annual #4, Thor Annual #14, Fantastic Four Annual #22, plus New Mutants #76 and selected material from Marvel Comics Presents #26 and Avengers West Coast #56.Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

In the wake of Tim Burton's 1989 version of Batman, Hollywood tried to recapture its blockbuster success by fast-tracking a number of movies featuring other masked heroes. It may seem strange today, however, that so many of those heroes were pulp and pulp-inspired adventurers in period 1920s/30s settings. The films that followed--The Rocketeer (1991), The Shadow (1994), and The Phantom (1996)--were neither financial hits nor critical darlings, but they each have their fans. In this preview episode, we theorize about why studios in the 1990s thought this was the way to go. If this discussion whets your appetite, you can find a full-length bonus episode where we talk about each film in depth on patreon.com/ironageofcomics

SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! Marvel’s X-titles are practically a superhero universe unto themselves, and the tradition of regular crossovers between them continues to this day. We take a look at the very first of these epics, “Mutant Massacre,” which follows the wholesale slaughter of the underground Morlock community through parallel story threads in Uncanny X-Men and X-Factor, while also winding its way through several other titles, both mutant-related and not-so-mutant-related. But whereas most crossovers are top-down editorial-driven stunts, the “Massacre” began as a storytelling experiment between writers (and friends) Chris Claremont and Louise Simonson. We look at the history of the X-books as a franchise, labyrinthine plotting that may or may not ever pay off down the line, and how events like this shake up the status quo, for better or for worse.

Discussed in this episode: Uncanny X-Men #210-213, X-Factor #9-11, New Mutants #46, Power Pack #27, Thor #373-374, and Daredevil #238.

CHECK OUT THE MUTANT MASSACRE MAP:

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Mutant_Massacre?file=Mutant_Massacre_Map_001.jpg

SUPPORT THE PODCAST: patreon.com/ironageofcomics

The Iron Age boys share a few personal reflections about former Marvel editor-in-chief, writer, and all-around controversial comics industry figure Jim Shooter on the occasion of his passing.

SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR CONTINUES! Alien attacks on Earth are an almost routine occurrence in the DC Universe, but until 1988’s Invasion!, we’d rarely seen one treated as an actual global war, with campaigns on multiple fronts, chains of command, political negotiations and alliances, and massive casualties. In three 80-page giant issues, Keith Giffen brainstorms an alliance between the Dominators and several other alien empires, Bill Mantlo supplies the dialogue, and Todd McFarlane and Bart Sears bring it to life in the art. We weren’t sure what to expect from this borderline-forgotten crossover, so we were pleasantly surprised to enjoy a rollicking superhero epic. The series also reveals the origins and mechanisms behind how metahuman super powers work in the post-Crisis DCU (if you’re into that sort of thing). Listeners of our series on Morrison and Truog’s Animal Man will find revealed in these pages the source of Buddy Baker’s malfunctioning abilities!

Discussed in this episode: Invasion! #1-3, plus various tie-ins and the Daily Planet Extra.

Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics

SUMMER CROSSOVER SPECTACULAR BEGINS! Love 'em or hate 'em, big event comics were a defining feature of the Iron Age, cramming a whole universe of superheroes into a single miniseries and/or spreading a single story out over multiple titles. We begin three months of surveying the crossover phenomenon with one of the first major examples: Marvel’s Secret Wars II, written and architected by friend-of-the-podcast* Jim Shooter. Whereas the original Secret Wars was designed to take place relatively unobtrusively between issues of the regular monthly books, the sequel sprawled across the Marvel Universe for nine months. 

The cosmic being known as the Beyonder has come to Earth seeking the meaning of existence, and his limitless power—coupled with childlike curiosity and naivete—makes him a potential threat to the entire multiverse. But, in contrast with its action-packed predecessor, the frequently bizarre Secret Wars II spends much of its time on fish-out-of-water hijinks, thinly veiled attacks on former Marvel creators, mild satire of '80s consumer culture, and some uncomfortable fixations regarding women and relationships. 

Discussed in this episode: Secret Wars II #1-9, plus various tie-ins.

_________

* (Not really.)

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Concluding (for now) our look at the saga of Kyle Rayner, the last of the Green Lantern Corps (for the ‘90s, at least). Just when Kyle finally thinks he’s proved himself for all time as a worthy owner of the power ring, his future comes into question when a trip to the 30th century reveals the Legion of Super-Heroes have no record of his career as Green Lantern. His position isn’t much more secure in the 20th century after he picks up an unplanned stowaway on his travels through time: a novice Hal Jordan. By the time Parallax shows up, all our emerald gladiators have to confront their legacies for better or for worse. As we wrap up, we’ll also talk about the real-world legacy of the character and comic in the wake of Hal Jordan’s more permanent return in Geoff Johns’ Green Lantern: Rebirth.

Discussed in this episode: Green Lantern #95-106, plus crossover issues of Green Arrow and The Flash.

We could use a little green ourselves! Support the show at patreon.com/ironageofcomics