The Broken Man’s history, spanning over a century and a half, is revealed at last. Michael Tenicek, Astro City’s most tragic survivor, hosts a support group for others like himself. And in between, we meet or re-meet heroes and villains ranging from Jack-in-the-Box to Mister Manta to Kittyhawk, G-Dog and the Pet Patrol. Star creators Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, Alex Ross and friends bring to live the heroes, villains and others of comics’ most astonishing city.
Kurt Busiek broke in as a comics writer in 1982, with stories in
Green Lantern #162 and
Power Man & Iron Fist #90, both out the same day. Since then, he's worked on just about everything from
Action Comics to
Zot!, including runs on
Avengers, Iron Man, Superman, Conan, and others, along with co-creating
Thunderbolts,
The Power Company and more. Best known for his work on the multiple-award-winning
Marvels and ASTRO CITY, he's been turning more and more to creator-owned work of late, including such projects as ARROWSMITH,
Superstar,
Shockrockets and THE WIZARD'S TALE, and is currently working on more ASTRO CITY along with his new series THE AUTUMNLANDS, drawn by Benjamin Dewey.
Brent Eric Anderson was born in San Jose, California in 1955 and grew up on the West Coast. His favorite comics - on the rare occasion he was allowed to read them - were
Archie,
Stumbo the Giant,
Hot Stuff the Little Devil, and
Dennis the Menace. His mother, influenced by the widespread bias against comics in the 1950s, favored classic children's literature, such as
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson and the
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. He's known for his work on
Somerset Holmes with Bruce Jones (and his wife April Campbell), the heroic space-opera,
Strikeforce: Morituri, written by Peter Gillis, and the award-winning
Astro City with Kurt Busiek. Other credits include J. Michael Straczynski's
Rising Stars, Green Lantern: Legacy, "The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan," (with Bill Sienkiewicz), written by Joe Kelly, and contributions to New 52
Action Comics #2, and a six-issue run on the New 52
Phantom Stranger, for DC Comics.
Born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Lubbock, Texas, Alex made his artistic debut at three when, according to his mother, he grabbed a piece of paper and drew the contents of a television commercial he'd seen moments before. By age 13 he was scripting and drawing original comic books. Ten years later? He was hired by Marvel Comics to illustrate Marvel's central characters in the comic book event,
Marvels (1994).
Having established himself creatively and financially with superhero projects, Ross turned to the real world with
Uncle Sam, a 96-page story that took a hard look at the dark side of American history. Like
Marvels, the individual issues of
Uncle Sam were collected into a single volume - first in hardcover, then in paperback - and remain in print today. Ross would eventually go on to win the Comic Buyer's Guide Award for Favorite Painter. He won so many times that the award was officially retired.
Alex's work has celebrated the 60th anniversaries of
Superman,
Batman,
Captain Marvel and
Wonder Woman with fully painted, tabloid-sized books, depicting each of these characters using their powers to inspire humanity as well as help them.
In recent years, Ross has applied his artistic skills to outside projects with comic book roots, including a limited-edition promotional poster for the Academy Awards. In 2015, Alex was chosen by Apple Corps LTD to be commissioned as the first artist in over 30 years to paint the Fab Four. Driven by the Beatles legendary music and inspired by the generation's new trends in art, "Yellow Submarine" is a classic of animated cinema. Alex has often been referred to as 'the Norman Rockwell of comics' yet his "Yellow Submarine" piece reveals the similarly powerful influence of master surrealist Salvador Dali, whom Alex has also recognized as a guiding influence on his style.
Forty years ago,
Spider-Man learned that with great power comes great responsibility. Looking at Alex Ross, it's obvious the lesson took.
Looking back, it makes perfect sense that Alex Ross would become one of the world's most preeminent and well-respected comic book artists. It's a job he's been preparing for nearly all his life.
Mike Norton creates Battlepug, his Eisner Award-winning webcomic, when he's not busy working on Revival with Tim Seeley. Capable of both kid-friendly cartooning and a harsher approach for older readers, Norton is one of the best artists in the business.
