Rating: 
Summary: Great, great work
Review: In one of the other reviews someone complained that the ideas were unoriginal B-Movie ideas. I think that's half the point. The cover is done up to make this book look like an old Pulp book and the story could almost be from one of them - Except for the fact that most of the characters are super-villains and superheroes. Loads of cliches are in there, but I get the feeling that Kurt Buseik is revellingin that fact - and for me it doesn't detract from the story in the slightest.I'd say this is one of the better Astro City books (only topped by Confession) and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Still a great series
Review: In one of the other reviews someone complained that the ideas were unoriginal B-Movie ideas. I think that's half the point. The cover is done up to make this book look like an old Pulp book and the story could almost be from one of them - Except for the fact that most of the characters are super-villains and superheroes. Loads of cliches are in there, but I get the feeling that Kurt Buseik is revellingin that fact - and for me it doesn't detract from the story in the slightest. I'd say this is one of the better Astro City books (only topped by Confession) and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Wha' happen?
Review: Kurt Busiek's Astro City is normally the gold standard for superhero comics these days. The earlier stories, collected into Life in the Big City, Confessions, and Family Album, are wonderful works that serve to break the stereotypical superhero mold, presenting larger-than-life heroes (and villains) as having feelings and concerns with which the average person can identify. Even more, Busiek accomplished this in a framework that turned the stereotypical superhero story on its side, taking standard and tired comic book plots in directions you wouldn't think possible. It's hard to say what happened with this latest collection, "Tarnished Angel". Maybe Busiek was getting tired of Astro City, or maybe he had his mind on more high-profile projects like the Avengers. It suffices to say that "Tarnished Angel" is a significant drop in quality for the Astro City series. The story starts off in a very promising manner, actually. The villain Steeljack is released from a prison stretch with the intent of staying clean. Already we're introduced to unfamiliar comic territory, as we are presented with a villain who actually stays in prison, reflects on his wrongs, and does his time, instead of staging a grandiose escape in order to get revenge on the hero who put him there. Leave it to Busiek to write about what it's like to be a super-villain on parole! This alone makes for a fascinating story, and Steeljack probably would have been better off if we were just left with his day-to-day life on the outside. Unfortunately, the story continues by putting him in the role of a reluctant investigator for a series of murders in his old neighborhood. The following stories do nothing to develop his character; instead they take us on a tour of the Astro City universe and its history, while at the same time leading up to a conclusion that is as predictable as the old standby storylines that Astro City is normally lauded for expanding. The peripheral characters are nowhere near as intriguing as in previous collections, and the biggest evidence of this is the mid-story interruption with the trite tale of The Mock Turtle, a horribly conceived bit that has no place here, other than to serve as an extremely weak link. The art for this collection is seriously lacking, as well. Brent Anderson is a great artist, and he does an amazing job with detailing Steeljack's metal skin and capturing the "Mitchum" look, but it appears that the other characters and scenery suffer from a lack of detail. The art in general is very quick and sketchy, and not up to par with previous material. The most entertaining part of this collection for me was the sketchbook and cover gallery, showcasing Alex Ross' and Brent Anderson's designs... always a high point of these books, but for this one, it was the only high point. I'm keeping this one for completeness, but I don't have to like it.
Rating:
Summary: Wha' happen?
Review: Kurt Busiek's Astro City is normally the gold standard for superhero comics these days. The earlier stories, collected into Life in the Big City, Confessions, and Family Album, are wonderful works that serve to break the stereotypical superhero mold, presenting larger-than-life heroes (and villains) as having feelings and concerns with which the average person can identify. Even more, Busiek accomplished this in a framework that turned the stereotypical superhero story on its side, taking standard and tired comic book plots in directions you wouldn't think possible. It's hard to say what happened with this latest collection, "Tarnished Angel". Maybe Busiek was getting tired of Astro City, or maybe he had his mind on more high-profile projects like the Avengers. It suffices to say that "Tarnished Angel" is a significant drop in quality for the Astro City series. The story starts off in a very promising manner, actually. The villain Steeljack is released from a prison stretch with the intent of staying clean. Already we're introduced to unfamiliar comic territory, as we are presented with a villain who actually stays in prison, reflects on his wrongs, and does his time, instead of staging a grandiose escape in order to get revenge on the hero who put him there. Leave it to Busiek to write about what it's like to be a super-villain on parole! This alone makes for a fascinating story, and Steeljack probably would have been better off if we were just left with his day-to-day life on the outside. Unfortunately, the story continues by putting him in the role of a reluctant investigator for a series of murders in his old neighborhood. The following stories do nothing to develop his character; instead they take us on a tour of the Astro City universe and its history, while at the same time leading up to a conclusion that is as predictable as the old standby storylines that Astro City is normally lauded for expanding. The peripheral characters are nowhere near as intriguing as in previous collections, and the biggest evidence of this is the mid-story interruption with the trite tale of The Mock Turtle, a horribly conceived bit that has no place here, other than to serve as an extremely weak link. The art for this collection is seriously lacking, as well. Brent Anderson is a great artist, and he does an amazing job with detailing Steeljack's metal skin and capturing the "Mitchum" look, but it appears that the other characters and scenery suffer from a lack of detail. The art in general is very quick and sketchy, and not up to par with previous material. The most entertaining part of this collection for me was the sketchbook and cover gallery, showcasing Alex Ross' and Brent Anderson's designs... always a high point of these books, but for this one, it was the only high point. I'm keeping this one for completeness, but I don't have to like it.
Rating:
Summary: Great, great work
Review: Kurt Busiek's Astro City is the best superhero series going, and The Tarnished Angel is an epic of where thrilling action set pieces are every bit as propulsive as subtle character growth. Not to be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid but not Spectacular
Review: The fourth, and longest, of the compilations of Kurt Busiek's Astro City book has the most initial promise but seems to lose itself in the execution. Followers of the comic will know that the 7 issues of the "Tarnished Angel" arc were spread out over a very long time due to Busiek's illness. The product itself seems a little less focused than the previous 6 issue arc "Confessions." The central idea of the story is ingenious. A recently released supervillian returns to his tough neighborhood, populated by a variety of minor supervillians and black masks who work piecemeal for whomever they can. Someone is methodically killing off many of the black masks, and our protagonist, unable to find any other work (he has very conspicious steel skin) is hired to find the killer. As typical in Busiek's Astro City, no single event is unconnected with the City and world that surrounds it, and thus we are soon drawn into a story that reaches back into the history of Astro City's heroes. The weaknesses of the work become apparent as the story progresses. For instance, though we discover the identity of the killer (it's never really much of mystery) we are never given an adequate explanation of why the super powered hoods of Kiefer Square are killed off. This detail gets swept under the table as the stakes rise. While "Tarnished Angel" works very well at its primary intent, a character study of a troubled ex-villian trying to make things right, the lack of focus on certain plot events eventually becomes annoying. Too much of the action just happens and there are few if any suprises (the death of the Mock Turtle is one, but it is seemingly random and poorly explained.) Alex Ross's covers are, as usual, stunning, and Anderson's art, excellent without being distracting. Perhaps it is a compliment to Busiek's writing to say that "Tarnished Angel" is a great idea, which suffered from merely above average execution. A final note, the introduction to this book is written by Frank Miller, which would seem to be a bonus to fans. However, most of his remarks on the nature of comic book superheroes have already been made (and made with more relevance to Astro City) in the previous compilation's introductions. "Tarnished Angel" and the gritty Kiefer Square are a must for frequent tourists of Astro City, but first time visitors might enjoy themselves more taking the sights of Grandietti Cathedral in "Confessions" or seeing the sights atop Mt. Kirby in "Family Album."
Rating: 
Summary: Solid, but not quite as original as usual
Review: This fourth volume of Astro City stories by Kurt Busiek generally maintains the high storytelling standards of Life in the Big City, Family Album and Confession, though it's probably the weakest volume so far. The surface plot is reminiscent of Confession's backstory: in that collection, random Shadow Hill inhabitants were being killed by an unknown force; in Tarnished Angel, there are mystery killings occurring among the criminal population of Kiefer Square. As in Confession, discovering the identity of the killer isn't the story's motivating factor - rather, we're going on a journey of self-discovery with the hero / protagonist, discovering a little more of Astro City's collective history along the way. We learn little about the city's heroes in TA - Busiek concentrates instead on the villains / fallen heroes. What disappointed me about TA's cast is that they seem less real than the heroes Busiek depicts so well in, say, Family Album. The Kiefer Square hoods seem comparably one-dimensional, and I was most disappointed by the Mock Turtle tangent, where one seventh of the story is devoted to a cliched 'English' villain with a supporting cast of stereotyped Brit bad guys (The Lion, The Unicorn, The Toff... why can't the UK characters be as inventive as the Astro City regulars?) Still, the story is inventive, the art and covers are excellent, and this story makes the world of Astro City a little fuller - so I'd still recommend reading this!
Rating:
Summary: The weakest in the series
Review: This has been not only by far the weakest volume in the series but gave evidence that Busiek was running out of ideas by this point--it's by far the dullest and most clichéd story he's yet come up with--both the main story and the minor stories (such as that of El Hombre) seem to have plumbed from 40's B-movies. The characters don't seem either very original or very interesting, and the action really lags. With the conclusion of this storyline I decided to give up on Astro City--Busiek is a talented writer, but he's still a bit limited as far as his story ideas go.
Rating:
Summary: Very well done
Review: Wow, I found this to be just a fun read - it's just an extended storyline from a very human person's point of view; he just happens to be super strong and made of metal. He's an ordinary guy just trying to live his life without getting into any trouble anymore. Just a good superhero story, and a good crime story too. Solid.
Rating:
Summary: Great super-hero story
Review: Yet another triumph by the master of super-hero comics, the wonderful Mr. Kurt Busiek. While greats like Alan Moore and Frank Miller took the super-hero to disturbing new places and made them gritty and eerie, Busiek returned to the way super-heroes once were, and to what made them so inspiring and fascinating; on Tarnished Angel, though, he tackles the issue from the opposite direction, and takes the villain's side. The Steeljack character is one of the most interesting and complex characters in the Astro City universe, and his story is one of Busiek's greatest. Tarnished Angel takes on the character of a classic villain, and tells the tale from his point of view, building him into a character that is entirely human and entirely full. On the other hand we have the actual villain of the story, the Conquistador, and the comparison between his story and that of Steeljack makes for an interesting and provoking pairing. Also interesting is the story 'The Voice of the turtle', the tale of the British supervillain The Mock Turtle, which is both comic relief and an interesting look at the story from a different angle. One reviewer complained the British characters were too prototypical and not half as original as the Astro City heroes and villains, but I don't see that as a problem; these characters, other than being quite funny, give the reader the feeling that he's somewhere else. As Kurt explains in the intro, throughout the series, the further one travels from Astro City, the more accustomed to their location the characters get. As usual, special note should be given to Alex Ross's beautiful cover gallery (though I liked the ones in 'Family Portrait' better), as well as his fascinating pages of sketches and explanations about the various characters. Nobody can write a super-hero story like Kurt, and Tarnished Angel is, over all, one of the best super-hero stories you'll find. If you're a fan of the genre, consider it well worth your money.
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