Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant reinvention of the classic superhero
Review: Kurt Busiek has crafted an excellent superhero storyline in Confession. Astro City has, and continues to be the best pure superhero comic out,and Confession is the highpoint of the series. The story is completely told through the eyes of the Confessors sidekick, the Altar Boy. The fact that Busiek pulls off this narrative without seeming derivative is one thing, but the most impressive part is the quality of the story itself, and the shocking secret that the Confessor hides, adds to the drama. Throw in some mysterious religious imagery, and you get a solid enjoyable story to read. While it isnt as shocking or hilarious as Preacher, its an excellently written, beautifully drawn story, in the mold of classic comic book storytelling.
Rating:
Summary: The best story from comics' best series
Review: Kurt Busiek's "Astro City," while infrequent, is still hands-down the best comic book in recent memory, and possibly the best superhero series ever written. Busiek has created an entire universe with the feel and flavor of everything good about Marvel and DC's superheroes, yet injected them with his own flavor. He's got twists that make archetypes a little different than you'd expect -- sometimes a little more human, sometimes a little less, always something you wouldn't have thought of yourself but that leaves you slapping your forehead and going, "of COURSE!""Confessions" is the second Astro City collection, and the first extended storyline. (The first trade paperback, "Life in the Big City," was a collection of single-issue stories, this is one story over six chapters). Brian Kinney has come to Astro City in the hopes of becoming a superhero, a wish that seems on its way to fulfillment when the mysterious Confessor takes him under his wing. But the city is troubled at the moment. A serial killer terrorizes the people of Shadow Hill. Public sentiment is turning against superheroes. And Brian's mentor is not at all what he appears to be. For all of the great work Busiek has done, this book is easily my favorite. It's everything that makes "Astro City" great -- classic archetypes twisted around, lots of mysteries, a logical but unexpected point of view... it is superhero storytelling at its finest. This book also contains the short "The Nearness of You," which -- I'm sorry, Alan Moore fans -- gets my vote for finest single issue comic book story ever. It is tender, heartbreaking and wholly uplifting all at the same time. I still get teary-eyed when I read it. "Astro City" is set to finally return to comic book shelves. If you haven't read it before, get books like this for a primer, then jump on-board!
Rating:
Summary: The fun continues... ;)
Review: The Astro City series, AS a series, is EXCELLENT! This is the second Asro City graphic novel published after Life in the Big City. If you've liked the first one, you'll LOVE this one as well. If you didn't READ the first one, you'll STILL LOVE this one, although I would recommend reading Life in the Big City first.. Anyhow, Kurt Busiek is a very talented man, creating comicbooks for people who LOVE comicbooks. And somehow manages to combine the excitment of corny 4-color superhero comix WITH seriousness, insight and maturity.. How does he do it? No idea! This entire GN is basically, I think, a twist on DC's Batman and Robin characters.. ;) That's it, won't reveal any plot, just a warm-hearted recommendation! Can't go wrong with Astro-City... ;)
Rating:
Summary: Superheroes for intellectuals...
Review: The thing I like about Astro City is that Kurt Busiek manages to infuse reality bits in with something that is so out there, like costumed super heroes. This was my first taste of Astro City and it's a very good graphic novel. I felt like this was Kurt's nod to Batman and Robin. There is, I believe, an Astro City 1/2 at the end of the book. It's about soulmates and a wrinkle in time and it's one of the best stories I've ever read. I thought it was odd that it showed up in this g/n instead of the first one, but I'll take it any way I can get it. Good stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Another "Astro City" artistic triumph
Review: The world of Kurt Busiek's Astro City is truly one of the great fictional worlds ever created; I would rank it right up there with Tolkien's Middle Earth or the "Babylon 5" universe in terms of its richness, complexity, and emotional impact. "Kurt Busiek's Astro City: Confession" is a superb example of the power of Astro City. This book is essentially a novel in comic book form. It tells the story of Brian, a small town boy who moves to Astro City with dreams of joining the city's legion of costumed heroes. He ultimately joins up with the Confessor, a dark, brooding superhero, and together they face a chilling mystery that impacts all the city's heroes. Many characters from other volumes in the Astro City series are woven into "Confession": Crackerjack, the Hanged Man, Winged Victory, Samaritan, and many more. Also woven into the superhero story are a number of "real world" issues: crime, spirituality, governmental intrusiveness, and more. Along the way are some innovative concepts and characters; I was especially intrigued by the Crossbreed, a group of evangelical Christian superheroes introduced early in the story. "Confession" is at once a coming-of-age tale, an intimate character study, and a vast epic tale that spans many decades and the entire planet. The story is also a skillful blend of concepts from the horror and science fiction genres. Like many of the great graphic novels of our time ("Watchmen," "Marvels," etc.) "Confession" deconstructs the very superhero genre to which it belongs. The characters are compelling, the dialogue is gripping, and the visual artwork is awesome: many scenes look like something from a big-budget science fiction film. In my opinion, "Confession" is a profoundly moving masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Another "Astro City" artistic triumph
Review: The world of Kurt Busiek's Astro City is truly one of the great fictional worlds ever created; I would rank it right up there with Tolkien's Middle Earth or the "Babylon 5" universe in terms of its richness, complexity, and emotional impact. "Kurt Busiek's Astro City: Confession" is a superb example of the power of Astro City. This book is essentially a novel in comic book form. It tells the story of Brian, a small town boy who moves to Astro City with dreams of joining the city's legion of costumed heroes. He ultimately joins up with the Confessor, a dark, brooding superhero, and together they face a chilling mystery that impacts all the city's heroes. Many characters from other volumes in the Astro City series are woven into "Confession": Crackerjack, the Hanged Man, Winged Victory, Samaritan, and many more. Also woven into the superhero story are a number of "real world" issues: crime, spirituality, governmental intrusiveness, and more. Along the way are some innovative concepts and characters; I was especially intrigued by the Crossbreed, a group of evangelical Christian superheroes introduced early in the story. "Confession" is at once a coming-of-age tale, an intimate character study, and a vast epic tale that spans many decades and the entire planet. The story is also a skillful blend of concepts from the horror and science fiction genres. Like many of the great graphic novels of our time ("Watchmen," "Marvels," etc.) "Confession" deconstructs the very superhero genre to which it belongs. The characters are compelling, the dialogue is gripping, and the visual artwork is awesome: many scenes look like something from a big-budget science fiction film. In my opinion, "Confession" is a profoundly moving masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: What a great comic should be
Review: There is a certain innocence to the Astro City comics that still speaks with wisdom and intelligence. They are beautifull to look at, funny, self-referential, and you always get the "why hasn't this been done before" feeling whenever you read one. This is the best of the four collections that are thus far available. The story of a young "robin-like" sidekick before, during, and after his initiation into the super-hero field. You can actually see the character grow as a person, a person who is likeable in all stages of his life. All the comic cliches are here, subtely altered and so made new again. There are super-heroes galore, but this story focus's on two in particular. Some of the twists are predictable and some aren't, but you always get the feeling that it doesn't effect the quality of the comic. If you guess it ahead of time, it is still a good read. The comic is something that you can give to your children, and they will enjoy it, but, aldults can enjoy just as much on an entirely different level. The comic is fun, intelligent, and still has that sense of wonder you remember from reading comics as a child. Don't pass this one up.
Rating:
Summary: Best Astro City story ever...
Review: This comic continues from Issue 4 or 5 (I can' recall, it was the Cracker Jack story) but you don't realize it until the end of the book. A young teenage orphan from a small community comes to Astro City to become famous. He gets a job as a bus boy in a private club that is frequently visited by super heroes. The boy then meets The Confesser, a Batman like super hero and the boy becomes his new side kick. The kid becomes the talk of the town as photos appear of him in the newspaper saying he is the Confessers side kick, but the Confesser never appears in the photos. However there is more to the Confesser than meets the eyes...
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