Astro City #2 Review
Sometimes being a phone operator isn't so bad.
Superheroes may shoulder the burden of saving the world from villains, aliens, and various other threats, but they can't do it alone. This issue focuses on a support crew called the Emergency Contact Line who screen calls and e-mails and do their best to direct the members of the Honor Guard to real, global-scale threats. This issue succeeds in exploring the human side of these larger-than-life conflicts, particularly as it explores the ECL through the eyes of a new recruit named Marella. Marella's joy as she discovers her life's real calling perfectly reflects the optimistic tone of Busiek's world, even as readers wait for the inevitable shoe to drop and disaster to strike. It's a real testament to Busiek's skill that the series remains so engrossing regardless of which characters take the spotlight.
Brent Anderson expertly captures this blend of the mundane and the superheroic. He shows a strong sense of design as he renders the sci-fi-flavored workplace of the ECL, but the focus is generally on more basic elements like facial work and emotion as Marella explores her new world. At times the script is a slice-of-life drama, and others a superhero slug-fest, and Anderson is equally adept with either.