- Title: Astro City #35
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: Kurt Busiek
- Artist: Ron Randall
Presented from the perspective of the teenage grandson of the original Jack-in-the-Box, Astro City #35 offers us a brief history of both the boy’s grandfather and father (who would pick up the mantle years later after the original was killed in a final tussle with the Underlord and his Weirdies).
Consumed by his family’s crime-fighting history, one no member of the family wants him to become involved in, and a desire to make his own mark in the world, Jerome Johnson‘s wistful tale that reminds you of the best aspects of old school comics while offering a modern take on everything you want a comic about super-heroes to be.
While his family digs at the archaeological site of the death of the first Jack-in-the-Box, Jerome’s narrates the history of the hero from his grandfather to father, to the current incarnation of sidekick turned hero. Before he can catch us up on the full story things get interesting with the arrival of a new villain as, thankfully, this storyline will continue for one more issue. Must-read.
[Vertigo, $3.99]