Review by Frank Plowright

After several years of sporadic publication, Astro City was relaunched in 2013, and for several years ran to a relatively regular schedule. However, it meant artist Brent Eric Anderson was no longer able to draw every story, and the results of that are seen toward the end of this collection when Tom Grummett and then Jesús Merino draw chapters. Thankfully, both work very much in Anderson’s style to ensure disruption is minimal, but that won’t always be the case for what’s included in MetroBook 5.

The content of MetroBook 3 had shining moments, but in attempting to tell his most ambitious story to date, Kurt Busiek lost the feature’s consistency. The first section here emphatically restores that with Busiek playing again to Astro City’s strengths by extended spotlights on three characters seen before. The greatest foe of Superman analogue the Samaritan is revealed to be a mystic, living Barbie doll Beautie researches her origin and the teenage Astra suffers the attentions of the gutter press. To a greater or lesser extent all encompass heroism, fortitude and humanity in cleverly plotted tales during which Busiek also has something to say about humanity. All were previously available in Shining Stars.

As Astro City has continued, Busiek’s homages have extended beyond more innocent times for superheroes, and the content bookending the individual stories from Through Open Doors look to the more experimental stories of the 1970s. They have a character speaking directly to the audience, intrude in other stories and introduce a deadly threat not to be resolved for some time. It’s a strong selection with a theme of people being true to themselves.

Unfortunately, what follows is the weakest of Astro City’s entire run, an uninspired and uninspiring teaming of Astro City’s equivalents of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. There are logical lapses and little of the ordinary human presence that characterises the best of Astro City. Anderson’s on form, but Victory reads like a reworked version of a plot originally prepared for DC with the public and her fellow superheroes all too easily convinced to turn against Winged Victory.

At this point the MetroBooks stop following the strict publication order of the original comics, and the final four inclusions are selected from the content of Lovers Quarrel and Honor Guard. They’re very different. Busiek wears his inspirations on his sleeve for the tale of Tony the gorilla, who just wants to play drums, but becomes caught up in the madness prevalent in a place where so many with super powers congregate. Stormhawk’s story rather loses its way, but Busiek really surprises when expanding on Starfighter, previously a distinctive looking hero seen as part of crowd scenes. The assumption is his being some kind of cosmic warrior in the vein of Captain Marvel, but the truth is very different, charming and creative.

This is an up and down selection, but the better material is consistently engaging with a humanity at its heart.