Kurt Busiek's Astro City is returning to print as an all-new ongoing series in June 2013, DC Comics announced via press release Thursday. The series' return includes artist Brent Anderson, and will feature heroes from previous volumes as well as new characters.
Busiek told Newsarama after the final WildStorm arc that the series would return to DC proper, but didn't give any indication of a long break. In Busiek's first interview about the return, with MTV Geek, the writer elaborated on what fans will see in the book and why the return comes now, after a three year hiatus.
"Mainly, I got sick," Busiek stated simply to MTV. He elaborated that increasing feelings of exhaustion became pain, and eventually a diagnosis of gall bladder disease. After treatment and healing, the writer said, "I started getting more productive late last year, and we finally reached
the combination of (a) having enough finished issues in the drawer and
(b) producing new stuff on a steady basis that we all felt secure in
putting the book on the schedule."
While the book will now be published by the DC imprint, it will not be part of the DC Universe. "Astro City takes place in its own reality, not part of anyone else's universe, same as it has been from the start," he clarified. Also, rather than a series of mini-series that each focus on a character or group of characters, the new Astro City will be "ongoing monthly, [and] open-ended."
Characters like Winged Victory and the Samaritan are returning, and new characters like American Chibi, Silver Adept, and a villain named The Ore-Master will show up as well. There will also be a character named "The Broken Man," but Busiek isn't telling whether he's new, old, or somewhere in between.
"As we start the new ongoing series, we're starting a new background
story, one about the Broken Man, who he is, what he's up to, and what it
means for the city as a whole. In some ways, it goes back to those very
early issues of the series, too, and there have been hints and portents
in the series so far, but now that the Silver Agent uber-arc is wrapped
up, it's the Broken Man's turn to be in the spotlight. You'll
meet him on page one of our new first issue, but while this'll be your
first time meeting him as the Broken Man, that doesn't mean you haven't
met him before. So in some ways he's a new character and in some ways
he's a returning character. And he's got a very, very unusual and
complex history, and an even more unusual heroic quest. One the readers
will actually get to be a part of as something more than passive
observers. But ah-ah, I don't want to give away too much."
Astro City #1 hits stores June 5, 2013 from DC Comics
