Astro City #14

Astro City #14The first-half of a two-part story, Astro City #14 introduces the character of Ellie who has spent the last several years creating something between a scrap yard and museum of former super-villain machines which she has slowly nursed back to health. Despite the once dangerous nature of the robots, Ellie’s desire to fix her metal friends are inspired by only good intentions. Sadly the same can’t be said of her nephew who sees a way to make the robots far more profitable in the short term.

Robot soldiers have been a staple of comics for decades and it’s an interesting take to view them not from the creator or those that battled them but from the perspective of a loving fan of the robots who sees the marvelous creations as far more than only weapons. Artist Brent Anderson has fun offering a variety of different types of robots which make up Ellie’s makeshift museum.

The slimy nephew taking advantage of the old woman is a bit pretty easy to see coming, but writer Kurt Busiek hints that there’s far more to Ellie’s story than we’ve seen so far. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $3.99]