What makes the best comic book covers? It is a great topic for debate. For us, as individuals, there is no wrong answer, of course; it is purely subjective. But, with a little thought it’s possible to explain what it is about a particular image that grabs you. The best images are the ones that make you stop and check out something you weren’t previously planning to purchase – and in some cases, you even end up picking up a title you’ve never even heard of before.

Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross, and Brent Anderson’s Astro City: The Dark Age not only shed light on an era in the history of their super-burg but on comics itself.

The storyline, according to Busiek, is based on what the comics scribe had planned to do in Marvels 2 – a sequel to his and Ross’ landmark Marvels project which he bought back from Marvel to tell the time-spanning tale in his own Astro City.

This wonderful introduction to a compelling storyline, DC Comics/WildStorm’s Astro City / Arrowsmith Flipbook gives readers the chance to meet some of the city’s earliest heroes: The superpowered champions that make up the Honor Guard, as well as the Black Badge, a sworn protector of the Black residents who inhabit the 1959 Bakerville District.  

Fans of Busiek and the late Carlos Pacheco are also treated to the worlds of Arrowsmith, a parallel reality where magic and dragons are the infantryman’s preferred weapons of war in an alternate World War I.

Offering collectors a wonderful opportunity to learn more about both hit series, this fantastic flipbook should find itself at the top of every reader’s comic book want list.

-Scott Braden