If Superheroes Were Real, Would Things Really Be Any Different?
In the second issue of this phenomenal series, Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson take us inside the Astro City Rocket, Astro City's equivalent of the Daily Planet, where editor Elliot Mills has just hired a new reporter. Amidst all the plaques and award winning stories on the Mills' office wall, the new recruit spots an odd little clipping - so he asks Mills about it. Mills said it was his first story, and proceeds to relate the tale.
As mentioned before, every issue of Astro City seeks to answer a question about life in a superhero universe. Not all of the stories are about the superheroes, though all relate to them in some way. The question in this story, 'The Scoop' is, essentially, 'How did Perry White become the great news man he is?'
In addition to showing us how newspaper reporting is different - or perhaps the same - in a world of superbeings, the story also deftly weaves in some history, giving us some background to the goings-on of Astro City.
A world with superheroes is one that would fundamentally differ from our own. But human nature being what it is, even a world of superheroes would be one that was also, fundamentally similar to our own. That is the beauty of Astro City - it shows you both sides of the coin.
Once again, this comic is highly, highly recommended.