Welcome to Astro City, a shining city on a hill where super heroes patrol the skies. Each chapter in this collection is a stand-alone story highlighting different aspects or characters in the Astro City world. The city's leading super hero tries to be everywhere at once, and berates himself for every wasted second as he longs for just a moment of his own. A small-time hood learns a hero's secret identity and tries to figure out how to profit from the knowledge. A beat reporter gets some advice from his editor on his first day on the job. A young woman tries to balance the demands of her family with her own hopes and desires. Despite the fantastic settings, the characters in these slice-of-life stories feel like real people, and that gives the stories real power.

FOR FANS OF MARVELS AND INVINCIBLE

In a world where costumed heroes soar through the sky and masked vigilantes prowl the night, someone's got to make sure the "supes" don't get out of line. Billy Butcher, Wee Hughie, Mother's Milk, The Frenchman, and The Female are The Boys, a CIA-backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle against the most dangerous force on Earth - superpower!

FOR FANS OF PREACHER, PUNISHER MAX, AND KICK ASS

Mafia hitman Jackie Estacado was both blessed and cursed on his 21st birthday when he beacme the bearer of The Darkness, an elemental force that allows those who wield it access to an otherworldly dimension and control over the demons who dwell there.  Forced for good in the world rise up to face Jackie and the evil his gift represents.  There is one small problem, in this story...they are the bad guys.

FOR FANS OF SPAWN, WITCHBLADE, AND ARTIFACTS

Award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan (PRIDE OF BAGHDAD, Y: THE LAST MAN) uniquely combines big city politics and superheroes in this much-lauded series. Set in our modern-day world, EX MACHINA tells the story of civil engineer Mitchell Hundred, who becomes America's first living, breathing super-hero after a strange accident gives him the power to communicate with machines. Eventually Mitchell tires of risking his life merely to maintain the status quo, retires from masked crime fighting and runs for mayor of New York City, winning by a landslide.

FOR FANS OF Y THE LAST MAN, POWERS, AND DMZ

Zach is a flie clerk in a dead end job... or is he really a super-villain hiding in Witness Protection? As his powers begin to return, our anti-hero's life begins to unravel in a dark and explosive fashion. From the award-winning team of Sleeper, 100 Bullets and Fatale.

For fans of Sleeper, Criminal, Powers, Masks and Mobsters, and Supercrooks

Mark Grayson is just like most everyone else his age. The only major difference being that his dad is the most powerful superhero on the planet! And, Mark seems to be inheriting his father's powers! See Mark thwart super-villains, alien invasions and all sorts of craziness, as he gets the hang of all this superheroing stuff.

FOR FANS OF ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, KICK ASS, FIREBREATHER, AND WALKING DEAD

Irredeemable dares to ask the question: what if the world's greatest hero decided to become the world's greatest villain? The world's most powerful hero, Plutonian, is systematically destroying the allies he once called friends, the villains he once defeated, and the past he has locked away. What would drive a hero to become the villain he dedicated his life to defeat?

FOR FANS OF WATCHMEN, THE BOYS, AND THE END LEAGUE

Have you ever wanted to be a superhero?  Dave Lizewski has - but unlike you or me, he's not willing to let it stop with simple daydreams.  Designing a suit for himself, and taking the name "Kick-Ass," Dave decides to make his dreary existence more exciting.  But with no special powers and outmatched by New York City's most hardened criminals, Kick-Ass might be in for a little more than he bargained for.

FOR FANS OF INVINCIBLE, THE BOYS, AND WANTED

Over twenty years ago, Madman hit the comics scene like a quick, Three Stooges-style jab to the eye. Armed with a yo-yo and a slightly left-of-center attitude, Frank Einstein is Snap City's most impressive masked crime fighter. In fact, he's kind of the only one!

FOR FANS OF BULLETPROOF COFFIN, X -STATIX, AND I,ZOMBIE

On the distant moon of Ylum, an enigmatic man is plagued by nightmares. He is forced to dream of the past. He dreams of real-life butchers and tyrants, and what they have done.  And then he finds them, and kills them.  The year is 2841, and this man is Nexus, a godlike figure who acts as judge, jury, and executioner for the vile criminals who appear in his dreams. He claims to kill in self-defense, but why? Where do the visions come from, and where did he get his powers? Though a hero to many, does he have any real moral code? These are but some of the questions that reporter Sundra Peale hopes to have answered.

FOR FANS OF VALIANT UNIVERSE

Planetary has been hailed as a timeless story that turned modern superhero conventions on their heads.Written by Warren Ellis and with stunning art by John Cassaday, this critically acclaimed, landmark series took a look at the inter-dimensional peace-keeping force known as Planetary.  Tasked with tracking down evidence of super-human activity, these mystery archaeologists uncover unknown paranormal secrets and histories, such as a World War II supercomputer that can access other universes, a ghostly spirit of vengeance, and a lost island of dying monsters.

For fans of The Authority, Transmetropolitan, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and      Astonishing X-Men

Heroes glide through the sky on lightning bolts and fire. Flamboyant villains attempt daring daylight robberies. Godlike alien creatures clash in epic battle over the nighttime sky. And on the dirty city streets below, homicide detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim do their jobs.

FOR FANS OF TOP 10, ALIAS, SLEEPER, CRIMINAL, AND THIEF OF THIEVES

Chicago. A criminal mastermind called OverLord held the city in his terrifying grip. Ordinary cops were losing the battle against OverLord and his super-freaks. Then a miracle happened. When he was found, he had no memory of his past. Lieutenant Frank Darling helped him find an identity and a life. Now they have a fighting chance... now they have... The Dragon.

FOR FANS OF SPAWN, KICK ASS, AND X-FORCE

SLEEPER tells the story of agent Holden Carver, a reluctant double agent without hope of rescue. Tao, the criminal mastermind whose organization Carver has infiltrated, had Carver's only lifeline, spymaster John Lynch, shot, leaving him in a coma. Tao's cut off every means of escape, and he's persuaded Carver to join him...for real this time.

For fans of Incognito, Criminal, and Powers

Spawn is a hero unlike any other.  A government agent, Al Simmons was killed by his own men.  Resurrected from the depths of hell, he returns to Earth as the warrior Spawn, guarding the forgotten alleys of New York City.  As he seeks answers about his past, Spawn grapples with the dark forces that returned him to Earth, battling enemies and discovering unlikely allies.  As he learns to harness his extraordinary new powers, he begins to grasp the full extent of what brought him back - and what he left behind.

FOR FANS OF DARKNESS, WITCHBLADE, AND NEW 52 BATMAN

Valiant Entertainment is a character-based publishing and licensing company that owns and controls some of the most cherished comic characters ever created across all media worldwide. Since their creation in 1989, Valiant characters have sold 80 million comic books and have been the basis of a number of successful video game franchises. Valiant’s extensive library includes over 1,500 characters, such as X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Harbinger, Shadowman, and Ninjak.

FOR FANS OF ULTIMATES, RISING STARS, AND IRREDEEMABLE

This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin.  One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series. 

For fans of V for Vendetta, Irredeemable, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and The Dark Knight Returns

While investigating a series of murders, New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini is drawn to a mysterious "Tournament" at the abandoned Rialto Theatre where criminals are vying to possess a poerful weapon.  On that fateful night, Pezzini's life is forever changed when she becomes the latest in a line of female beareres of an ancient and mystical artifact - the Witchblade.

FOR FANS OF THE DARKNESS, SPAWN AND ARTIFACTS

Already made your way through the classics, or looking for something specific?  Check out the rest of our indie superhero books!