Every week in 2018, the plan is that my friend Rod is going to ask me some geeky question that will answer in a post. This week is Week #9, and the question is a simple one…
Given an unlimited budget, how would I design a TV series based on the comic book Astro City?
This week’s question is a tricky one, especially after last week and writing about all sorts of bad adaptations. How to turn a comic series like Astro City into a TV show, without losing its essential qualities? More than that, Rod’s task is that I do with a view that is be successful, and not just a recreation of all my favorite storylines.
The idea is that I outline both the characters and the plots for the first season of the show, consisting of 12 or 13 episodes. I have an unlimited budget and can decide on the series’ venue, and I have to include a traditional pilot episode to convince the network or streaming service that the series will be worth its while.
Now, for the unfamiliar, what is Astro City? Astro City is a on-again, off-again series that has been running for over twenty years, under different publishers. It’s created and written by one of my favorite comic book writers ever, Kurt Busiek. Most issues are drawn by Brent Anderson, with covers and character designs by the celebrated Alex Ross.
Astro City is built around the titular city and its 70+ years of superhero activity. The wide variety of characters are all original creations, but many follow recognizable archetypes. So for example, you have the Samaritan, who is something like Superman; the Confessor, who is a bit like Batman; Winged Victory, who brings Wonder Woman to mind; the First Family, who are definitely reminiscent of the Fantastic Four; the Honor Guard, who could be either the Justice League or the Avengers…and so on.
But Astro City isn’t simply a pastiche of the world’s most popular superhero characters. It uses these familiar figures (and the sorts of stories that we know they are in all the time) as the backdrop and the setting for its plots. And those plots do what most mainstream comic stories don’t: they tell us what else is going on.
That phrase comes from one of the Astro City collected edition introductions, written I think by Frank Miller. Astro City is about what else is happening in the shared superhero universe that we see in companies like Marvel and DC, either in the lives of the heroes, the villains or the civilians, that we normally don’t get to read about.
So the series presupposes that readers are already familiar with those sorts of shared universe stories, so that it can just make quick references to the Honor Guard fighting an alien invasion, and we’ll all know the sort of thing it’s talking about. And that’s fine, since by a large majority superhero comic readers are familiar with that sort of thing.
But though TV viewers are approaching this (thanks to the whole “franchise” thing coming from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or DC’s Arrowverse on TV, or even the X-Men movies, it’s still a newer thing for people who have come to superheroes thanks to their TV and movie iterations, rather than the source material.
So how do we translate Astro City into a TV series without just seeming like we’re just doing our own versions of Superman, Batman, Captain America and the like? That’s the task before us. The goal is to do enough to introduce the general shared superhero concept to an audience who might only be passingly familiar with it, while still keeping the focus on the types of stories that Astro City is notable for.
So…with all that explanation behind us, let’s proceed.
Astro City
Season 1: 13 x 45 minute Episodes
Venue: Netflix (released weekly)
I’m afraid I don’t actually much reasoning behind this, except that it’s easier to imagine these stories without commercials, and I figure Netflix gives a broader exposure to the show than it would get on a particular network’s streaming service (like the CBS one, or even the upcoming Disney one).
Premise: Astro City is a place full amazing wonders and grave dangers. A 70+ year history with super-powered heroes and villains has defined the city and shaped its inhabitants. Come and learn their stories.
Heroes:
The Samaritan (Asa Martin) – The de facto leader of all of the city’s superheroes, the Samaritan is a powerful force for justice and beloved and respected by everyone.
The reality is, however, that this ruggedly handsome time traveler from the future carries the burden of preventing the bleak and dystopian future that he has come from, and thus uses every available instant he has saving people and doing good.
Popular Analog: Superman
The Confessor (Jeremiah Parrish) – A mysterious religiously-themed hero who only appears at night, striking fear into criminals, and who uses his supernatural powers and keen intellect to fight crime, all out of penance for his past misdeeds. In the comics, the Confessor is secretly a repentant vampire, but I hate vampire stories and would probably find some way to change it while keeping something of the essence of it all. All of this would probably earn me a spot on someone’s list of bad adaptations.
Popular Analog: Batman
Jack-in-the-Box (Zachery Walker) – An African-American clown-styled superhero who took up his heroic role when he discovered that his father had died fighting crime as the first Jack-in-the-Box.
In his civilian identity, he is a successful toy developer, and is determined to treat his wife and presumed future children with the consideration he felt he was lacking when his own father had abruptly disappeared without explanation.
Popular Analog: None, precisely, although there are elements of Spider-Man (acrobatic loner who jokes around a lot) and Wally West version of the Flash (the legacy hero who is also becomes a committed family man).
Winged Victory (Lauren Freed) – A winged female hero—the premier heroine of Astro City–with mythological and pychic roots who uses her warrior powers to fight crime, but who creates controversy by giving special attention to the needs of women.
Popular Analog: Wonder Woman
Crackerjack (Real name unrevealed) – An acrobatic crime fighter whose heroic activities mask a self-centered and glory-seeking character.
Popular Analog: Kind of Spider-Man, with a bit of Daredevil
Alter Boy (Brian Kinney) – A young man from a small town who travels to Astro City in order to meet superheroes, who ends up being “discovered” by the Confessor, and becomes his sidekick and protégé.
Popular Analog: Robin
The First Family
A multigenerational and familial team of superheroes and adventurers, led by the brilliant but non-powered Augustus Furst.
His granddaughter, Astra, is the youngest member of the team, only 10 years old, but with immensely powerful energy-based abilities. She has a highly regimented and advanced education, but lives a sheltered life as far the lifestyle of most girls her age.
Popular Analog: The Fantastic Four
The Silver Agent (Alan Craig) – A patriotic hero with armor and a shield, who embodied the ideals of the America and the optimism of the Silver age of comics. In the present, deceased under mysterious circumstances.
Popular Analog: Captain America
Civilians
Marella Cowper – A young woman with a degree in computer engineering who finds that her new job brings her closer to superheroes and their exploits than she ever imagined, and even gives her an opportunity to play a role in their exploits, something she finds herself becoming a bit giddy over.
Elliot Mills – The editor of the Astro City Rocket, the local newspaper. A veteran of many years of reporting and deeply principled man who is determined that the Rocket would be a source that readers can trust.
Pete Donacek – A doorman at a prestigious Astro City hotel who often directs tourists as to the best place to go to see the heroes “at work”, even as he reminds them how dangerous this can be.
Ben Pullam – A single father of two daughters who has just moved to Astro City to start a new life following his divorce.
Tamra Dixon – A TV news reporter who is also married to Zachary Johnson, aka Jack-in-the-Box
Episode Summaries
Episode 1 – “Welcome to Astro City” (Pilot)
A young woman, Marella Cowper, arrives in Astro City from out of state, for a job interview. She witnesses a battle between Winged Victory and a villain almost immediately after she arrives.
Lost, she asks for directions from Pete Donacek, a doorman for a ritzy hotel, who helps tourists find the heroic hotspots of the city while warning them of the potential dangers. He helps her find the offices of the Astro City Rocket, the city’s premier newspaper, where her great-uncle Elliot Mills is the editor. After greeting him, she attends her interview, which turns out to secretly be for the call centre for the Honor Guard, a team of the city’s premier heroes. Sworn to secrecy about the process, Marella is distressed: working in a call centre is not what she imagined for herself, but the pay is good and the benefits extraordinary. Conversations with Pete and Uncle Elliot give her and the audience a glimpse of Astro City’s history.
Through her uncle she learns of an incident he witnessed as a new reporter, where a cult of shark-god worshipers nearly destroyed the city, before being stopped by the then fledgling Honor Guard and the legendary Silver Agent.
He witnessed the encounter, but couldn’t prove most of it and thus was stifled in his ability to report it, an incident which taught him an important lesson about the principles necessary in his profession.
Through Pete, Marella hears of the his brief encounters with the seedy underbelly of Astro City, and how he was once saved by the terrifying hero, the Confessor. He had then decided to leave the city, but while still saving his money he ended up saving a small girl from being killed during an invasion by ancient beings called the Destructoids, which taught him a newfound respect for the role the hero’s have in the city, and the role that he can have as well.
All of this gives Marella a lot to think about in terms of her ideas for her future career. But when Astro City’s premier hero, the Samaritan, shows up at the Call Centre to thank them for all her work, including a minor call that Marella herself had a role in, she is encouraged…and ultimately decides to stay and pursue her new role in protecting the world.
Featured Heroes: Winged Victory, Confessor, Silver Agent, Samaritan
Inspired by:
• The Scoop (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #2–September 1995)
• Newcomers (Astro City: Local Heroes #1–April 2003)
• Welcome to HumanoGlobal (Astro City #2–September 2003)
Episode 2 – “In Dreams”
Three stories that all take place over a single day. They are shown concurrently:
The Samaritan, Astro City’s premier hero, enjoys blissful dreams of flying. But once awake, he follows a carefully regimented schedule that is built around maximizing every moment to do as much good as possible. Even activities like maintaining his secret identity of Asa Martin (a fact checker at a magazine) or attending a special ceremony to recognize the good deeds of the Honor Guard, are fitted in because they assist him in being able to save people or fight villains.
During the day, his gaze briefly lingers on his beautiful fellow crime-fighter, Winged Victory, but he doesn’t take the time to pursue the connection. At the end of the day, he is proud of the small amount of time wasted in between activities, but emotionally exhausted, and he dreams again of freedom.
Parallel to all of this, a low level hoodlum named Andrew “Eyes” Eisenstein has the fortune (or misfortune) to witness the clown-themed hero Jack-in-the-Box as he removes his mask at the end of a long-night’s patrol. At first thinking this is his ticket to the big leagues, he becomes increasingly paranoid that either Jack-in-the-Box or his fellow criminals (especially the ruthless crimelord, the Deacon) are out to get him for what he knows. At the end of the day, he decides that his best bet it get out of town, and buys a ticket to Alaska, leaving the city behind permanently.
Finally, on the same day, the divorced Ben Pullam and his two daughters arrive in Astro City looking to make a fresh start. During the course of his explorations, he comes across a statue of the city’s most famous fallen hero, the Silver Agent, who is eulogized with the phrase, “To Our Eternal Shame.” Ben is at first terrified by all the unusual activity going on, but in the wake of a big battle (one of the things that Samaritan and Winged Victory were dealing with), he’s impressed by how his new neighbors all rally together to clean up the mess that has been made. Realizing that the city’s heroes help to inspire the ordinary folk to deeper levels of kindness and care, the chooses to settle in the city for a new life.
Featured Heroes: Samaritan, Jack-in-the-Box, Winged Victory
Inspired by:
• In Dreams (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #1–August 1995)
• A Little Knowledge (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #3–October 1995)
• Welcome to Astro City (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #1–September 1996)
Episode 3 – “Shadows”
In a corner of Astro City known as Shadow Hill, a young woman named Marta begins her day. Shadow Hill is an ethnic neighborhood best known for its mystical properties and odd creatures that lurk in every corner. Its guardian is the mysterious Hanged Man, a fearsome spectre who looms over the community, ever watchful for the dark menaces that might threaten its inhabitants. But in this neighborhood that many would find unnerving, Marta is comfortable and familiar. It’s when she ventures into the downtown of the City, into it’s more conventional areas, that she feels out of her element. But venture she must, for she now has a job as a legal assistant to Darcy Conroy, one of the city’s most powerful lawyers, who is also engaged to Nicholas Furst of the First Family.
The story is about the contrast and conflict between these two different aspects of Astro City, told through the point of view of Marta, who is trying to live in both worlds. In the course of things, we meet and are familiarized with the First Family, the city’s most celebrated hero-adventurers (while the Samaritan is a respected hero, the First Family are legitimate celebrities). Tamra Dixon, a TV reporter, makes her first appearance in an interview with Darcy Conroy. Also, Ben Pullam shows up again when he accidentally wanders into Shadow Hill and is rescued from its dangers by a helpful Marta.
A villain called Demolitia and a couple of members of her Unholy Alliance attack Darcy, and Marta is caught up in the chaos.
She is rescued by members of the First Family, but ultimately decides to quit her job and remain in Shadow Hill, where the dangers are things she feel comfortable with and knows how to respond to.
Featured Heroes: The First Family
Inspired by:
• Safeguards (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #4–November 1995)
Episode 4 – “New Kid in Town”
Young Brian Kinney arrives in Astro City, hoping to meet superheroes, and possibly to even become one himself. He finds employment at a bar called Bruisers before becoming a busboy at the more prestigious Butler’s restaurant. There, a minor villain called Glue Gun actually takes Brian hostage, but he is able to turn the tables on his captor without assistance. This brings him to the attention of the Confessor, one of Astro City’s most noteworthy (and possibly infamous) superheroes, who recruits Brian to become his sidekick, Altar Boy. Pete Donacek appears in Bruisers, and Elliot Mills is a patron at Butler’s.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the youngest member of the First Family, Astra, begins to question her privileged but sheltered (as far as ordinary children) existence, after she has an awkward experience being interviewed on a talk show. She becomes curious about the games that ordinary children play, and eventually decides to set off on her own adventure, running away from home.
Featured Heroes: The First Family
Inspired by:
• Everyday Life (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #2–October 1996)
• New Kid in Town (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #4–December 1996)
Episode 5 – “Adventures in Other worlds”
Astra has her big adventure out, which involves going undercover in a local elementary school, learning to play hopscotch, and confronting a school bully. One of her classmates is Maggie Pullam, Ben Pullam’s daughter. While she is doing this, the First Family lose their minds with worry, assuming that Astra has been taken by one of their enemies.
Meanwhile, a mysterious old man called Mr. Bridwell observes the showboating hero Crackerjack, try to take over (and take credit for) a battle between the superhero team known as the Astro City Irregulars and a giant robot. Bridwell is evidently observing lots of superhero activity and recording his information on a high-tech micro-computer, all while appearing to live an ordinary existence in an apartment in an ordinary building. At the end, it’s revealed that Bridwell is actually a shape-changing insectoid alien, doing reconnaissance for a potential invasion.
Featured Heroes: Astra, The First Family, Crackerjack, the Astro City Irregulars
Inspired by:
• Reconnaissance (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #5–December 1995)
• Adventures in Other Worlds (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #3–November 1996)
Episode 6 – “Reconnaissance”
The Samaritan finds himself under attack in his own private sanctuary by the Living Nightmare, a fear-based entity that is created by humanity’s manifest dark urges. He is able to defeat the being, but not before he realizing that his own fatigue has contributed to its creation.
Meanwhile, Bridwell the alien grows increasingly frustrated with the human race and all their weaknesses and foibles, as exemplified by the behavior of Crackerjack, who is arrogant and self-aggrandizing. In particular, he sees him attempting to take credit for a victory earned by the more respected Jack-in-the Box. All of this weighs heavily on his mind as Bridwell must recommend to his superiors whether earth is worth invading and conquering. Bridwell eventually realizes that Crackerjack is a neighbor of his in his apartment, and is on the verge of giving humanity a “pass” thanks to his growing respect for the young man, but when a gossipy group of ladies in the same apartment earn his ire, he reacts and sends the message that calls for the invasion to take place.
Featured Heroes: Crackerjack, Samaritan, Jack-in-the Box
Inspired by:
• In Dreams (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #1–August 1995)
• Reconnaissance (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #5–December 1995)
• In Dreams 2015 (Astro City vol 3 #26–October 2015)
Episode 7 – “Dinner at Eight”
The Samaritan and Winged Victory go out on a dinner date, the former finally deciding it was time to devote some energy to recreation and the possibility of a relationship. The meal is pleasant but challenging, as the two come into conflict over their respective heroic ideals. In the end, though, they form a connection, and begin a genuine romance.
All of this is possible because the rest of Astro City’s heroic community agrees to step up their activities to close any gaps left by the couple’s absence. In this process, the Confessor and Altar Boy discover that an imposter has been committing crimes disguised as Crackerjack. They stop this from happening, but the identity of the imposter and his motives remain unknown.
Marella Cowper appears, as this all ends up being an strange night for the Honor Guard call centre.
Featured Heroes: Samaritan, Winged Victory, Confessor, Altar Boy, Crackerjack
Inspired by:
• Dinner at Eight (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #6–January 1996)
• Learning the Game (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #5–January 1997)
• In Dreams 2015 (Astro City vol 3 #26–October 2015)
Episode 8 – “The Gathering Dark”
Public sentiment begins to turn against superheroes, with figures like Winged Victory, Jack-in-the-Box and Crackerjack being amongst those hardest hit. The Confessor and Altar Boy investigate this, realizing that it’s all connected to the imposter who impersonated Crackerjack.
We see the reactions and confusion about these developments through the eyes of Pete Donacek, Elliot Mills, Ben Pullam, Marella Cowper, and Tamra Dixon…who we realize is the wife of Jack-in-the-Box.
In the end, the Confessor deduces that an alien conspiracy is behind the current situation, but not before his sidekick Altar Boy deduces the Confessor’s true mystical nature.
The Crossbreed, biblically-themed heroes who believe their powers are a gift from God, make their first appearance.
Featured Heroes: Confessor, Altar Boy, the Crossbreed, Winged Victory, Crackerjack, Jack-in-the-Box
Inspired by:
• Learning the Game (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #5–January 1997)
• The Gathering Dark (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #6–February 1997)
• Eye of the Storm (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #7–March 1997)
Episode 9 – “My Father’s Son”
Shape-shifting aliens have infiltrated every aspect of society and have been working to discredit all of the world’s superheroes. The Confessor stands as the last one that they have been able to immobilize, and so they draw him out with a trap. Full knowing what he is going into, the Confessor reveals himself in order to expose the aliens for who they truly are.
He dies in the process, but in doing so he galvanizes the world’s heroes to fight back and drive off the invaders. In the midst of the battle, the statue memorializing the Silver Agent is destroyed. Altar Boy is left with the sad realization that his mentor fought against both external threats and his own nature to do good. He leaves Astro City.
In a flash-forward, we Altar Boy returning after years of training to take on the mantle of the Confessor himself.
Featured Heroes: Confessor, Altar Boy, the Crossbreed, Samaritan, and everyone else.
Inspired by:
• Eye of the Storm (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #7–March 1997)
• Patterns (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #8–April 1997)
• My Father’s Son (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #9–May 1997)
Episode 10 – “The Big Lockdown”
As the world rebuilds in the aftermath of the alien invasion (including recreating the statue of the Silver Agent), a prisoner finishes his lengthy prison term. This is Steeljack, a former petty criminal and thief whose body was turned into a sort of living metal, leading him to become a supervillain.
We see his past in flashbacks, including his battles with the original Jack-in-the-Box, the father of the current one. Steeljack is determined to go straight, but no one believes him, not even heroes like the Samaritan. Eventually, he finds a form of redemption acting a protector of a low-class Astro City neighborhood, Kiefer Square, where a mysterious string of murders has been taking place. The story ends with the crimes still unsolved, but abated thanks to the presence of Steeljack, who is determined to make good on his vows to change his ways.
Meanwhile, the modern day Jack-in-the-Box keeps an eye on his father’s old nemesis. Satisfied about his good intentions, he returns home only to find himself confronted by a homicidal maniac dressed in a distorted version of his costume. This being claims to be the Box…Jack-in-the-Box’s son from the future!
Featured Heroes: Steeljack, Jack-in-the-Box (original), Jack-in-the-Box (modern), Samaritan
Inspired by:
• Serpent’s Teeth (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #11–November 1997)
• The Big Lockdown (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #14–April 1998)
• The Long Treadmill (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #15–December 1998)
Episode 11 – “Serpent’s Teeth”
No sooner has Jack-in-the-Box found his life under threat from his future-son, the Box, does he meet another being claiming to be his future son, this one calling himself Jackson. Both of these people are from realities in which Zachary Johnson, aka the Jack-in-the-Box, had died in action shortly before his son was born. Jack-in-the-Box manages to get away from them both and return home, only to discover that his wife Tamra is pregnant with their first child.
Jackson and the Box team to kill their father for what they view as his failings, but Jack-in-the-Box defeats them thanks to the help of Jerome Johnson, a third alternate future version of his son, who is a sane and well-adjusted college professor, but is still broken and sad over the premature death of his father. All three versions of his son disappear into the world of probability, living Johnson with the burden of wondering what terrible fate he is leaving for his son. This prompts him to start training Roscoe James, one of his street contacts, to take his place as the third Jack-in-the-Box.
Featured Heroes: Jack-in-the-Box (Zachary Johnson), Jack-in-the-Box (Roscoe James)
Inspired by:
• Serpent’s Teeth (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #11–November 1997)
• Father’s Day (Kurt Busiek’s Astro City vol 2 #12–December 1997)
Episode 12 – “Serpent’s Teeth”
At his hotel, Pete Donacek strikes up a friendship with an old lady named Irene Merryweather, who carries a story that she feels great shame about. They end up connecting as well with Marella Cowper (who has remained friends with Pete) who eventually hears her story: she was romantically connected with a superhero from the 1960’s, Atomicus, who came to life when an alien energy field intermixed with a nuclear reactor. In his civilian identity, Atomicus worked alongside Irene, who constantly tried to expose his secret, thinking it was some sort of game. She was wrong, though, and in the end, Atomicus lost his patience and left earth forever.
Irene suffered inestimable embarrassment over the incident, as well as shame for costing earth a powerful superhero. Marella and Pete do their best to cheer her up and help her see the value of her life and subsequent choices.
In Irene’s story, the Silver Agent, who debuted around the same time, is referenced.
Alongside all of this, Marella is eager at her work at the Honor Guard call centre to catch “the big one” – a call that implies a major threat, where referring it on to the Honor Guard would help lead to the aversion of a global disaster. However, one day she receives a call from a girl in Ecuador whose mother is being abused by her boyfriend. Seeing that it is not a crisis level event, she refers it on to social workers. However, this proves to be false–the boyfriend is actually a low-level supervillain who is part of a developing plot, and the visit of the social workers leads to an outbreak of violence. Marella is shocked when she realizes that the horror has unfolded partly due to her failure to recognize a genuine threat.
Featured Heroes: Atomicus
Inspired by:
• Welcome to HumanoGlobal (Astro City #2–September 2013)
• Mistakes (Astro City #3–October 2013)
Episode 13 – “Mistakes” (Season Finale)
Marella Cowper is guilt ridden and miserable over what has happened, including the ongoing standoff between the forces of EAGLE (a high-tech law enforcement organization) and the Skullcrushers, a group of high-powered modern-day pirates.
She decides to travel to Ecuador herself to track down the young girl whose situation started the whole fiasco. In the end, she is able to help this young girl, and her presence helps the Honor Guard find a way into the Skullcrushers fortress and to defeat them.
At the very end of the episode, Marella reflects on the whole situation with her uncle Elliot Mills. They are in the park talking about things when a bizarre lightning storm breaks out and then disappears just as abruptly. But in its wake, they are shocked to see standing there…the Silver Agent, in the midst of a journey through time.
Featured Heroes: Samaritan, the Honor Guard, the Silver Agent
Inspired by:
• Mistakes (Astro City #3–October 2013)
And that’s it! Thirteen episodes of superhero action and personal human drama. Originally I assumed that we’d use the alien invasion and the Confessor story as our season finale, but I decided it’s too obvious a place for an alien invasion, and stuck it in the middle instead. That’s basically when I decided to begin and end things with with Marella Cowper.
And hopefully we’ve left a bunch of material for the supposed second season, notably the revelation of what happened to the Silver Agent, and how he is present at the end, as well as the majority of Steeljack’s story. Plus there’s a lot more to say about the Living Nightmare, the Samaritan’s fatigue, the future of the new Confessor, Winged Victory’s history and so on. It could be awesome.
Blue Towel Productions 