Asa Martin

A time traveler from the 35th century, Samaritan was hurled back to the present day after being saturated with "empyrean fire" energy during his journey. That cosmic exposure gifted him with flight, super-strength, near-invulnerability, super-speed, and energy projection, making him Astro City's greatest hero.

Asa Martin made their entrance in the very first issue of Kurt Busiek's Astro City in 1995 — a collector-significant debut that placed this character at the ground floor of one of the most acclaimed superhero universes of the Modern Age. Over thirty years and 66 catalogued appearances across Astro City and its collected editions, Asa has proven a quietly enduring presence in a world populated by luminaries like Winged Victory, Quarrel, and N-Forcer. Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson built Astro City as a universe that rewards close attention to its human corners, and Asa Martin — rooted in that landmark first issue — is exactly the kind of character that keeps devoted readers digging deeper into every arc and anthology.