Ast

A fleeting but intriguing presence from the turn of the millennium, Ast debuted in 1999 courtesy of the creative team of Kurt Busiek, Geneviève Coulomb, and Carlos Pacheco — a Modern Age character who graces the pages of Panini France's Thor. With only a handful of catalog appearances, Ast is a rare find, sharing those pages with some genuinely heavy hitters: Thor himself, the time-tangled Nathaniel Richards, the towering Giant-Man, the enigmatic Immortus, and Janet Van Dyne. Brief in presence but intriguing in context, Ast is the kind of deep-cut discovery that reminds dedicated collectors just how much richness lies waiting in international editions.