The Human Weasel

Slinking out of the richly imagined streets of Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson's Astro City in 1995, The Human Weasel is exactly the kind of colorful, street-level rogue that makes that world feel so gloriously lived-in. A minor player by appearance count, this is nonetheless a character who shares panels with some of Astro City's most beloved figures — Jack-in-the-Box, the Confessor, and others — which says something about the vivid, populated corners of that universe he inhabits. Astro City has always excelled at making even its bit players feel like they have a life beyond the panel, and The Human Weasel, with that wonderfully pulpy name, is a prime example of Busiek's gift for world-building texture. For collectors who love the Copper/Modern Age and the craft of Astro City, spotting this one in the pages of Kurt Busiek's Astro City #3 is a small, satisfying treasure.