Astro City #29

Astro City #29 kicks off "The Menace from Earth" with an Alex Ross cover that sets an unmistakably grand, retro-pulp tone — a pale-skinned, red-haired woman in a blue outfit hovers above the chaos, trailing a comet-like streak of fire, while below her a crowd of colorfully costumed figures scatters in alarm around a large, golden-helmeted alien-looking being. The sweeping composition, with its backdrop of celestial bodies and dramatic night sky, perfectly captures the kind of wide-eyed wonder Busiek, Anderson, and Pantazis have made Astro City's signature. If you've been following this Vertigo run, this issue looks like a very satisfying next chapter.