Kurt Busiek's Astro City #16

Two noir-styled figures in red-and-black costumes perch atop a city rooftop on Alex Ross's cover, one wielding a whip while a blazing sun cuts dramatically through the urban skyline behind them — it's a moody, pulp-tinged image that perfectly sets the tone for "The Tarnished Angel." Kurt Busiek's Astro City was consistently one of 1999's most thoughtful superhero titles, and this sixteenth issue looks to continue that tradition with a street-level, shadowy atmosphere that feels more crime noir than cape opera. Brent E. Anderson's interior art, inked by Will Blyberg and colored by Alex Sinclair, promises to match Ross's evocative cover with the series' trademark blend of heart and craft.