History Awesome / AstroCity

* "Aftermaths" focuses on Michael Teniceck, who started a support group for people who lost loved ones in superpowered struggles after the events of "Nearness of You". It turns out the Honor Guard had been paying his bills and rent since he's been helping people, and even offered to get him a new job if he feels like he doesn't want to be forced to continue the groups (which he declines).

* Irene Merriweather has an understated moment as well. Despite the fact that Irene's unrelenting attempts at exposing Adam Peterson as Atomicus bordered on insane and ultimately drove Atomicus to leave Earth forever, Irene's defining characterization is being TheDeterminator. She originally got where she was by willpower, resourcefulness, and the ability to bluff, and when she began dating Atomicus, she initially misconstrued his feelings of fear as some sort of challenge to prove herself as a woman deserving and capable of receiving his love. After Atomicus finally left Earth, Irene went through a TraumaCongaLine where she was fired, routinely pelted with objects on the street, and sank into alcoholism, before she finally decided enough was enough and began looking for work again. She found a job with an alderman, met her future husband and had a daughter named Samantha. While she is still plagued with feelings of guilt over her mistakes, Samantha was inspired by her mother's resourcefulness and determination and [[spoiler: became Flying Fox.]]

* The end of ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' #8 "Patterns" is an ''amazing'' moment for The Confessor. First, [[spoiler:he reveals himself as a vampire]] - a secret he's kept for over a hundred years, half of which time he spent operating openly as a superhero - by fighting, desperately, with his full speed and strength in front of thousands of people and several news cameras. His opponents are a whole squad of soldiers armed with [[spoiler:''hologram cross generators'', holy-water-squirters, and a gatling gun stake gun]]. ''After'' [[spoiler:getting staked, he grabs the gun and uses it to take out the mayor, revealing to the world the fact that shapeshifters have infiltrated the planet]].
** And that's followed by [[spoiler: a fantastic issue showing how the various heroes, villains and monsters of Earth rise up to defeat the invasion.]]
** The ending of the story, four years in the future, a gang of fur thieves terrified by what looks like a Confessor who [[spoiler: is not only back from the dead but immune to crosses, garlic and holy water. Behind his mask, Brian smiles that "this is going to be easier than I thought."]]

** For a while he hadn't told people the truth about what happened to [[RetGone his wife]], because it was hard to wrap your head around and there's not really any way to prove you were married to a woman who technically never existed. But when a new-comer confronts him about it, he explains everything. At first the group has trouble believing him, but then the Hanged Man shows up in person to corroborate his story.

** When Steeljack returns in a 2014 story, he stops a low-level "collector" who's been using the weapons of former crooks for himself. He's arrested and it looks like that's it for him...but then partner Cutlass shows up with evidence to prove he was stopping a threat and he's hailed as a hero at last.

* One of the recent arcs from the ''Vertigo'' series analyzed Quarrel and Crackerjack's relationship over the last couple of decades. At one point Quarrel briefly dated M.P.H., but broke up with him because she didn't have the energy to be the kind of girlfriend he deserves. Quarrel explained that she stays with Crackerjack because, with all the energy and focus she has to put into being a superhero, it doesn't leave her room to do stuff like plan for dates or special occasions... and with a similarly non-powered hero like Crackerjack, that's not a problem. When M.P.H. tries to pull the "nice guys get shafted for the bad boys" routine, Quarrel tells him that he's not allowed to pull that shit on her.

* One of the recent arcs from the ''Vertigo'' series analyzed Quarrel and Crackerjack's relationship over the last couple of decades. At one point Quarrel briefly dated M.P.H., but broke up with him because she didn't have the energy to be the kind of girlfriend he deserves. Quarrel explained that she stays with Crackerjack because, with all the energy and focus she has to put into being a superhero, it doesn't leave her room to do stuff like plan for dates or special occasions... and with a self-absorbed JerkWithAHeartOfGold like Crackerjack, that's not a problem. When M.P.H. tries to pull the "nice guys get shafted for the bad boys" routine, Quarrel tells him that he's not allowed to pull that shit on her.

* At a carnival in Caplinville, a crowd sees a group of supervillains overwhelm the local hero. Instant response? A crowd of {{Heroic Bystander}}s charges the villains with handy tools, and buys the hero the moment he needs to regroup.
* One of the recent arcs from the ''Vertigo'' series analyzed Quarrel and Crackerjack's relationship over the last couple of decades. At one point Quarrel briefly dated M.P.H., but broke up with him because she didn't have the energy to be the kind of girlfriend he deserves. Quarrel explained that she stays with Crackerjack because, with all the energy and focus she has to put into being a superhero, it doesn't leave her room to do stuff like plan for dates or special occasions and with Crackerjack that's not a problem. When M.P.H. tries to pull the "nice guys get shafted for the bad boys" routine, Quarrel tells him that he's not allowed to pull that shit on her.

* The culmination of "The Tarnished Angel" is a superb combination of super-hero motifs with FilmNoir. Steeljack, a minor supervillain who is weary of the life, accepts a detective job out of desperation. He discovers a plan to lure a bunch of supervillain CListFodder into a murderous trap. He doesn't have enough evidence to bring to the police and suspects they wouldn't much care anyway. When the real villain frames Steeljack, and the superheroes refuse to take his word for it, he realizes he is the only hope his neighorhood has. [[WhatYouAreInTheDark He eludes pursuit with desperate ingenuity, confronts the villain and battles him to a standstill.]] After which he [[IJustWantToBeNormal takes the best honest work he can find - as a graveyard groundskeeper.]]

* The culmination of "The Tarnished Angel" is a superb combination of super-hero motifs with FilmNoir. Steeljack, a minor supervillain who is weary of the life, accepts a detective job out of desperation. He discovers a plan to lure a bunch of supervillain CListFodder into a murderous trap. He doesn't have enough evidence to bring to the police and suspects they wouldn't much care anyway. When the real villain frames Steeljack, and the superheroes refuse to take his word for it, he realizes he is the only hope his neighorhood has. He eludes pursuit with desperate ingenuity, confronts the villain and battles him to a standstill. After which he [[IJustWantToBeNormal takes the best honest work he can find - as a graveyard groundskeeper.]]

* Winged Victory standing up to the Council of Nike in "Victory", defending her association with male heroes and giving them an ArmorPiercingQuestion of whether she should teach that men and women are equal or that women have to be alone to be strong.

* The culmination of "The Tarnished Angel" is a superb combination of super-hero motifs with FilmNoir. Steeljack, a minor supervillain who is weary of the life, accepts a detective job out of desperation. He discovers a plan to lure a bunch of supervillain CListFodder into a murderous trap. He doesn't have enough evidence to bring to the police and suspects they wouldn't much care anyway. When the real villain frames Steeljack, and the superheroes refuse to take his word for it, he realizes he is the only hope his neighorhood has. He eludes pursuit with desperate ingenuity, confronts the villain and battles him to a standstill. After which he [[IJustWantToBeNormal takes the best work he can find - as a graveyard groundskeeper.]]

* The culmination of "The Tarnished Angel" is a superb combination of super-hero motifs with FilmNoir. Steeljack, a minor supervillain who is weary of the life, accepts a detective job out of desperation. He discovers a plan to lure a bunch of supervillain CListFodder into a murderous trap. He doesn't have enough evidence to bring to the police and suspects they wouldn't much care anyway. When the real villain frames Steeljack, and the superheroes refuse to take his word for it, he realizes he is the only hope his neighorhood has. He eludes pursuit with desperate ingenuity, confronts the villain and battles him to a standstill. After which he [[IJustWantToBeNormal takes the best work he can find - as groundskeeper at the graveyard his mother is buried in.]]

* The culmination of "The Tarnished Angel" is a superb combination of super-hero motifs with FilmNoir. Steeljack, a minor supervillain who is weary of the life, accepts a detective job out of desperation. He discovers a plan to lure a bunch of supervillain CListFodder into a trap. He doesn't have enough evidence to bring to the police and suspects they wouldn't much care anyway. When the real villain frames Steeljack, and the superheroes refuse to take his word for it, he realizes he is the only hope his fellow crooks (and their unsuspecting families) have. He eludes pursuit with desperate ingenuity, confronts the villain and battles him to a standstill. After which he [[IJustWantToBeNormal takes the best work he can find - as groundskeeper at the graveyard his mother is buried in.]]

* The culmination of "The Tarnished Angel" is a superb combination of super-hero motifs with FilmNoir. Steeljack, a minor supervillain who is weary of the life, accepts a detective job out of desperation. He discovers a plan to lure a bunch of supervillain DListFodder into a trap. He doesn't have enough evidence to bring to the police and suspects they wouldn't much care anyway. When the real villain frames Steeljack, and the superheroes refuse to take his word for it, he realizes he is the only hope his fellow crooks (and their unsuspecting families) have. He eludes pursuit with desperate ingenuity, confronts the villain and battles him to a standstill. After which he [[IJustWantToBeNormal takes the best work he can find - as groundskeeper at the graveyard his mother is buried in.]]

* Towards the end of the Tarnished Angel arc, former supervillain and ChromeChampion Steeljack has figured out who it is who's been killing low-level supervillains, and only he can do anything about it. Unfortunately, [[spoiler: he gets arrested for something he didn't do]]. He breaks free of containment, then, being hunted all the while, [[spoiler: walks across a riverbottom, travels across the country, obtains a jetpack and flies to the headquarters of superhero team Honor Guard.]] When they don't believe him, he, out of desperation, overcomes the magnetic weapon that can usually defeat him. He proceeds to [[spoiler: hijack a biplane]], and then confronts the mastermind behind the killings, who reveals intent to [[spoiler: murder all the supervillains who he got to join his scheme, then pass it off as an accident so he looks like a hero]]. This knowledge, and the knowledge that no-one but him can stop it, drives Steeljack to engage in a brutal, epic fight with the villain. [[spoiler: Steeljack wins, and thus finally achieves redemption]].

* Steeljack, an ex-con with a long list of crimes to his name, discovers a plan to set off a crime wave. A lot of people, guilty and innocent, will suffer if it happens. His supervillain buddies wouldn't believe him; the police won't listen to an ex-supervillain; and the superheroes seem just as callous and send him off back to prison. He becomes TheDeterminator, breaks out of the prison transport, and goes to confront the BigBad feeling sure that nobody will believe him if he succeeds and nobody will mourn him if he dies trying.

* The "sideliners" in "On the Sidelines," ordinary folks who use their super-abilities in everyday jobs. They just want to pay their bills and get on with their lives, but that doesn't mean they can't get ''pissed'' when someone tries to exploit them...

* Steeljack, an ex-con with a long list of crimes to his name, discovers a plan to set off a crime wave. A lot of people, guilty and innocent, will suffer if it happens. His supervillain buddies wouldn't believe him; the police won't listen to an ex-supervillain; and the superheroes seem just as callous and send him off back to prison. He becomes TheDeterminator, breaks out of the prison transport, and goes to confront the BigBad feeling sure that nobody will believe him if he succeeds and nobody will mourn him if he dies trying.

* Steeljack, an ex-con with a long list of crimes to his name, discovers a plan to set off a crime wave. A lot of people, guilty and innocent, will suffer if it happens. His supervillain buddies wouldn't believe him; the police won't listen to an ex-supervillain; and the superheroes seem just as callous and send him off back to prison. He becomes TheDeterminator, breaks out of the prison transport, and goes to confront the BigBad feeling sure that nobody will believe him if he succceeds and nobody will mourn him if he dies trying.

* Steeljack, an ex-con with a long list of crimes to his name, discovers a plan to set off a crime wave. A lot of people, guilty and innocent, will suffer if it happens. His supervillain buddies wouldn't believe him and the police (and superheroes) distrust him because of his dirty past. So he decides he's just going to have to SaveTheDay himself, becomes TheDeterminator, and goes to confront the BigBad feeling sure that nobody will believe him if he succceeds and nobody will mourn him if he dies trying.

* Irene Merriweather has an understated moment as well. Despite the fact that Irene's unrelenting attempts at exposing Adam Peterson as Atomicus bordered on insane and ultimately drove Atomicus to leave Earth forever, Irene's defining characterization is being TheDeterminator. She originally got where she was by willpower, resourcefulness, and the ability to bluff, and when she began dating Atomicus, she initially misconstrued his feelings of fear as some sort of challenge to prove herself as a woman deserving and capable of receiving his love. After Atomicus finally left Earth, Irene went through a TraumaCongaLine where she was fired, routinely pelted with objects on the street, and sank into alcoholism, before she finally decided enough was enough and began looking for work again. She found a job with an alderman, met her future husband and had a daughter named Samantha. While she is still plagued with feelings of guilt over her mistakes, Samantha was inspired by her mother's resourcefulness and determination and [[spoiler: became Flying Fox.]]

** Everyone else promptly kept quiet after that.