History ComicBook / AstroCity

* BlackTieInfiltration: Tom O'Bedlam's "Phoenix Party" to celebrate [[TheNthDoctor Glamorax's transformation]] is infiltrated by [[spoiler:agents of [[EldritchAbomination the Oubor,]] who use talismans to disrupt Glamorax's rebirth]].

* ActionPet: Kittyhawk, the stray cat adopted by Nightingale. She can [[{{Intangibility}} walk through walls,]] [[PowerGivesYouWings sprout black wings for flight,]] and is smart enough to foil a kidnapping plot (almost) by herself.

* HeroicWillpower: Ben Naparski, ''a.k.a.'' Lord Saampa, has been fighting against the corrupting influence of the [[EldritchAbomination Oubor]]. He tries to steal the [[ArtifactOfDoom Diadem of the Serpent's Eye]] to control it, but realizes at the last second that wearing it will actually unleash the Oubor. As he struggles to resist, a little girl nearby urges him [[BeYourself to remember who he is,]] which gives him the strength to throw away the Diadem.

** During "The Sky's the Limit", the narrator mentions the Gentleman first appeared fighting the Bund-o-teurs, but despite this there was damage and death, including children being orphaned, and one specific man in a green sweater. These details prove to be very important a few issues later.

** Mister Manta is a villainous example; he's been marooned on a deserted island for so long that when he finally appears during a raid on a cruise ship, nobody recognizes the white-haired long-bearded skinny hermit.

* EpicHail: During his heroic career, the Astro-Naut gave his friend, Councilman Joe Greenwald, a desk lamp that can send a radio signal to contact him in case of emergencies.[[note]]or when Joe needs an election campaign boost[[/note]] In the modern day, the Astro City Bank Tower is topped with a giant replica of the lamp; when activated, it sends a radio signal that summons all of the local heroes.

* PlanetLooters: The Mrevani from "The Sky's the Limit" are primitive scavengers who steal their technologies from other, more advanced, civilizations.

* TheWorldIsNotReady: This is the reason that the Astro-Naut gave for not sharing his technological discoveries with the United States government. Since the US was in the middle of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII at the time, they did ''not'' take it well.

** In "Thumbtacks & Yarn", one brief story has a man dealing with a snake cult, only to have the Broken Man interrupt and [[NoFourthWall yell at the reader]] for trying to read the story before prematurely. Later, in "The Sky's The Limit", Zootsuit stops two LizardFolk from trying to attack a young woman -- and on the next page, the Broken Man is on the edge of the page, gesturing silently to the thwarted attack.

** In "Thumbtacks & Yarn", one brief story has a man dealing with a snake cult, which the Broken Man interrupts. In "The Sky's The Limit", Zootsuit picks a fight with a snake cult. On the next page, the Broken Man interrupts the story, gesturing silently to the reader to turn back the page.