History ComicBook / AstroCity

* AnimalTalk: Animals have a (simple) form of speech they use to communicate. Andy Merton is able to listen to them after he merges with his pet Corgi to become G-Dog.

** G-Dog got his name after he rescued some folks from being mugged; when they asked his name, Hank (the Corgi) immediately replied "G-Dog! I'm G-Dog!" (which was the term of endearment Hank's owner used).

** G-Dog is half-man, half-Corgi.

** "Who's a Good Dog?" is a fun, upbeat adventure of Andy Merton and his pet Corgi Hank after they've fused to become the [[AnimalSuperheroes superhero G-Dog]]. Then [[spoiler:the veterinarian reminds Andy that [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Hank is in his old age.]]]]

** Done indirectly with G-Dog. [[spoiler:After his pet Corgi Hank dies, Andy Merton decides to stop being a superhero instead of trying to find a replacement pet to bond with.]] He takes the medallion to a remote area and leaves it on a tree branch, so fate can choose a successor on its own.

* SickeninglySweet: Every time G-Dog (half-man, half-Corgi) rescues someone, they invariably gush over how ''adorably cute'' he is... which irritates his human half to no end.

* MiseryPoker: Played for drama in "And, In the End...". Rose Wilkerson, a woman who lost her young son and her right hand in a supervillian attack, has joined "Miranda's Friends", a [[TropaholicsAnonymous support group]] for survivors of super-conflicts. However, when the group's organizer reveals that his wife was [[RetGone erased from history]] in a CloseEnoughTimeline accident, she becomes enraged, insisting that he's a fraud and ''her'' trauma is far worse.

** Some of Honor Guard's members qualify, as the team has a stipend available (via N.R.Gistics) for those who need financial support to offset their time being heroes.

* OldSuperhero: ''Astro City'' is rife with examples of this trope, as it establishes a long history of generational superheroes, and the avoidance of ComicBookTime means characters age and cope accordingly. Some heroes are extraordinarily long-lived (''e.g.'' The Confessor, The Hanged Man, the Gentleman) and remain active, while others have [[RetiredBadass retired]] (''e.g.'' The Black Badge, Supersonic, Starfighter) or passed away due to natural causes (Noah of the Crossbreed).

** Though it's never stated outright, it is heavily implied that much of Honor Guard's infrastructure -- from their elaborate flying base to their teleporting call center -- is funded by N.R. Gestics, the company responsible for the N-Forcer armored hero.

** In "Aftermaths", Michael Teniceck is able to devote himself to running a support group for victims of super-battles because someone has been paying his bills and depositing a modest fund into his bank account.

** In "Aftermaths", Michael Teniceck is able to devote himself to running a support group for victims of super-battles because someone pays most of his bills and keeps depositing a modest fund into his bank account.

* HeroismWontPayTheBills: Averted; not only can heroes register as {{Bounty Hunter}}s with local law enforcement agencies, but some teams like Honor Guard and Reflex 6 offer a stipend for members who need financial support.

* TropaholicsAnonymous: Late in Volume 4 we see that Michael Teniceck from "The Nearness Of You" now runs "Miranda's Friends", a support group for people who have lost loved ones in superpowered struggles.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: the [=TransGene=] executives, according to Roustabout.

** Resistor is a free-floating memetic field that [[SuperEmpowering turns ordinary people into energy beings]] who cast protective energy barriers to shield innocents.

* SuperEmpowering: Resistor is a [[{{Technobabble}} neuro-memetic imprint]] that free-floats in the public consciousness. When a concentration of high social strife breaks out at a location -- such as peaceful protestors being attacked -- it [[SuperEmpowering turns ordinary people]] into flying energy beings who can [[BarrierWarrior protect the innocent.]]

* BarrierWarrior: Samaritan can manipulate an "Empyrean field", which is strong enough to repulse a tidal wave.

* FantasticRacism: Earthpride is an anti-alien human supremacist group that uses violent attacks to push their agenda.

* PassingTheTorch: Jack-in-the-Box III takes up the mantle after his predecessor discovers he's going to be a father. Jack-in-the-Box II ends up serving as MissionControl instead.

** The AnimalSuperheroes team briefly considered calling themselves "Pet Dander".

* StealTheSurroundings: Occurs in "Where the Action Is". [[spoiler:When a cosmic being gets irritated with Manny Monkton fabricating unflattering stories about it, it causes Manny's entire office building -- with Manny inside -- to disappear for parts unknown.]]

* EasilyForgiven: Done ''twice'' by Ellie Jennersen in "Friends and Relations":
** Ellie's quiet life was upended by her nephew Fred, who used the excuse of renovating her robot museum as a cover for [[spoiler:renting out her robots to commit crimes]]. He ended up framing her for robbery, assault, and terrorism, and almost had her sent to prison. But after everything was straightened out, she simply wished him well in his new life and encouraged him to be an upstanding citizen.
** Ellie also forgave her former college roommate, [[spoiler:the villainous Vivi Viktor,]] who {{Mind Rape}}d Ellie, stole her designs, and left her with memory problems for ''decades''. Yet in the end, Ellie forgives [[spoiler:Vivi]] without so much as a sharp word, and is content to let the criminal justice system resolve the matter.

* EvilNerd: Simon Says is a TeenGenius who turned to crime after being relentlessly bullied in school.

** "Who's a Good Dog?" is a fun, upbeat adventure of Andy Merton and his pet Corgi Hank after they've fused to become the AnimalHero G-Dog. Then [[spoiler:the veterinarian reminds Andy that [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Hank is in his old age.]]]]

* MoodWhiplash: In issue 17 of the second series, we get the life story of the Mock Turtle, a soft-spoken, naive, good-hearted inventor who only ever wanted to find a city of dreams. After getting tricked into committing crimes by a manipulative woman, he eventually flees the UK and makes his way to Astro City, where he's saved from his troubles and welcomed as a friend by Steeljack and the denizens of Kiefer Square. The issue ends with him having finally found his city of dreams, happy at last. Then issue 18 [[spoiler:opens after his brutal murder.]]

* GoodFeelsGood: A major reason why G-Dog fights crime is because performing heroic acts gives him an overwhelming sense of joy and pride.