Funny / Astro City

• The second issue features an ordinary reporter caught up in a bizarre occurrence in the subways of Astro City, including a shark-demon cult, the return of a superhero thought to be dead years before, and the world's foremost super-team being trapped in a dimensional rift, as well as the shocking appearance of the time-drifting Old Soldier, not seen since the darkest days of World War II. But when he turns the story in, his editor insists that they print only what they can prove. After careful (and repeated) re-editing, the newspaper article ends up titled: Trolley delayed by shark.
• The Silver Adept, on arriving home, tells her assistant that she encountered Mr. Malefic, and holds up a large green gem with the villain imprisoned inside. Mr. Malefic says, "Curse you! Curse you and all you know, from this generation down to the — " A little later, The Silver Adept and her assistant are working at a desk, with the gem on it as a paperweight, and Mr. Malefic is still going on in a tiny voice: "And may your feet be covered in blisters, and your toenails cut too short, and your lips be eternally chapped, and your — "
• The Broken Man's description of American Chibi as either a "13 year old anime fan who got her heart's desire, or worse, a 35 year old anime fan who got HIS heart's desire."
  • The truth is actually more bizarre: She's a fictional character brought to life by a group of Eldritch Abominations using the imagination of a game writer. And the sources of her powers are her magic hair scrunchies!
• With Silver Age-style goofiness, it's revealed that one of the menaces that threatens the Hundred Worlds in Astro City's far future is the consciousness-absorbing AI known as the iGod.
• From "On the Sidelines," there's the short The Reason You Suck speech Maddie gives to the Majordomo:
  "And by the way, moron, a majordomo is a servant, not some aristocrat. And a telecaster's an electric guitar!"
• The Reveal of the villain in "Nightmare Life":
  The commands came from an underground lair outside Atlanta, Georgia. They came from -
  I... had no idea who they came from.
  He was no one I'd ever seen before. No one I remembered.
  I mean, I mighta seen that guy before, on the History Channel one time.
  But right then? Not a clue.
  • When Honor Guard gets there, they're honestly surprised to find it's Doctor Dominax, who they treat more like a mild annoyance.
  • Even better: Dominax is begging them to arrest him and get him away from the Living Nightmare.
  • Earlier, when the Nightmare fights off Dominax's control and bellows "NO MORE!", the Honor Guard are all baffled at hearing the Nightmare actually talk rather than roaring out.
• While going out with her boyfriend, Marta (who lives and works in Shadow Hill) notes he's twitchy about the neighborhood because he's afraid vampires will eat him after sunset. Marta doesn't bother telling him that the vampires at Shadow Hill behave, or else.
• In the Samaritan special, Infidel talks about how he and Samaritan sit down together for dinner once a year. When it's Infidel's turn, he hosts Samaritan in his interdimensional palace, and serves a lavish feast. As much as Samaritan would want to return the favor, his apartment is very humble (and he can't exactly take Infidel out in public), and he's not much of a gourmand. The panel shows him offering Infidel a burger meal in a to-go bag with a sheepish smile.
  Infidel: (narrating) His choice of location and cuisine can be... unusual.
  Samaritan: Ah, I hope you don't mind?
• The adventures of Kittyhawk, a cat who got covered with mind-control goop and came out with superpowers while still retaining the normal intelligence and behavior of a cat. Such as batting at the glowing jar of stuff her superhero owners have on their desk. After thwarting a supervillain's plan to blackmail a scientist into helping him, she then goes right back to playing with the jar.
  • Sunshrike refuses to accept that the cat is called "Kittyhawk" or that she could be their sidekick. Sunshrike and Nighthawk's arrangement is Because Destiny Says So. Nothing in there about "Bird of Light, Bird of Night, and their pet cat."
• The reason why G-Dog, a Fusion Dance between a man and his pet corgi Hank, ended up with his name. While the man's mind is in control in their super form, he's influenced by Hank's emotions and desires, so when a group of people he just saved his first night out ask what his name is, Hank, who above all else wants to be a good dog, causes him to blurt out the first thing that pops into his head: G-Dog.
• In "My Dad", the Broken Man desperately wants to talk about the Bouncing Beatnik and the time he saved the world from Lord Saampa, but when he tries to start the story by focusing on Tillie Armstong, she suddenly breaks the Fourth Wall, delighted to learn that all these "nifty" people from the future want to hear her story, and decides to tell it herself, much to the Broken Man's consternation.
  "Uh, did you want to talk about the Beatnik guy some now? My break's about over, and there'll be lots more dishes piled up for me to wash."
  "We're on page twenty-three, Til. There really isn't any room left."
  "I don't know what that means, but okay."