Astro City #44

I loved this issue! Even after years Astro City can still surprise me. With the single-issue story "The Cat Who Walked Through Walls," Astro City #44 touches on a theme near and dear to my heart: animal heroes. In this case the animal is the pet cat of two Astro City heroines - Sunhawk and Nightingale who are completely unaware about what their pet does when they aren't looking (other than try and knock dangerous substances off of tables and shelves).

Unaware of their cat's power, or devilish intelligence, our heroes are completely oblivious to Kittyhawk tackling their case to stop the latest villainous plans of Popinjay on her own. Okay, she also relied on the help of another animal hero in Rocket Dog. Yes, I said Rocket Dog! Did I mention how much I love this comic?!

Every piece of this comic is terrific including the heroes unaware of the cat's action, the villain's Scooby-Doo style cursing about how his plans were foiled by a meddlesome cat, and the cat's own cat-like nature to, despite her super-powers and obvious intelligence, still cause mischief around the house. I want so much more of Kittyhawk than just one issue. Must-read.

[Vertigo, $3.99]