This story stands out as one of the very finest Astro Coty stories yet, and when one considers the awe-inspiring, landmark work that Kurt Busiek has given his readers in the various incarnations of Astro City, that's really saying something. Busiek offers up an entertaining, clever and realistic deconstruction of the Lois Lane-Superman relationship from the Silver Age, but he also presents us with a character study in which a woman is torn between her feminist, empowering perspective and her desire for traditional love.
Irene Merryweather wasn't like most other women in 1960s America. She was determined to carve out a career for herself in the world of politics, and that's just what she did as a mayoral aide in Astro City. Irene's dedication had given her everything she wanted... except the perfect man. She was determined to find that too, and she did... in the form of a nuclear super-hero named Atomicus. She became known as Atomicus's girlfriend, but in order for their partnership to be complete, she had to uncover his secret identity. But as they say... be careful what you wish for.
Anderson captures the Silver Age setting of the story wonderfully. One really gets a sense of "fresher, cleaner" world that Irene describes to her daughter in the present. The Atomicus design captures the Superman archetype quite well without being too obvious about it. I was particularly impressed with Anderson's page layout on page 19, the end of the climactic confrontation between Irene and Atomicus. Irene's sense of isolation shines through in the artwork.
Though gender parity still has a way to go in the 21st century, it's difficult to imagine an employer outright eliminating someone from eligibility for a position -- especially an administrative one, as compared to, say, manual labor -- simply based on the fact that she's a woman. Busiek's look back a very different time in Western culture reminds us of how far we've come, and how far we have to go. It also paints Irene's accomplishments in an important light, holding her out as an admirable and strong figure. At the same time, though, Busiek doesn't deify her. She's flawed and short-sighted and self-involved. Irene's strengths are part and parcel of her shortcomings as well.
The level at which this script resonates the most, though, is its impartial and realistic examination of the obsessive and possessive behavior of the Lois Lane character of the Silver Age. Busiek steps back from those light, fun stories and places them in a far more objective and critical context. He doesn't do so to tear down to mock those stories of yesteryear, though. He simply points out that storytelling is a creature that evolves with the times.
