Who's Who and What's What in Astro City
Astro City
ACFA: 1:1:16.2. Astro City Firefighters Assocation.
A.C. in the A.M.: 2:7:11. Early morning newsshow. NAI.
ACPW: 2:1:23.1. Astro City Public Works.
ACTA: 1:2:24.2. Astro City Transit Authority.
Astrobank: 1:1:11.2. A bank in Astro City; City Center branch attacked
by Menagerie Gang.
Astrobank tower, the: 2:1:5.1, etc. Site of the Astro City emergency beacon,
which in an emergency guides superheroes to the threatened part of the city.
Astro City: From 1:2:3, city was rebuilt and renamed in 1947. Originally named
Romeyn Falls. The city was founded by Dutch, or at least the Binderbeck Plaza area was(see 1:4:5.5.).
Astro City may be named for the Astro-Naut.
Astro City Aquarium: 1:2:24.2. NAI.
Astro City Area Transit: 2:4:2.4. This organsition exploits at least one bus-line.
Astro City Athletic Club: 1:3:13.5 NAI
Astro City Beacon: 1:4:9.1. etc. Astro City's "most famous landmark". The "gleaming
silver symbol" is both a memorial for "a hero who gave his life to save millions" and a
warning beacon in times of emergency alerting Astro City's superheroes to "any danger that
threatens innocents. The colour and pattern of the rings tell the location of the danger.
The Beacon is located on top of the Astrobank Tower.
Astro City Public Dump & Landfill #3: 2:10:6.1 Doubles as one of the Junkman's hideouts.
Astro City Rocket: 1:2, etc. Premier Astro City newspaper.
Astro City Stock Exchange: 1:6:1.1. NAI.
Astro Kidz 2-Day: 2:2:6.2. A television show hosted by Stanley Tripp, which once had
Astra, of the First Family, as a guest.
Astroporter: 2:7:11.4. An airport shuttle service in Astro City.
Astro Sunrise: 2:7:11.3. Early morning newsshow. NAI.
Bakerville: 1:3:6.1. One of Astro City's districts, Bakerville erupted in riots in 1968,
following the death of Martin Luther King. Before he retired, the Black Badge(qv) fought crime there.
[Refers to Matt Baker, a black cartoonist most famous for his work on Phantom Lady in the forties.]
Beefy Bob's: 1:6:8.2. A chain of fast food restaurants. The Beefy Bob's on Stallman St. is where
Samaritan and Winged Victory had their "date".
Binderbeck Plaza: 1:4:5.4. The heart of Astro City, formerly the Dutch section of the
town. Binderbeck is a reference to Otto BINDER and C.C. BECK, the
creators of the original Captain "Shazam" Marvel.
Biro Island: 1:1:14.1. Site of (one of) Astro City's jail(s).
[Homage to Golden Age artist Charles Biro, creator of Crime Doesn't Pay.]
Bolling Elementary School: 2:3:21.1. The school Astra went to when she went on her
"advanture". [Bob Bolling was the cretor of Li'l Archie.]
Briefer's: 1:2.3. In 1959, a store in Astro City. [homage to comic
strip artist Dick Briefer (1940's Frankenstein).]
Bruiser's: 2:4:8.1. A superhero hangout, mostly visited by "lower class" superheroes.
It's owned by K.O. "Black Badge" Carson.
Buchanan Corners: 2:4:1.1. Hometown of Brian Kinney, aka Altar Boy.
[Captain America's 1940's sidekick was called James "Bucky" Buchanan.]
Butler's: 2:4:14.1 A private superhero club located at 34 Wodehouse Mews for the more
sophisticated superhero. Butler's is owned by Jedson Godfrey, who was butler to Anders van Rupert,
from which he inherited the club.
Cairo Club: 1:3:8.2. Egyptian styled nightclub, with possible connections to the Deacon.
Centennial Park: 2:8:17.1. The park in Astro City where the fake E.A.G.L.E troops landed, when the
Bridwells tried to conquer Earth.
Chesler: 1:3:1.2 A down-run neighbourhood in Astro City, usally called "the Sweatshop"
on account of the many little businesses situated there.
[Chesler is a reference to "Harry a. Chesler", a well-known Golden Age comics-sweatshop.]
Cicero Street: 1:1:14.3. [Cicero was the name of the cat in the "Mutt and jeff" comic-strip] NAI.
Current, the: 1:5:5.1. A glossy Astro City magazine. Their december 1995 issue spotlighted
the Starwoman retrospective at the museum of modern history.
Deadline, The: 1:2:7.2. A bar for reporter-types in 1959 Astro City.
Derbyfield: 1:4:4.1. A neighbourhood in Astro City. NAI
Estrada Pavilion: 1:6:4.2. Site of an auto show. [Ref to artist Ric
Estrada, for his HOT WHEELS work.]
FBU: 1:1:8.6. See Fox-Broome University for more details.
Fox-Broome University: 1:1:8.6. Astro City's university, FBU is well known for it's
paranormal research. on 8 Aug 1995, giant paramecia cause havoc at its bio labs.
[Gardner FOX and John BROOME were two well known DC writers/editors.]
Gottfredson Bridge: 2:7:11.4. [refers to Floyd Gottfredson, who worked on the old Mickey
Mouse newspaper strip]
Grandenetti Cathedral: 2:5.7 (first shown, mentioned earlier). Actually an Abbey, with the
cathedral at its center, Cardinal Grandenetti started the its building in 1869 and the cathedral
was still unfinished at his death in 1908. Grandenetti cathedral is also the Confessor's hq.
Grant, Miller Conroy, McConnel & Ingersoll: A law firm in Astro City, of which Darcy Conroy,
the fiancee of Nick Furst, is one of the partners.
[In real life, Grant, Miller, McConnel & Ingersoll are comics-fans/semipros and lawyers]
Harold Jordan Memorial High School: 1:1:8.1 Mentioned in First Family article.
Homage to the real Green Lantern, Hal Jordan.
KACT: 1:6:8.4. A TV station.
KBAC: 1:4:cover, 5.4. A radio station in Astro city. "KBAC loves Astro City", a slogan on
a bus going to the City Center. Because radio stations beginning with a K are mostly found
west of the Missisippi, it is likely Astro city is situated somewhere on the west coast.
KBAC is also a tv station(See 1:5:22.2.), which revealed the i.d. of Crackerjack (qv).(
Loony Leo's: 2:1:5.3. A restaurant, based on a popular
cartoon character. This cartoon character really exists, based on dialogue in 2:1:5.3.
Maritime Museum: 1:1:14.2. NAI.
Mount Kirby: 1:4:1.1. The mountain overlooking Shadow Hill(qv).
Named after Jack "King Kirby. "We all live in the shadow of Mount Kirby."
(Elayne Wechsler-Chaput, r.a.c.misc)
Rocket: short for Astro City Rocket, q.v..
Romeyn Falls: The original name of Astro City. A headline from the "Romeyn
Falls Democrat-American" is displayed in the Deadline, 1959. [Homag to Romeyn, first
cartoonist known to have signed his work.]
Shadow Hill: 1:4:1.1. The neighbourhood which lays at the foot of Mount Kirby(qv),
where magic is very common. Doesn't have a good reputation.
Shuster Expressway: 2:7:11.4. Part of Astro City's highway system. [Joe Shuster was
the co-creator of Superman of course]
The Sweatshop: 1:3:1.2. Slang for Chester, a neighbourhood in Astro City.
Where could Astro City be located?
While the location of Astro City hasn't yet been revealed, there have been some clues.
First, there is the KBAC radio/TV station. In the US, it's common practise for radio
stations located west of the missisippi to have their name begin with a K,
which is indeed the case here. Note however, that there are exceptions to this rule
with older radio stations and AStro City could still be located east of the Missisippi.
Second, in issue V2.1 Ben Pullam said he transferred out from the east coast.
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Webpage created januari 1996, last updated 18-06-2000.
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