In which we revisit another old friend, in this case Marta Dobrescu from ASTRO CITY #4, twenty years ago. Back then, she was a young lawyer torn between her roots in the disquieting Shadow Hill neighborhood and the more glamorous life uptown. Now she's older and more experienced, running her own law practice in Shadow Hill, but still working to balance her life inside and outside her neighborhood. And, again, the Hanged Man is involved.
It's a fine issue. I'm not sure if getting into the Hanged Man's origin is really necessary (he works just fine as an enigma), but the connection to Marta's life in the present is a neat little piece of work. Of course, the ethereal agent of good needs a lawyer, occasionally. That said, Marta was the star. It was great to see her again, see where she went in life, and see her deal with the same sorts of problems from an older, more established perspective. Granted, that may be because I'm older and more established than I was when I read that issue back in 1996, but still.
Carmen Carnero does a credible job on art duties, but I do miss Brent Anderson's work. I don't think Carnero quite nailed the moody spookiness of Shadow Hill the way Anderson has in the past. The transition between Shadow Hill and the rest of Astro City isn't as pronounced, although the colorist makes it work.
All in all, solid and recommended.