Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson's Astro City is one of the most beloved comic book series of all time. The series managed to inject a sense of grassroots humanity into what is essentially superhero tropes and homes, creating an Eisner-winning narrative that truly transcends the sum of its part. The Confessor, Astro City's answer to Batman, is no exception, as it uses an Elseworlds concept as a metaphor for maturity and adulthood.
Astro City: Confessions introduces Brian Kinney, a young man eager to get his big break in Astro City. Brian's father was a local doctor who was taken advantage of by the very townspeople he tried to help. After his father's death, Brian vows not to end up like him. After taking down the third-string supervillain Glue Gun while working as a busboy at a superhero club, Brian meets the mysterious Confessor, who trains him as his sidekick Alter Boy. Unfortunately, times in tough in Astro City. The murder of a young girl has set the city on edge, and the mayor is calling for all supernatural heroes to register to avoid scrutiny in the investigation. Alter Boy spots a shapeshifter impersonating the superhero Cracker Jack. While the city gradually turns against its heroes, a battle against alien invaders rages deep into the Earth's orbit. When Brian asks Confessor if he needs to register because of any supernatural abilities, his mentor harshly tells him if he wants his secrets, he'll have to uncover them himself.
Unfortunately, Brian quickly realizes the Confessor's secrets are in plain sight. He only comes out at night. He's incredibly strong. He can convince criminals to talk with just a glare. And when the Confessor sneaks up on Brian when he is looking in the mirror, Brian reasons the only way the Confessor could have done so is without a reflection - because the Confessor is a vampire. The Confessor later explains his origin story - that he was a priest named Jeremiah Parrish who came to Astro City during its settling but fell victim to a vampire seductress. Now a vampire, Jeremiah re-emerged as a superhero, using the massive cross on his chest as a form of mortification to ward away his vampire urges for blood. Brian presumes this must work because he hasn't killed anyone, but the Confessor sadly looks away and says "...please don't ask me that."
Overwhelmed by these revelations and the city's own crackdown on superheroes, Brian considers quitting, only to be confronted by the Confessor - who Brian angrily says sounds just like his father. When Brian reveals the mysterious conspiracy targeting heroes also knows of the Confessor's true nature, he puts two and two together, and storms out - all before night as fallen. He attacks the Mayor in the middle of a press conference (in a cool twist, the Confessor doesn't show up on video cameras, so people watching at home can only see the mayor's security being tossed around by an invisible force). Unfortunately, the Confessor is gunned down by a stake gun wielded by the Mayor's imposing security but not before he turns the same weapon on the Mayor, revealing him to be an alien imposter, along with members of his security detail. Ultimately, the heroes are successful in vanquishing the aliens and rescuing the real mayor, who issues an apology on behalf of his doppelganger. The story ends with Brian having come to terms with both his father's death and his role in Astro City. After years of training, he returns and takes on the mantle of Confessor, all while terrified criminals try in vain to ward him off with rosaries and garlic. This new Confessor would appear in subsequent issues of Astro City, teaming up with Superman and Wonder Woman counterparts Samaritan and Winged Victory.
Astro City: Confessions shows the Eisner-winning comic book series at its best. The premise borrows heavily from Batman: Red Rain, the Elseworlds tale which showed Batman becoming a vampire after his battle with Dracula. However, while Batman would ultimately become a monster, Astro City: Confessions instead shows the Confessor remains a hero, even with a clearly troubled past. At the beginning of the story, Brian is a youthful protagonist looking for his big break, viewing his deceased father as little more than a chump. The Confessor stands as a foil to Brian's expectations, a complex character who rises above the murky complexities of the real world along with his own tragic circumstances to become a superhero. Both the Confessor and in fact, the entire superhero community, share parallels to Brian's own father as they are shunned by the very people they endeavor to help. Ultimately, the Confessor himself is a symbol of true heroism amid the murky ambiguities and tragedies which come with growing up.