What does it mean to be a truly selfless hero? This is the question with which writer Kurt Busiek kicks off his long-running series Astro City in issue #1 when he introduces us to Asa Martin, also known as Samaritan - a character intended as a deconstruction of the “perfect” Superman.
The product of a successful attempt to change history by a future society on the brink of destruction, Samaritan is a man who was imbued with godlike powers by a force he calls the Empyrean Fire during a trip backwards in time. With these newfound powers, Samaritan averted the disastrous fate his future was destined for, but that is not what truly makes him a hero. What makes Samaritan a hero, for better or worse, is his near-total obsession with averting crime and catastrophe, a task which sees him spend almost every waking hour feverishly zipping around the globe with super speed, saving people from all manner of accidents, incidents and near brushes with death. And if you’re asking yourself, “How does he have time for his own life?” the answer is simple: he doesn’t.
Astro City takes place in a world where superheroes are commonplace, taking a street-level view of what such a reality might actually be like for ordinary people. Instead of focusing on a single hero, Busiek uses the format of an anthology, changing the scenery around each story-arc to zone in on different heroes, common criminals and often just regular people living in a world filled with all manner of superhero tropes and tribulations, often deconstructing classic characters and events from Marvel and DC. Often, the denizens of the world of Astro City serve to give commentary on the darker aspects of certain famous characters, and perhaps none is more interesting than the first one Busiek delivers: Samaritan.
Who is Samaritan?
A man with nigh-infinite power, Samaritan doesn’t fall for the usual Superman plot-foibles. He’s not secretly evil, or being mind-controlled or concealing disdain for his adopted world and its peril-prone population. No, Samaritan is a perfectly nice guy, and has godlike powers to match. He’s just not someone you’d like to spend time with because he’s sort of a boring guy who’s obsessed with his one hobby... which is saving people.
Samaritan was originally born in the 35th Century on an earth that was dying. While it’s possible Asa Martin was his name during this time, it’s never clarified if this is an alias or not. Using experimental time travel technology, the government sent Martin back to the 1980s to avert the tragic 1986 space shuttle explosion aboard the Challenger, but as he was thrown through time, in classic Silver Age fashion, he was bathed in the “Empyrean Fire” which granted him vast super powers including flight, super speed, super strength, energy manipulation and enhanced durability. A common joke (intended as a prod at DC's Superman) is that often when Samaritan appears in the pages of Astro City, he will demonstrate another one of his seemingly endless powers.
The trip through time left him an amnesiac, but he still remembered enough to save the Challenger on the fateful day when it was supposed to have suffered its fatal accident. Upon being questioned by the press upon his rescue of the astronauts, Martin answered that he was simply “a good Samaritan,” a name which stuck. Following his success, Samaritan eventually returned to the 35th Century, only to discover that, while the earth had been saved, his existence had never occurred and his family no longer existed. He eventually joined the Honor Guard, the Astro City equivalent of the Justice League (for which he has acted as spokesman), and is often seen in the background of others’ stories fighting threats to humanity and saving the world.
What Are Samaritan's Powers?
Samaritan has many similarities to his clear inspiration, Superman, including his super powers and chosen profession: as Asa Martin he works as a fact-checker for a magazine called The Current (though he actually spends most of the day out preventing disasters.) Aside from the standard flight and super speed/strength, Samaritan has the ability to generate energy webs he uses for a variety of effects. He can also shift dimensions to enter a private room where he keeps his many awards called “The Closet”, and carries with him a futuristic computer which resembles a multi-colored diamond called the “Zyxometer” which can pick up any and all information being broadcast or transmitted anywhere in the world and informs him of emergencies.
In one story, Busiek introduces an archenemy of Samaritan who calls himself “The Infidel”, and possesses the same powers as Samaritan having been similarly bathed in the Empyrean Fire. Infidel possesses even more insanely devastating powers, including the ability to fabricate human life and manipulate the space-time continuum. It’s hinted that Samaritan has even more fantastic powers, but simply does not use them due to a desire to remain closer to humanity.
Never-Ending Service
Samaritan presents an interesting parable to the concept of the superhero in general. With a few rare exceptions, Samaritan almost never appears center-stage in Astro City, and the reason is somewhat plain: Samaritan literally spends every waking moment fixated on saving human life. His obsession is so all-consuming that he is shown counting the seconds between his life-saving feats in order to maximize his efficiency. He is a kind man who people like, even managing to win over Winged Victory, the Astro City equivalent of Wonder Woman, and also has a few average-Joe qualities, like his love of fast food. But he doesn’t have much of a personality. All he does is work.
While clearly this is meant to indicate a somewhat severe neurosis in terms of his psychology and his need to save people, Samaritan does not do heroics for the reward: Samaritan does heroics because, if he has the power to save people’s lives, then he is obligated to act, no matter the sacrifices. This is a quality in Samaritan that is both heartening and somewhat sad: people all over the world can rest safe because they know that Samaritan will be there if he can make it. But Martin doesn’t have much of a life, because he’s sacrificed it for the greater good. The core idea of Astro City #1 is that Samaritan dreams of flying - not having the power, which is already the case, but having the time to enjoy it for himself. In Samaritan, Busiek answers one of the basic questions people ask of heroes like Superman - how do they justify living an ordinary life? In many ways, Samaritan is the perfect Superman - someone so moral they rarely even take a break - but he also disproves the idea that a perfect Superman would be much fun to watch for more than a few issues. Despite all of his power, he may be Astro City’s most boring hero, and that's exactly what makes him (and the series) great.