”The Day the Music Died” continues from Astro City #45, continuing the story of Glamorax’s re-generation. An androgynous being, (s)he being the spirit of late 1970s glam rock music on the cusp of evolving into the next musical avatar. But at the decisive moment, matters go sideways, and the spirit is seemingly destroyed.

What follows is a narration by what I presume to the next avatar. As it remains in a form of limbo, those it previously influenced remain somehow oblivious to the existence of the avatar in its various incarnations. This seems to effectively neuter the spirit’s influence. It seeks out others in the hope of resurrection, manifesting itself in various ways but with little success.

I am uncertain what to make of the story. Is it the introduction of a character to be followed up on later? A basic character study? I just don’t know. I may be mistaken, not having read of Astro City in the past, but the overall series seem to be an anthology of super-hero stories, rather than the chronicles of any one hero or group of heroes. I can appreciate it on that level, so it is not beholden to any restrictive continuity.

Creating the spirit of music as a person is novel, but not necessarily new. After all, Barry Manilow was music, and he writes the songs. But as an ever-evolving super-hero, it may or may not be an effective weapon against the forces of evil. But the concept is interesting.