The First Family

The First Family © Juke Box Productions AstroFacts Status: Active Base of Operations: First Family's Headquarters are located on Mount Kirby right next to Astro City's Mount Kirby Observatory and Planetarium. Range of Operations: global, extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional. First Appearance: 1950 Personal Data Members: Augustus Furst Julius Furst Natalie Furst Nick Furst Rex Zorus Astra Furst Sasha Furst Karl Furst InfoDump Headlines: June 17, 1964: Dr. Furst Battles 'Space Spiders Unknown: First Family To City: Good-Bye July 9, 1986: Rex and Natalie: It's A Girl! Appearances (in Publication Order): Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.1 #4, 6 Wizard Presents: Kurt Busiek's Astro City #1/2 Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 #1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 20 Astro City: Local Heroes #4 Astro City: The Dark Age Book One #1, 2, 3, 4 Astro City: Samaritan #1 Astro City: The Dark Age Book Two #1, 3, 4 Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three #1, 3, 4 Astro City: Astra Special #1, 2 Astro City: The Dark Age Book Four #3 Astro City: Silver Agent #2 Astro City #15, 23, 26, 29, 30 Event Timeline 1954     Dialog Rivalry Between The Furst Family and Kratorr Begins. 1961     Caption Adoption of Nick and Natalie Furst. 197?/??/??     Headline First Family To City: Good-Bye!. 1982     Current Omega Rangers Join the Battle Against Kerresh the Devaster. 1982/05/03     Current Silver Agent's Appointed Arrival at Romeyn Falls. 1996/01     Current Rex and Natalie Call in Reinforcements. 1996/09     Current Heroes of Astro City battle Thunderhead. 1996/11     Current Furst Family Visit Monstro City in Search of Astra. 1998     Current The Mechanimator and The First Family Clash in St. Louis. 2000     Flashback Armageddon Attempts the Destruction of all Reality. 2009/05     Current Matt and Astra teleport to First Family HQ. The First Family A multi-generational clan of heroic adventurers. History The Early Years - Julius and Augustus The first generation, Dr. Augustus Furst and his brother Julius Furst, monster-hunters and adventurers into the unknown began in Romania in 1950, being summoned to figure out an energy loss issue that turned out to be Onggu the Omnivorous. Family Bonds and Unions In one of the Furst brothers' many adventures, they encountered a woman trapped in a strange energy field in Europe. Her name was Nadia and following her rescue, she would go on to become Dr. Furst's third wife. Like his first two marriages, however, it eventually fell apart. Nadia left him for Kaspian, prince of the eastern European Beast-Men and recurrent foe of the Furst Family. Nadia and Kaspian's union produced twin offspring, Nikolai ("Nick") and Natalie. They were born with the ability to manipulate the same exotic energy that engulfed their mother. Shortly after their birth, Nadia vanished in a mysterious fashion. Kaspian was assumed the primary suspect and incarcerated. Dr. Furst adopted the pair and took full responsibility for their upbringing. The years passed, and soon Nick and Natalie became old enough to accompany their adopted father and uncle on adventures. It was at this point that the Fursts became a full fledged super-hero fighting team. By 1973, the family added an unofficial member, when Rex Zorus, the powerful, dinosaur-like son of another longtime enemy, Madame Majestrix, shunned his mother and allied himself with the First Family. When the United States Government wanted to try and jail Rex for an attempted surface invasion attempt the previous Fall, the Fursts held their group and stood by Rex, claiming that he had changed. The Family even left for a short period, using Outpost F, their orbital base. Things came to a head during Madame Majestrix's Invasion attempt, which she blamed the surface world for corrupting her son's mind. Eventually with the aid of a time-traveling Silver Agent, who brokered talks where all sides came to a understanding. Rex after this point started spending the vast majority of his time on the surface world with the Fursts. All throughout this time, Natalie developed an attraction to the Prince of Monstro City and over their teen years it developed into a relationship. In 1979, Natalie and Rex married, and Rex officially joined the "family" and remains one of the most colorful members of The First Family. The Family Expands The first member of the Furst Family's third generation was Natalie and Rex's daughter, Astra. She was born with the power to completely convert herself into an energy force, the same one her mother and uncle have the power to manipulate. Like them, she had a remarkable, fantastic, upbringing. The uncanny and extraordinary were a regular part of her family's unique lifestyle. Unlike them however, she was not satisfied with that. At the age of ten, her desire to know what normal childhood was like became so strong that she left home without telling anyone, constructed a fake id so she could attend Astro City public school. After many worrisome days, her subterfuge was revealed. Her parents angry at first, also realized the need to balance Astra's activities so she could experience life growing up with her peers. Meanwhile, Nick Furst married Darcy Conroy, a prominent Astro City district attorney. During the early years of the new century, the couple birthed two children, Sasha and Karl. They both possess physical transformation powers. Now an adult, Astra Furst spends a great deal of her time with the terrain contingent of researchers working to untangle the Gordian Knot. She also joined the Seattle based super-hero team, Reflex 6. Despite this, Astra's direct involvement with the First Family team is still robust and dynamic. As the years have progressed, her younger cousins have become quite active team participants. Logic would assume that the aging status of several of the Furst Family's initial members, would result in reduced participation level. This would be especially true in activities requiring high energy and vigorous fighting capacity. But considering they are super-types with access to high-technologies, you never know for sure. Equipment Family-1 A vehicle with transforming/shape-shifting abilities. As a jet-like structure it serves as the First Family's primary mode of long-range transportation. The bottom opens to allow the Fursts quick exit and entry. It can also transform into a submersible watercraft. Uniforms The family's uniforms can be reprogrammed to transform from the familiar orange-and-black jumpsuit into other types of clothing, including an insulated hooded parka and even -- at least in Astra's case -- pajamas. Each uniform also includes a locator chip. Cerebra-Circuits A device that attaches to the forehead and protects against mental domination powers, such as those possessed by the Silver Brain. While the First Family don't wear the devices as a matter of course, they can quickly deploy them out when preparing to face a foe of a telepathic nature. "Bug-Out" Bracelets When traveling to other dimensions, the family wears these devices. In case of emergency, the bracelet can activate the portal machinery back at Mt. Kirby and return the wearer home. In addition to the above items, Augustus Furst has invented countless other works of technology over the year, many of which are at the First Family's disposal. First Family Headquarters In the late 1950s or early 1960s timeframe, as part of a promotional enticement, Astro City civic leaders provided the First Family with an open ended lease to the building that serves as their Headquarters. Located at the top of Mount Kirby, adjacent to the Observatory, it is used as both a base for work and a family residency. Among the building's defensive technologies, are sensors that attack invading surveillance devices. First Family Transitions Chamber There are a maze of rooms within their headquarters, including one housing the Transition Chamber. It contains a portal which harnesses inter-dimensional transporter technology. With it. one can journey to other worlds, galaxies and dimensions; including the Gordian Knot. First Family Trophy Room Outpost F Outpost F is an Earth-orbiting headquarters and living facility. The First Family used it as a retreat from the chaos happening during the period of Astro City history known as the Dark Age. Observations There are comic books within Astro City's comic book reality, including a "100% authorized" First Family comic book as seen here on the racks of an AstroMart Store circa 1997. Other Timelines First Family Cases and Adventures Footnotes