Authority

Authority 13-16

Mark Millar and Frank Quitely take over and create my favorite Authority story.  The team takes on the creations of a thinly-veiled Jack Kirby, as they fight twisted analogues of all the great Marvel teams.  I love the brutality of the fights, Millar’s take on celebrity, the Authority’s new mandate to fight corrupt world powers, and Quitely’s superb art.  

Taking on thousands of refugees.  Pretty cool

Such a great fight scene.

Not sure what to think about this line.

Heh.  You don't often see a baby give a knowing look.

Yes, yes it is.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pure joy

Authority 17-20

The team battle a former Doctor who’s managed to turn the Earth against humanity, including a giant tsunami that floods New York City.

Haunting cover.

The final confrontation against the Doctor is gloriously written, with some super creative beats by Millar, expertly drawn by Quitely.

So creepy and clever.

Heh.

If Quitely had been able to draw the first two issues (filled in by Chris Weston), this might have received top marks as well.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Authority 21

A backdoor pilot for Monarchy, a title I’d completely forgotten about.  Jackson King acts like a bitter old man and odd things start happening to Christine Trelane.  Eh.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Authority 22-29

A weird turn of IRL events: Frank Quitely quits after issue 22 to move on to other things, right when the team’s just been killed off by a hillbilly cyborg named Seth.  The editorial team scrambles and enlist Tom Peyer and Dustin Nguyen to create a 4-part fill-in arc.  I had absolutely no memory of any of this, and didn’t expect this to be any good.  To my surprise, this story about the replacement Authority team, put in place by the global power-that-be to protect their corporate interests, is actually pretty good.  Certainly having Nguyen to do the art helps.  

When Millar returns to finish off the story from 22, he’s got Arthur Adams as a partner, certainly a fine replacement for Quitely.  But the energy’s just not the same, and even though the Authority’s comeback is satisfying, it’s ultimately not as good as Millar at his peak at the beginning of his run.

Such a random reference, but totally true.  All hail Megatron!

I love the idea of a physical suspension of disbelief.

It has to be noted that Millar’s time on Authority is actually a lot better than Ellis’.  For sure, he’s standing on the shoulders of a giant, but his ideas and execution are both a bit better, and Quitely’s art is superior to Bryan Hitch’s.  Take both teams together and you’ve got one of the classic titles in comic book history.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Authority: Kev

A parody issue where some random guy named Kev takes the piss out of the Authority.  Written by iconoclast Garth Ennis, this is totally not up my alley.  An easy cut, and quickly forgotten.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Stupid (Cut)

Authority

Authority 1-12

This is about as good as you can get if you’re looking for a summer blockbuster in comic book form, which is just what Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch were going for.  (Kudos to Hitch for doing twelve full issues on schedule.)

Ellis loves his Carrier captions

On the other hand, there’s a ceiling to how much of a satisfying meal you can get out of empty calories.  I’m not complaining at all, this is as fun as I remember it to be (it’s aged a lot better than Ellis’ Stormwatch), but it doesn’t make it to the very top tiers of my collection.

You make your intentions perfectly clear when you crib...

...from the quintessential popcorn widescreen blow-em-up.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Authority: Scorched Earth, Authority: World's End, Bitch Planet, Black Magick

Authority: Scorched Earth

Authority was never the same after Ellis and Millar left, but I would still give it a try every once in a while.  This one-shot goes through all the right motions for most of the issue - the sun gains sentience and is about to go supernova.  Epic enough to capture the attention of the Authority, who do their best on damage control. It’s all by the numbers until they discover that the personality inhabiting the sun is their former Stormwatch teammate Winter, last seen flying Skywatch into the sun in WildCATS/Aliens.

It’s a twist I had completely forgotten, and I was pleased by the surprise.  I also didn’t expect the ending - the team imprisons Winter in the same tech that “cages the baby universe at the center of the Carrier.”  (A phrase that’s as overused in this title as “focused totality of my psychic powers” was over in Claremont’s X-Men.)  The pessimism of the ending is out of place with Authority.  It’s always been cynical, but ultimately positive in its ability to change the world for the better.  It’s not bad, just different.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Authority: World’s End 1-2

This was part of some bigger Wildstorm crossover that I didn’t care about.  It reads like a post-apocalyptic Elseworlds story, and I don’t know if it’s in canon or not.  It’s fine for that genre, but nothing more. As with Scorched Earth, the lack of any hope keeps it from matching the quality of the original Authority issues.  Also, it’s lacking the controlled insanity of Ellis or Millar’s brains.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Bitch Planet 1-5

A fascinating examination of feminism in a dystopian future.  My ultimate feelings towards this series will depend on how it ends - Is it going to be a depressing 1984 ending, or will the women of Bitch Planet emerge triumphant?  I don’t want to know badly enough to buy anymore trades, but if I get the chance to borrow the rest of the issues, I will.  (Joining the company of DMZ and Unwritten.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Black Magick 1-2

Nicola Scott is the star of this title.  Her art is flat out gorgeous. Rucka’s proven his ability to write excellent cop comics with Gotham Central, and this time around he’s combining it with Wiccan magic.  I don’t know why I stopped buying it, the first issues show a ton of promise.  I’ll have to look for more.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good