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The Authority #A1
Absolute Authority Vol. 1
Now back in print after several years is the Absolute Edition of Warren Ellis' critically acclaimed groundbreaking series, THE AUTHORITY!
Writer and co-creator Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch's now-classic stories are collected here in an oversize hardcover, reproducing the hard-hitting, high-octane action with dizzying velocity. This is the story of seven super-powered individuals who vow to make the world a better place, making their own rules, answering to nobody and taking no prisoners.
This massive 320-page slipcase edition reprints THE AUTHORITY #1-12 and the AUTHORITY/PLANETARY: RULE THE WORLD #1 special. and is brimming with extra behind-the-scenes looks at the book's creative process, including a full script by Warren Ellis, plus design and supplementary material provided by the entire creative team.
Writer and co-creator Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch's now-classic stories are collected here in an oversize hardcover, reproducing the hard-hitting, high-octane action with dizzying velocity. This is the story of seven super-powered individuals who vow to make the world a better place, making their own rules, answering to nobody and taking no prisoners.
This massive 320-page slipcase edition reprints THE AUTHORITY #1-12 and the AUTHORITY/PLANETARY: RULE THE WORLD #1 special. and is brimming with extra behind-the-scenes looks at the book's creative process, including a full script by Warren Ellis, plus design and supplementary material provided by the entire creative team.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2002
25 people are currently reading
361 people want to read
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,971 books5,768 followersWarren Ellis is the award-winning writer of graphic novels like TRANSMETROPOLITAN, FELL, MINISTRY OF SPACE and PLANETARY, and the author of the NYT-bestselling GUN MACHINE and the “underground classic” novel CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, as well as the digital short-story single DEAD PIG COLLECTOR. His newest book is the novella NORMAL, from FSG Originals, listed as one of Amazon’s Best 100 Books Of 2016.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
The movie RED is based on his graphic novel of the same name, its sequel having been released in summer 2013. IRON MAN 3 is based on his Marvel Comics graphic novel IRON MAN: EXTREMIS. He is currently developing his graphic novel sequence with Jason Howard, TREES, for television, in concert with HardySonBaker and NBCU, and continues to work as a screenwriter and producer in film and television, represented by Angela Cheng Caplan and Cheng Caplan Company. He is the creator, writer and co-producer of the Netflix series CASTLEVANIA, recently renewed for its third season, and of the recently-announced Netflix series HEAVEN’S FOREST.
He’s written extensively for VICE, WIRED UK and Reuters on technological and cultural matters, and given keynote speeches and lectures at events like dConstruct, ThingsCon, Improving Reality, SxSW, How The Light Gets In, Haunted Machines and Cognitive Cities.
Warren Ellis has recently developed and curated the revival of the Wildstorm creative library for DC Entertainment with the series THE WILD STORM, and is currently working on the serialising of new graphic novel works TREES: THREE FATES and INJECTION at Image Comics, and the serialised graphic novel THE BATMAN’S GRAVE for DC Comics, while working as a Consulting Producer on another television series.
A documentary about his work, CAPTURED GHOSTS, was released in 2012.
Recognitions include the NUIG Literary and Debating Society’s President’s Medal for service to freedom of speech, the EAGLE AWARDS Roll Of Honour for lifetime achievement in the field of comics & graphic novels, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire 2010, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and the International Horror Guild Award for illustrated narrative. He is a Patron of Humanists UK. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex.
Warren Ellis lives outside London, on the south-east coast of England, in case he needs to make a quick getaway.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
November 20, 2017
My experience probably suffered a little bit from how great Planetary was and how highly this was praised before I ever read it (the burden of high expectations). Great ideas developed in the writing and Hitch does a great job with drawing the story with large panels. A lot of this has been aped in one way or another by others as it influenced writers. The Absolute edition is very well done (as usual from DC). Between the Planetary and this, I think I liked Planetary better. :)
October 3, 2023
Authority truly takes Big scale and Big characters and puts them to the test, coming out with something very exciting and lovely to watch/read.
Warren Ellis Stormwatch was a decent series though not as good as I had hoped. He took everything he had there that did work and fixed almost all his mistakes. Basically Jenny Sparks is ready to headline a team to protect earth but also create a, well, authority over it. Showcasing how strong this team is, this feels like the Avengers/Justice League we know and love, but a lot more brutal, and getting shit done.
From the first arc of simple protect people from a huge group of clones, to then fighting an invading multiverse, to surviving against alien gods, this book hits all the right notes. Excellent art, fun characters, intriguing story, well worth checking out. Around a 4.5 out of 5, I'll bump it to a 5.
Warren Ellis Stormwatch was a decent series though not as good as I had hoped. He took everything he had there that did work and fixed almost all his mistakes. Basically Jenny Sparks is ready to headline a team to protect earth but also create a, well, authority over it. Showcasing how strong this team is, this feels like the Avengers/Justice League we know and love, but a lot more brutal, and getting shit done.
From the first arc of simple protect people from a huge group of clones, to then fighting an invading multiverse, to surviving against alien gods, this book hits all the right notes. Excellent art, fun characters, intriguing story, well worth checking out. Around a 4.5 out of 5, I'll bump it to a 5.
November 25, 2016
I was pretty disappointed when Wildstorm cancelled the Stormwatch series, having stuck by the title from day 1 and absolutely loving what Warren Ellis had done for the book. Had I known what Ellis was planning, I never would have worried.
From the literal ashes of Stormwatch (seriously, he killed roughly 90% of the team) comes the Authority, a new breed of superheroes. The Authority was the antidote to an eternity of superhero titles that either tried to preserve the time-honored status quo or out "extreme" each other. Extreme in this case meant bigger guns, smaller IQs, and copious amounts of T&A. The Authority was about a group of heroes who weren't interested in battling the same old villains for the same old reasons. They set out to change the world, operating outside any government's jurisdiction according to their own precepts and morals. I know that sounds potentially fascist, but the book really comes closest to what you'd get if you had real people - complete with emotional issues, baggage, etc. - with the will and the means to actually act on their beliefs and change things for the better.
The Authority's introduction marked a turning point in the industry. This book slammed the brakes on a decade's worth of dumber and meaner and turned the industry towards smarter stories, sharper dialogue, realistic characters, and a higher overall quality standard. That may seem hard to believe given the abundance of great titles released in recent years (All Star Superman, Squadron Supreme/Supreme Power, Daredevil, New X-Men, and the entire Ultimate Marvel line come to mind), but the Authority really seemed to kickstart the whole process. And yes I'm aware that the Vertigo titles had been doing that kind of thing for years, but let's face it, those books were too damned weird for most comics fans in the first place.
I think some of this book's significance is overshadowed by the breakneck pace of the first dozen issues. With the team fighting state-sponsored super-terrorism, invaders from a parallel earth, and what can only be described as God, you don't quite see just how subversive the book was. Mark Millar gets a lot of credit for that on his Authority run, but Warren Ellis was the one who carefully laid that foundation. Re-read his Stormwatch run and the Authority issues collected here and you can see that he was definitely a man with a plan. It's like he was softening all of us up so Millar could come in and kick our collective teeth in. Of course, I think anyone would be receptive to Ellis's message after being so thoroughly dazzled by Bryan Hitch's artwork on this title. Hitch, along with inker Paul Neary and colorist Laura DePuy unleashed powerful cinematic illustrations worthy of the latest blockbuster movie.
It should be obvious by now that I absolutely love this book. I think it's one of the high water marks in the comics industry, and one every serious reader of superhero comics (yes, I know how that sounds) should own.
If you can manage to track down a copy, the Absolute Authority hardcover, which collects the Authority #1-12, is the very best way to experience this groundbreaking series. Not only is the sturdier hardcover format better for preserving the book for the inevitable repeat readings, but the larger page size (roughly 33% larger than the standard comic page) is the perfect format for appreciating Hitch's gorgeous cinematic artwork. It's almost like you could fall right into the pages.
PS - Given the success of these Absolute editions, shouldn't we be seeing an Absolute Stormwatch or two at some point? The Authority is really just the second half of the story.
From the literal ashes of Stormwatch (seriously, he killed roughly 90% of the team) comes the Authority, a new breed of superheroes. The Authority was the antidote to an eternity of superhero titles that either tried to preserve the time-honored status quo or out "extreme" each other. Extreme in this case meant bigger guns, smaller IQs, and copious amounts of T&A. The Authority was about a group of heroes who weren't interested in battling the same old villains for the same old reasons. They set out to change the world, operating outside any government's jurisdiction according to their own precepts and morals. I know that sounds potentially fascist, but the book really comes closest to what you'd get if you had real people - complete with emotional issues, baggage, etc. - with the will and the means to actually act on their beliefs and change things for the better.
The Authority's introduction marked a turning point in the industry. This book slammed the brakes on a decade's worth of dumber and meaner and turned the industry towards smarter stories, sharper dialogue, realistic characters, and a higher overall quality standard. That may seem hard to believe given the abundance of great titles released in recent years (All Star Superman, Squadron Supreme/Supreme Power, Daredevil, New X-Men, and the entire Ultimate Marvel line come to mind), but the Authority really seemed to kickstart the whole process. And yes I'm aware that the Vertigo titles had been doing that kind of thing for years, but let's face it, those books were too damned weird for most comics fans in the first place.
I think some of this book's significance is overshadowed by the breakneck pace of the first dozen issues. With the team fighting state-sponsored super-terrorism, invaders from a parallel earth, and what can only be described as God, you don't quite see just how subversive the book was. Mark Millar gets a lot of credit for that on his Authority run, but Warren Ellis was the one who carefully laid that foundation. Re-read his Stormwatch run and the Authority issues collected here and you can see that he was definitely a man with a plan. It's like he was softening all of us up so Millar could come in and kick our collective teeth in. Of course, I think anyone would be receptive to Ellis's message after being so thoroughly dazzled by Bryan Hitch's artwork on this title. Hitch, along with inker Paul Neary and colorist Laura DePuy unleashed powerful cinematic illustrations worthy of the latest blockbuster movie.
It should be obvious by now that I absolutely love this book. I think it's one of the high water marks in the comics industry, and one every serious reader of superhero comics (yes, I know how that sounds) should own.
If you can manage to track down a copy, the Absolute Authority hardcover, which collects the Authority #1-12, is the very best way to experience this groundbreaking series. Not only is the sturdier hardcover format better for preserving the book for the inevitable repeat readings, but the larger page size (roughly 33% larger than the standard comic page) is the perfect format for appreciating Hitch's gorgeous cinematic artwork. It's almost like you could fall right into the pages.
PS - Given the success of these Absolute editions, shouldn't we be seeing an Absolute Stormwatch or two at some point? The Authority is really just the second half of the story.
July 31, 2011
I read the Authority back in 1999-2000 and totally forgot everything that happened in them. Warren Ellis concocted three huge widescreen adventure stories (each 4 issues long) featuring a team of super-beings that are more human than most. Jenny Sparks, the leader, is a 100 year old "millennium baby" (similar to Elijah Snow in Planetary) with electrical powers. She drinks, swears, smokes, and takes no guff from anyone. Under her command are Apollo--think Superman, but better because he has a finite power charge limit. The Midnighter--a Batman type, but more vicious, not afraid to kill. Apollo and Midnighter are also gay, which was quite novel for the time this was published. The other characters are equally colorful. The stories, which Ellis himself described as "huge dumb" tales, have world-threatening enemies. The first tale, "The Circle", features an army of Supermen-type clones from an island in Southeast Asia. The second story, "Shiftships", has the Earth invaded by an alternate Earth that was conquered by an alien race during the Renaissance. The third and last story by Ellis, the one he felt even he could not top, "Outer Dark", has the world under attack by "God" a massive organism that returns to eradicate all humanity.
It was interesting to read this after finishing Planetary. Many characters and concepts by Warren Ellis are featured in both series. I favored Planetary over the Authority, even though I really enjoyed this book immensely. The first tale feels a bit too cliched with a super-villain that cackles too much--that didn't seem like Ellis' finest. But the next 2 stories have villains that are more layered and complex.
Bryan Hitch's artwork is amazing, perfectly suited to this material, with lots of splash pages and double page spreads. When Hitch draws an invading armada of ships or supermen, he goes all out. These 12 issues are definite classics and on par with many of my favorites from the 70s.
It was interesting to read this after finishing Planetary. Many characters and concepts by Warren Ellis are featured in both series. I favored Planetary over the Authority, even though I really enjoyed this book immensely. The first tale feels a bit too cliched with a super-villain that cackles too much--that didn't seem like Ellis' finest. But the next 2 stories have villains that are more layered and complex.
Bryan Hitch's artwork is amazing, perfectly suited to this material, with lots of splash pages and double page spreads. When Hitch draws an invading armada of ships or supermen, he goes all out. These 12 issues are definite classics and on par with many of my favorites from the 70s.
November 5, 2017
This is reviewing both Ellis and Millar's Runs. Ellis was the brain behind this initiative. Stormwatch was an early attempt to politicize the superhero. This felt like the first "21st-Century Superhero Book". This was a noble effort to push the genre forward.
Millar's Run is pure sensation. It's crass, it's sensationalized, it's problematic but also oh so hysterical. In a way, it was so 2001. Millar ramps up the ultra-violence. This is punk political activism. But also probably a bit embarrassing in retrospect.
Both are pure comics. Ellis doing things that at the time movies couldn't do. Millar doing things the movies wouldn't (and would never) do.
Millar's Run is pure sensation. It's crass, it's sensationalized, it's problematic but also oh so hysterical. In a way, it was so 2001. Millar ramps up the ultra-violence. This is punk political activism. But also probably a bit embarrassing in retrospect.
Both are pure comics. Ellis doing things that at the time movies couldn't do. Millar doing things the movies wouldn't (and would never) do.
May 9, 2021
No es una Liga de la Justicia más oscura. Es mucho más que eso. Warren Ellis crea a un grupo de defensores del planeta a una escala verdaderamente épica. Lo mejor es que los héroes, excepto dos, son bastante originales en su concepción, poderes y desarrollo. Los dos que no son originales, Apollo y Midnighter, son trasuntos de Superman y Batman, pero con un detalle genial que le da mucha frescura a la historia. De los tres arcos, el mejor y el más épico es el ultimo. Combaten a un mismísimo dios primigenio que llega del espacio exterior como en una fantasía macabra de Lovecraft. Esta muy bien, lo recomiendo.
July 30, 2025
Really well illustrated with a team of interesting characters. The stories included are epic and fun, though a bit repetitive in scale (The Authority vs big army). I would have liked more backstory for some characters like in The Watchmen. I loved The Midnighter and wanted more of his backstory and relationship with Apollo to be explored. Overall, very good for a team of DC heroes I knew nothing about beforehand.
October 14, 2025
The heroes of the Authority, led by Jenny Sparks, are insanely powerful. They deal with threats that endanger the whole world, such as à mad conqueror who destroys whole cities or an interdimensional group intent on wiping out all men and enslaving all women. It’s well done, and the art is also quite good and fits the story.
March 9, 2022
¿Qué vas a decir de un grupo de superheroes que tiene al espiritu del S.XXI y a un tío que habla con las ciudades? Pues poca cosa excepto que es una genialidad de comic.
August 25, 2025
Well, that was underwhelming. Loved the art, but I was expecting a LOT more. Based off how everyone hypes The Authority up, I was expecting to be wowed. I was not wowed.
December 16, 2025
Ellis kinda invented a genre in Stormwatch. And in Authority for better or for worse he created the blueprint for all cynical and ultraviolent sci-fi superhero comics.
November 9, 2025
Really enjoyed this one. Great art and threat scaling. I don’t have a ton of background with these characters, but still really enjoyed the balance and interplay of the team.
April 17, 2019
Había oído hablar muy bien de este comic, pero me ha resultado decepcionante. Puedo entender que en su momento resultase innovador, pero dos décadas después casi todo lo que le hacía original ya no lo es. La excepción es la relación homosexual entre esos dos personajes trasuntos de Superman y Batman, que sigue siendo poco habitual en el género. En cualquier caso, lo que queda está muy lejos de, digamos, Watchmen y se limita a una serie de aventuras violentas sin demasiada complejidad.
December 26, 2017
Los colores son fabulosos y las salidas de los personajes en ocasiones están bien y te ríes un poco.
November 6, 2010
I picked up a signed version of this rare and out of print book in May 2010 as part of a small collection of DC comics that I bought around the same period. For months this just sat gathering dust until I sold it on Ebay for a small profit in October.
However, before selling it I decided that it might be worth while actually reading it to see what all the fuss was about. And it is fair to say that I am very glad that I did. The Authority are a group of super heroes who, as super heroes do, protect Earth from a variety of villains and nasties. As is traditional, each of the team has a distinct personality and different powers. It is probably best to describe them as the DC version of the X-Men, though it should be noted that The Authority members are more gritty and risque than their Marvel counterparts.
The Absolute version of the comic collects the first three story arcs for The Authority, in which they fight a traditional supervillain trying to take over the world with his army of clones, an alien king ruling over a parallel version of Earth who tries his hand at our version of Earth, and a vast god like creature who returns to Earth after a long absence and fancies wiping out life as we know it.
It should be obvious from that description that each of these story arcs takes place on a global scale, and each of the villains has suitably grandiose plans in terms of taking over the world. In fact, The Authority stories never deviate from the idea that the entire planet is in danger, rather than more localised areas, and whilst this does feel a little repetitive it also heightens the drama over comparative comics that have a more local ambition.
All in all The Authority is an absolutely top class comic, with excellent main characters that you genuinely root for, threatening villains, and fantastically draw action sequences. The extra grit that it brings really does set it apart from more polished comics, and the fantastic artwork brings the stories to live in vivid illustration. This is even more prominent in the Absolute version, which is a fantastic collector's piece that I do now slightly regret letting go. All in all this cannot be anything less than give stars.
However, before selling it I decided that it might be worth while actually reading it to see what all the fuss was about. And it is fair to say that I am very glad that I did. The Authority are a group of super heroes who, as super heroes do, protect Earth from a variety of villains and nasties. As is traditional, each of the team has a distinct personality and different powers. It is probably best to describe them as the DC version of the X-Men, though it should be noted that The Authority members are more gritty and risque than their Marvel counterparts.
The Absolute version of the comic collects the first three story arcs for The Authority, in which they fight a traditional supervillain trying to take over the world with his army of clones, an alien king ruling over a parallel version of Earth who tries his hand at our version of Earth, and a vast god like creature who returns to Earth after a long absence and fancies wiping out life as we know it.
It should be obvious from that description that each of these story arcs takes place on a global scale, and each of the villains has suitably grandiose plans in terms of taking over the world. In fact, The Authority stories never deviate from the idea that the entire planet is in danger, rather than more localised areas, and whilst this does feel a little repetitive it also heightens the drama over comparative comics that have a more local ambition.
All in all The Authority is an absolutely top class comic, with excellent main characters that you genuinely root for, threatening villains, and fantastically draw action sequences. The extra grit that it brings really does set it apart from more polished comics, and the fantastic artwork brings the stories to live in vivid illustration. This is even more prominent in the Absolute version, which is a fantastic collector's piece that I do now slightly regret letting go. All in all this cannot be anything less than give stars.
November 28, 2020
Ellis (with tremendous art by Hitch) recasts the powerful superhero team, making use of both pre-existing WildStorm characters and some he developed himself, creating a new mythos and examining what it would mean to have such powerful characters who truly wanted to save the world -- and what that goal even means.
For all of that, the story sometime feels a little bogged down by both past history and Ellis' desire to thrown in a big concept on every page, with frequent graphic violence to boot, and Ellis barely begins to scratch the surface of what he seems to what to do before the 12 issues here (his full run on the title) is over.
Still, it's all well worth reading for all the reasons one ever reads Ellis (mostly to have one's mind blown and see what concepts are going to be picked up by lesser writers in the years to come).
-----
Nov 2020: This remains big fun, big concept, big violence. Splitting this into three four-issue stories lets Ellis get to a lot of different creative spaces, but it does fragment the narrative a lot, and each segment feels like it's shorter than it should be (perhaps because each then can end in a flurry of abrupt, enemy-defeating violence).
Given my druthers, I might bump this down to 4.5 stars, but it deserves more than 4, so it stays 5.
For all of that, the story sometime feels a little bogged down by both past history and Ellis' desire to thrown in a big concept on every page, with frequent graphic violence to boot, and Ellis barely begins to scratch the surface of what he seems to what to do before the 12 issues here (his full run on the title) is over.
Still, it's all well worth reading for all the reasons one ever reads Ellis (mostly to have one's mind blown and see what concepts are going to be picked up by lesser writers in the years to come).
-----
Nov 2020: This remains big fun, big concept, big violence. Splitting this into three four-issue stories lets Ellis get to a lot of different creative spaces, but it does fragment the narrative a lot, and each segment feels like it's shorter than it should be (perhaps because each then can end in a flurry of abrupt, enemy-defeating violence).
Given my druthers, I might bump this down to 4.5 stars, but it deserves more than 4, so it stays 5.
November 18, 2017
Blah.
I thought this was going to be good. It's just a lot of macho posturing and giant fights. Also, the first two villains in this set are really unplaeasant: a generic old man with a Fu Manchu who fights with a never-ending wave of identical Asian men and a horned "alien" who is really into rape. Although some details of them show some thought, they're unnecessarily unpleasant as stereotypes.
It's also clear that the team really doesn't like Midnighter and Apollo that much. In 2000, that may have seemed like a thing you could do?
I thought this was going to be good. It's just a lot of macho posturing and giant fights. Also, the first two villains in this set are really unplaeasant: a generic old man with a Fu Manchu who fights with a never-ending wave of identical Asian men and a horned "alien" who is really into rape. Although some details of them show some thought, they're unnecessarily unpleasant as stereotypes.
It's also clear that the team really doesn't like Midnighter and Apollo that much. In 2000, that may have seemed like a thing you could do?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2008
One of the most graphic and bloody books I've ever read, not to mention Warren Ellis and his amazing writing skills.
June 5, 2009
One of the bloodiest, most graphic comics I've ever read. And Warren Ellis adds his style of writing to make it even better.
October 16, 2009
I gripping and very graphic comic book series that had me enthralled from the beginning.
June 24, 2022
So, I've decided to read 'The Authority' again, only this time I had to upgrade and read it in absolute format. And to anyone who hasn't read this story before but is interested in checking it out, GET IT IN THIS FORMAT! You can get it for a really good deal and it's the only format that truly captures Bryan Hitch's out of this world artwork. It's also just really pretty on your shelf.
In this first Vol. you get the first 12 issues (and a 'Planetary' tie-in issue) that kinda serves as the first half arc of 'The Authority.' The Authority is a team formed by our main protagonist, Jenny Sparks. An almost century old superhuman that brings back these individuals in order to watch over Earth and keep it safe (that's laymen's terms). Together the team stops a psycho terrorist leader who has an army of super soldiers, redcoat space demons from an alternate world, and a giant alien creature that might actually be God? Yea its a pretty crazy series but its super fun and full of great concepts.
Warren Ellis is the writer for this first half and he does a pretty solid job of getting you enthralled in the story and makes the whole "save the world from the actual apocalypse" trope feel fresh and non-repetitive. Most of the big events are broken down into 4 parts. It helps set the premise of each catastrophe and sets the consequences high. Along with that Ellis gives us a really fun and interesting cast. Everybody is already established characters from pervious series (mainly 'Stormwatch') but coming into this not knowing anyone or reading any previous series, you don't feel lost or need to go back and read anything else. It all feels self-contained, and the read is all the better for it.
And the person on art duties is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite artists, BRYAN HITCH! This was Hitch's PRIME and along with his work on 'Ultimates' probably his Magna opus. His artwork is a perfect fit for the insane events and story telling that Ellis writes. Hitch's wide-screen artwork that feels MASSIVE and cinematic always leaves me in awe. The action scenes, spacecraft design, chaotic destruction, and heroic shots are all done PERFECTLY! It's all GRAND in design. Helping him on inks is Paul Neary and I love his inks with Hitch's artwork. Especially in the scenes where something big is occurring (so most of the book). Hitch is the main reason I wanted to read this story again and will always be the reason I come back to it. That's also why I had to upgrade to this awesome absolute edition. If you even slightly think that some of these pages look cool I highly encourage to fully check it out as not only is it FULL of S-Tier artwork but it's a pretty solid read too, which only makes the artwork better!
If you're in the mood for a cool sci-fi movie full of action and creative concepts, maybe hold off on popping in a Nolan film, cause Hitch and Ellis can deliver something just as good, but you can hold it in your hands.
In this first Vol. you get the first 12 issues (and a 'Planetary' tie-in issue) that kinda serves as the first half arc of 'The Authority.' The Authority is a team formed by our main protagonist, Jenny Sparks. An almost century old superhuman that brings back these individuals in order to watch over Earth and keep it safe (that's laymen's terms). Together the team stops a psycho terrorist leader who has an army of super soldiers, redcoat space demons from an alternate world, and a giant alien creature that might actually be God? Yea its a pretty crazy series but its super fun and full of great concepts.
Warren Ellis is the writer for this first half and he does a pretty solid job of getting you enthralled in the story and makes the whole "save the world from the actual apocalypse" trope feel fresh and non-repetitive. Most of the big events are broken down into 4 parts. It helps set the premise of each catastrophe and sets the consequences high. Along with that Ellis gives us a really fun and interesting cast. Everybody is already established characters from pervious series (mainly 'Stormwatch') but coming into this not knowing anyone or reading any previous series, you don't feel lost or need to go back and read anything else. It all feels self-contained, and the read is all the better for it.
And the person on art duties is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite artists, BRYAN HITCH! This was Hitch's PRIME and along with his work on 'Ultimates' probably his Magna opus. His artwork is a perfect fit for the insane events and story telling that Ellis writes. Hitch's wide-screen artwork that feels MASSIVE and cinematic always leaves me in awe. The action scenes, spacecraft design, chaotic destruction, and heroic shots are all done PERFECTLY! It's all GRAND in design. Helping him on inks is Paul Neary and I love his inks with Hitch's artwork. Especially in the scenes where something big is occurring (so most of the book). Hitch is the main reason I wanted to read this story again and will always be the reason I come back to it. That's also why I had to upgrade to this awesome absolute edition. If you even slightly think that some of these pages look cool I highly encourage to fully check it out as not only is it FULL of S-Tier artwork but it's a pretty solid read too, which only makes the artwork better!
If you're in the mood for a cool sci-fi movie full of action and creative concepts, maybe hold off on popping in a Nolan film, cause Hitch and Ellis can deliver something just as good, but you can hold it in your hands.
August 4, 2025
This was my first time reading The Authority and it’s good, crazy fun. There’s a Superman pastiche (Apollo), Batman (Midnighter) then the Engineer (who also features in Superman 2025) and some guys with powers like “being able to harness the power of a city” or being “the spirit of the twentieth century”. Their base is a 50-mile wide, apparently sentient carrier than exists outside space and time.
This compact edition contains five stories: The Circle, Shiftships and Outer Dark are the first twelve issues of the comic series. These stories are irreverent and imaginative.
It also includes Planetary/The Authority: Ruling The World which is a one-shot from June 2000. This was a little confusing as it was placed between the end of Shiftships and Outer Dark, but there was no title page so I wasn’t really sure what I was reading. It was also confusing because there was nothing to tell me it was a crossover comic and I’ve never heard of Planetary so I had to do some research afterwards.
My only criticism of the DC Compact Editions is they could just make it a little clearer what you’re reading and when one story ends and another begins. In the Superman/Batman one it wasn’t entirely clear that Public Enemies had finished and Supergirl had begun - there was no title page for either. It’s a minor quibble though.
It also includes Authority: Requiem which seems to be a short prelude for Outer Dark.
There’s a lot to take in here for the unfamiliar, but immersing yourself in these fantastical worlds is the whole point so just dive in and drink it up. Nice to see a Brit in charge for once and not being a moustache-twizzling bad guy as well! Cheers.
This compact edition contains five stories: The Circle, Shiftships and Outer Dark are the first twelve issues of the comic series. These stories are irreverent and imaginative.
It also includes Planetary/The Authority: Ruling The World which is a one-shot from June 2000. This was a little confusing as it was placed between the end of Shiftships and Outer Dark, but there was no title page so I wasn’t really sure what I was reading. It was also confusing because there was nothing to tell me it was a crossover comic and I’ve never heard of Planetary so I had to do some research afterwards.
My only criticism of the DC Compact Editions is they could just make it a little clearer what you’re reading and when one story ends and another begins. In the Superman/Batman one it wasn’t entirely clear that Public Enemies had finished and Supergirl had begun - there was no title page for either. It’s a minor quibble though.
It also includes Authority: Requiem which seems to be a short prelude for Outer Dark.
There’s a lot to take in here for the unfamiliar, but immersing yourself in these fantastical worlds is the whole point so just dive in and drink it up. Nice to see a Brit in charge for once and not being a moustache-twizzling bad guy as well! Cheers.
October 13, 2025
7.5/10
I don't mind this kind of compact as its a good way for me to read a bit more niche characters and groups (not exactly niche but niche for me). The Authority is based in a separate DC universe away from the rest of the heroes, like Watchmen, cause there is no Superman or Batman to protect earth theres just a JL like group who are slightly dysfunctional.
Midnighter and Apollo are just Superman and Batman if they banged, Swift is very Hawkgirl coded but the rest of the group are pretty original unless I'm missing something obvious. Some characters I liked such as Jenny, Apollo and Midnighter but others I just didn't connect to such as Swift and Hawksmoor.
There are really three major story arcs contained within this book, the last of which being my favourite as I enjoyed the aspect of some alien organisms being earth's true original inhabitants and them coming back to take earth back. I did lose track of what was going on a points.
I'd be interested to see what the DCU does with The Authority, if they're still actually planning on making the film. If DC brought out a second Compact edition I'd get it but I wont go out and buy the full trade paperback or hardback versions of the second Volume.
I don't mind this kind of compact as its a good way for me to read a bit more niche characters and groups (not exactly niche but niche for me). The Authority is based in a separate DC universe away from the rest of the heroes, like Watchmen, cause there is no Superman or Batman to protect earth theres just a JL like group who are slightly dysfunctional.
Midnighter and Apollo are just Superman and Batman if they banged, Swift is very Hawkgirl coded but the rest of the group are pretty original unless I'm missing something obvious. Some characters I liked such as Jenny, Apollo and Midnighter but others I just didn't connect to such as Swift and Hawksmoor.
There are really three major story arcs contained within this book, the last of which being my favourite as I enjoyed the aspect of some alien organisms being earth's true original inhabitants and them coming back to take earth back. I did lose track of what was going on a points.
I'd be interested to see what the DCU does with The Authority, if they're still actually planning on making the film. If DC brought out a second Compact edition I'd get it but I wont go out and buy the full trade paperback or hardback versions of the second Volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2025
A nice read of a superhero team somewhat mimicking DC Comics' Justice League, but there are some drawbacks. This is very event based, so plotting and especially characterization are left lacking. It took a few issues to figure out which characters were meant with a couple of the names for the secret identities. There were other comics not in this volume which actually tells you about the characters. The second problem is that the stories were meant to follow a four-issue format so things were introduced and wrapped up often without a satisfying explanation or flushing out of the story. The basic synopsis of each story is: big bad pops out of nowhere but has supposedly been around for years if not millennia, team captain Jenny Sparks barks orders as if it actually communicated gravitas, then the Authority acts as if they are faced with a real problem although they defeat it right away. One of the stories was a straightforward bomb in my opinion where little of it made any sense, even introducing a number of characters without names or explanations.
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October 2, 2023Inconsistent and surprisingly lacking compared to the second half of Ellis’s StormWatch. Shiftships is a truly fun arc for sure, and the art’s spectacular across the book, but for all the fun big ideas I’m missing the more interesting inter-team conflict and philosophical elements that formed the backbone of StormWatch. There are very few personal vendettas or relationships here to form any sort of backbone to the fighting, this doesn’t build to anything, and it doesn’t deliver on its promise of an at least somewhat thought over exploration of authority. And the final story is a real flop, pitting our heroes against what visually amounts to a big brown and grey glob. Someone should have reminded Warren and Bryan that this is a visual story, and that their revision of Galactus could be more than a poop monster.
For all its hype, this is mostly just a standard superhero story with great art.
For all its hype, this is mostly just a standard superhero story with great art.
January 8, 2026
58%
This was alright. It just follows a team of powerful superhumans who protect the Earth from planetary scale threats. I liked the dialogue and characters well enough, but I never really got super invested into the story to be honest. It probably didn’t help that almost every story in this is four issues long, and the final issue of each story felt kinda rushed every time as it tried to haphazardly wrap up everything.
It probably didn’t help that I haven’t read Planetary yet. That made it especially worse for me since about halfway through this there’s a crossover issue with Planetary that was kinda boring for me, since I don’t really care for the three main characters from that series.
Overall, it wasn’t bad though. Hitch’s art is cool, and I can appreciate the British-ness of it lol. If they do another compact edition of the following issues, I might pick it up.
This was alright. It just follows a team of powerful superhumans who protect the Earth from planetary scale threats. I liked the dialogue and characters well enough, but I never really got super invested into the story to be honest. It probably didn’t help that almost every story in this is four issues long, and the final issue of each story felt kinda rushed every time as it tried to haphazardly wrap up everything.
It probably didn’t help that I haven’t read Planetary yet. That made it especially worse for me since about halfway through this there’s a crossover issue with Planetary that was kinda boring for me, since I don’t really care for the three main characters from that series.
Overall, it wasn’t bad though. Hitch’s art is cool, and I can appreciate the British-ness of it lol. If they do another compact edition of the following issues, I might pick it up.
February 23, 2020
Me costó un poquito entrar en "Authority", al principio, a pesar de las grandes expectativas que tenía. Tal vez la culpa sea mía por no haber leído nada de "Stormwatch", pero el caso es que en los primeros números tardé en entrar. Luego, todo fue mejorando, y cada vez lo disfrutaba más.
Los 12 números se dividen en tres arcos narrativos, a cada cual mejor (desde un comienzo más tópico que otra cosa), desgranando una historia que pretende revolucionar la idea de los superhéroes y modernizarla, y que culmina en un punto de inflexión fantástico. El dibujo de Hitch acompaña a la perfección a una narrativa que, sin ser lo mejor que haya leído de Ellis, sigue siendo muy destacable.
Recomendado, aunque probablemente sea mejor leer primero algo de la etapa anterior.
Los 12 números se dividen en tres arcos narrativos, a cada cual mejor (desde un comienzo más tópico que otra cosa), desgranando una historia que pretende revolucionar la idea de los superhéroes y modernizarla, y que culmina en un punto de inflexión fantástico. El dibujo de Hitch acompaña a la perfección a una narrativa que, sin ser lo mejor que haya leído de Ellis, sigue siendo muy destacable.
Recomendado, aunque probablemente sea mejor leer primero algo de la etapa anterior.
July 23, 2025
Teetered very close to being a 5 star but wish I’d known I should have read Stormwatch first. Because of that I was a little lost but figured it out quick. The second and third arcs were great and felt more natural. While it was good I didn’t fully understand the Planetary crossover super well either but I’m sure once I read that, and Stormwatch and Redo this series as a whole I will. Also holding it back slightly for the Warren Ellis accusations. I remember when it happened and wasn’t super familiar with him at the time, later found out more and am upset about the whole thing. There’s a lot more to research there but for now just his reputation as a whole I’m holding it back. While it was well written I can’t let it go unnoticed.
August 25, 2025
Great fun, and an excellent follow-up to Ellis' Stormwatch (which I'm still a little bitter about).
Hits the ground running, hints at a lot of interesting things to come, does an excellent job of setting up the side of the Wildstorm universe that Ellis intends to play around with, and shows many of his trademark story elements.
Over all to soon, unfortunately, and I do wish that we were given some more insights into the change between series. By Ellis' own admission, some of the characters were changed in how they present (persona, not just visually) to fit in his view here, and I wish we had some transition.
Hits the ground running, hints at a lot of interesting things to come, does an excellent job of setting up the side of the Wildstorm universe that Ellis intends to play around with, and shows many of his trademark story elements.
Over all to soon, unfortunately, and I do wish that we were given some more insights into the change between series. By Ellis' own admission, some of the characters were changed in how they present (persona, not just visually) to fit in his view here, and I wish we had some transition.
August 4, 2025
I'm not a WildStorm guy, so initially, I was very confused when this book was throwing around words like StormWatch and other in Universe terms like the bleed. That being said, once I Googled a little bit and started to understand the pace and scope of the book, I fell in love with it. it's truly incredible. In the time of mature superhero media like the boys or other R-rated superhero movies, I feel like maybe the impact of this book is lost a bit, but I can tell at the time it was very subversive and it's not entirely lost.
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