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The Authority #1
The Authority, Vol. 1: Relentless
Jenny Sparks gathers a group of former StormWatch members to create a new super hero team that is dedicated to protecting the Earth from global threats.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
29 people are currently reading
1954 people want to read
About the author
Warren Ellis
1,972 books5,772 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
September 26, 2015
This is one of those rare superhero comics that you can pick up and enjoy without knowing anything at all about 70 year long convoluted soap-opera history of superheros.
That's just what I did about a decade ago. Didn't read superhero comics. Picked this one up and loved it.
Years later, after I'd read a lot more comics and knew a lot more about the standard Marvel and DC sets of heroes, I read these again and saw the subtle (and the not-so-subtle) satire running through the series.
That's the mark of a truly wonderful story in my opinion. That you can enjoy it on multiple levels, depending on how much you know about the genre. That's something I strive for in my own writing.
That's just what I did about a decade ago. Didn't read superhero comics. Picked this one up and loved it.
Years later, after I'd read a lot more comics and knew a lot more about the standard Marvel and DC sets of heroes, I read these again and saw the subtle (and the not-so-subtle) satire running through the series.
That's the mark of a truly wonderful story in my opinion. That you can enjoy it on multiple levels, depending on how much you know about the genre. That's something I strive for in my own writing.
August 18, 2012
Mildly disappointed as I was expecting something much better than an alternate (albeit darker) Justice League from this. But, it was good fun nevertheless and wildly imaginative in short bursts.
March 7, 2015
One of the best superhero team books ever. Yes, this carries over from Ellis' run on Storm Watch, but it's not essential to have read that series to appreciate this one. Ellis is a past master of tossing off mind-blowing concepts as casual asides. He may not have read every single journal on the bleeding edge of technology and science, but he certainly gives that impression. If this book doesn't make you a Warren Ellis fan for life, then nothing ... well, I guess it couldn't hurt to try Planetary or Global Frequency, just in case.
April 20, 2011
This was, frankly, a disappointment. The premise is excellent: a bunch of individuals with superhuman powers led by an English lunatic acquire an orbital fortress and inform the world that they are now in charge, and they will prevent bad things from happening. What they decide are bad things anyway . . .
You can see the promise. The whole idea of a small group taking it on themselves to legislate for everyone else what is good and bad without being answerable to anyone is the stuff of nightmare and dystopia. Plato envisaged it in The Republic, Orwell wrote about it in 1984, Clarke almost did it in Childhood's End, but wimped out and made the aliens nice, Alan Moore did in unforgettably in Watchmen, and here Warren Ellis had the opportunity to go one stage further and show just how horrifying the rule of a philosopher king might me.
So, I was hoping that Jenny Sparks would go even more bonkers and start (oh, I don't know) sterilising entire nations because someone somewhere said something she didn't like. But, after a terribly impressive set-up (the gang are cool, their orbital fortress very much more so, and the ideas around the structure of the multiverse are neat) we run into a huge, fundamental problem. All the people that 'The Authority' take on are indubitably bad. You know, crime lords who wipe out cities for fun, invading alien monsters from another dimension, that sort of thing. So, apart from the odd snarky comment from Jenny, 'The Authority' come out looking, well, actually as if they're the solution, whereas in fact they're as much part of the problem as the people they battle. But then, it's easy to support fascist overlords in times of threat; Ellis should have shown us 'The Authority' dispensing peace and justice.
Aside from that, the graphics are good, indeed excellent. There are some neat jokes (like one based on the iconic shot from 'Independence Day' which you'll know when you see it). As simple stories of superhero derring do, they're not bad, except: the good guys win just too easily. They seem, between them, to be more or less omnipotent and indestructible. So there's not much in the way of tension (this gets even worse in the sequel The Authority Vol. 2: Under New Management).
So, in summary, it's not a bad book, but I had expected much more.
You can see the promise. The whole idea of a small group taking it on themselves to legislate for everyone else what is good and bad without being answerable to anyone is the stuff of nightmare and dystopia. Plato envisaged it in The Republic, Orwell wrote about it in 1984, Clarke almost did it in Childhood's End, but wimped out and made the aliens nice, Alan Moore did in unforgettably in Watchmen, and here Warren Ellis had the opportunity to go one stage further and show just how horrifying the rule of a philosopher king might me.
So, I was hoping that Jenny Sparks would go even more bonkers and start (oh, I don't know) sterilising entire nations because someone somewhere said something she didn't like. But, after a terribly impressive set-up (the gang are cool, their orbital fortress very much more so, and the ideas around the structure of the multiverse are neat) we run into a huge, fundamental problem. All the people that 'The Authority' take on are indubitably bad. You know, crime lords who wipe out cities for fun, invading alien monsters from another dimension, that sort of thing. So, apart from the odd snarky comment from Jenny, 'The Authority' come out looking, well, actually as if they're the solution, whereas in fact they're as much part of the problem as the people they battle. But then, it's easy to support fascist overlords in times of threat; Ellis should have shown us 'The Authority' dispensing peace and justice.
Aside from that, the graphics are good, indeed excellent. There are some neat jokes (like one based on the iconic shot from 'Independence Day' which you'll know when you see it). As simple stories of superhero derring do, they're not bad, except: the good guys win just too easily. They seem, between them, to be more or less omnipotent and indestructible. So there's not much in the way of tension (this gets even worse in the sequel The Authority Vol. 2: Under New Management).
So, in summary, it's not a bad book, but I had expected much more.
November 24, 2010
3.0 stars. I liked this first volume of The Authority but I must admit I was hoping to like it a bit more than I did. I really like the "attitude" of the story and Midnighter is on my list of favorite comic characters so when he is on the page, it is always interesting. I just thought the overall story-lines were a bit disjointed and didn't flow as well as I thought they should. That said, I will certainly pick up the next volume in the series as I think the good aspects of the title far outweigh the gripes.
October 2, 2023
Action packed, brutal, epic in scale. I can see why this one is better received than stormwatch. Full review in the absolute edition coming soon.
November 1, 2015
If you enjoy hard sci-fi in your superhero stories, then the Authority is the book for you. It's a darker, more proactive version of the JLA at its core, but to simply write them off as yet another superhero team isn't fair.
This book has deep science fiction roots. For example, their base is a giant spaceship that exits in the same "space" as Earth, just in another dimension. Therefore, they simply step through a door and can be anywhere on Earth in seconds. Also the characters are a little more science based as well. You have your Superman in Apollo, and your Batman in Midnighter (who are a gay couple btw), but after that the characters get harder to define.
If you like huge, epic, superteam stories with heroes that aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, then this is the book for you. If the review sounds a little unclear, it's because it's hard to truly describe this book in the space and time I have available. Overall, I think anyone who's a comic fan should try out this first volume and make their own judgment.
This book has deep science fiction roots. For example, their base is a giant spaceship that exits in the same "space" as Earth, just in another dimension. Therefore, they simply step through a door and can be anywhere on Earth in seconds. Also the characters are a little more science based as well. You have your Superman in Apollo, and your Batman in Midnighter (who are a gay couple btw), but after that the characters get harder to define.
If you like huge, epic, superteam stories with heroes that aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, then this is the book for you. If the review sounds a little unclear, it's because it's hard to truly describe this book in the space and time I have available. Overall, I think anyone who's a comic fan should try out this first volume and make their own judgment.
May 31, 2013
I hadn't read this material in a while and was worried that it mite not be as enjoyable 13 years later. I was wrong. I still loved this stuff. Ellis is in there with his controlled chaotic take on thing and his effortlessly fun and smart character dialogue and Bryan Hitch does a fantastic job bringing the characters to visual life with the coloring help of Paul Neary.
We get massively powerful supers dashing around the globe to put down evil megalomaniacs, stopping extradimensional invasions, and then they deal with some kind of elder god. All while saying things like "I've been waiting to punch someone in the brains all goddam day". This was the first deconstruction of the classic Justice League/Avengers team I'd ever read aside from "Watchmen" and this was just more fun and hopeful on many levels while still being gritty and very dark at times.
I recommend this to fans of super heroes and comics, and especially to fans of Warren Ellis. This is the ultimately positive outcome of what for me was a largely barren decade of comics (pay close attention to the "largely" not that is not "completely" there were still a few great and good things to come out of the 90's just not as much as I'd like and they mostly came at the end). Run out to your local comic shop and pick this up, or to your nearest bookstore. Support brick & mortar bookstores!
We get massively powerful supers dashing around the globe to put down evil megalomaniacs, stopping extradimensional invasions, and then they deal with some kind of elder god. All while saying things like "I've been waiting to punch someone in the brains all goddam day". This was the first deconstruction of the classic Justice League/Avengers team I'd ever read aside from "Watchmen" and this was just more fun and hopeful on many levels while still being gritty and very dark at times.
I recommend this to fans of super heroes and comics, and especially to fans of Warren Ellis. This is the ultimately positive outcome of what for me was a largely barren decade of comics (pay close attention to the "largely" not that is not "completely" there were still a few great and good things to come out of the 90's just not as much as I'd like and they mostly came at the end). Run out to your local comic shop and pick this up, or to your nearest bookstore. Support brick & mortar bookstores!
August 14, 2008
Goddamn awesome comic, and stays good through the next two volumes (though with a variety of creative teams, and diminishing returns).
The Authority is a team of badasses, protecting earth from all the assholes who would do it harm.
True to form, Warren Ellis breathes life into some pretty unique characters, including Jenny Sparks (a century baby who is the spirit of the 20th century - imagine what she's seen: she was Hitler's muse!?), The Doctor (who is, at his core, junkie, who just happens to be the living embodiment of all the past and future mystical shamans), The Engineer (a scientist who is now more machine than woman), Jack Hawksmoor (the spirit of cities, who can talk to cities and is empowered by them - wait to see what he does in Mexico City), Swift (a bird-girl, yeah, not much to say there, except the nazi's tried to get ahold of her while she was still in an egg), and then you have Midnighter and Apollo (a more sadististic version of the Batman and Superman duo, who just happen to be gay lovers).
And the art is just blindingly brilliant. There's one scene, a two page panel, with an invading army descending on Los Angeles. You can't help but feel completely overwhelmed by it, and that is exactly the point.
It's just amazing the stuff that Hitch and Ellis create together...
The Authority is a team of badasses, protecting earth from all the assholes who would do it harm.
True to form, Warren Ellis breathes life into some pretty unique characters, including Jenny Sparks (a century baby who is the spirit of the 20th century - imagine what she's seen: she was Hitler's muse!?), The Doctor (who is, at his core, junkie, who just happens to be the living embodiment of all the past and future mystical shamans), The Engineer (a scientist who is now more machine than woman), Jack Hawksmoor (the spirit of cities, who can talk to cities and is empowered by them - wait to see what he does in Mexico City), Swift (a bird-girl, yeah, not much to say there, except the nazi's tried to get ahold of her while she was still in an egg), and then you have Midnighter and Apollo (a more sadististic version of the Batman and Superman duo, who just happen to be gay lovers).
And the art is just blindingly brilliant. There's one scene, a two page panel, with an invading army descending on Los Angeles. You can't help but feel completely overwhelmed by it, and that is exactly the point.
It's just amazing the stuff that Hitch and Ellis create together...
August 22, 2008
Not as impressed by this as I had hoped to be. It doesn’t seem that different from other superhero comics, and thus far, at least, I felt the characters were less well-developed than in many other titles. And the villains—painfully clichéd, including a ridiculous Fu Manchu knockoff. Though actually, none of that bugged me as much as the fact that whoever drew this (I’ve already given my copy to Wychwood) has obviously never looked at a photograph of L.A., much less visited. There are several major fight scenes that take place in the City of Angels, and I honestly wouldn’t have known it was Los Angeles if the text hadn’t said. Hello, we have a strict earthquake code, we don’t have row after row of tall buildings that make the city look like a cut-rate New York. Go rent something in which L.A. gets blown up before you attempt to draw it, kthx.
So, yeah…I found that much more distracting than most readers would, probably, but this comic still didn’t exactly have full command of my attention. If I can find the next volume, I’ll keep reading for the Apollo/Midnighter, but I’m not cooking up desperate plots to get it or anything. Mostly I’m wondering if it must get a whole lot better or if I am just missing something.
So, yeah…I found that much more distracting than most readers would, probably, but this comic still didn’t exactly have full command of my attention. If I can find the next volume, I’ll keep reading for the Apollo/Midnighter, but I’m not cooking up desperate plots to get it or anything. Mostly I’m wondering if it must get a whole lot better or if I am just missing something.
November 14, 2012
Chances are if you’ve ever read a Wildstorm comic it was this one.
Created back in the late 90s by Warren Ellis, The Authority was an attempt to follow up an idea introduced in Stormwatch: Superheroes actively trying to actively improve the entire world. While Superman might take down Lex Luthor every week and Captain America might rail against unjust governmental acts (thanks for that Tony) they’re rarely displayed as characters attempting to actively reshape the world. They’ll preserve it, try to keep it from falling into anarchy, but when was the last time either attempted to enact drastic political change or take out a dictator? World War II? The Cold war? The last time Doctor Doom was mentioned before the status quo came into effect?
The Authority was an attempt to change that somewhat and show a new approach for superheroing. A good if unfortunately flawed one.
Taking place directly after the events of WildC.A.T.s/Aliens, the world is in turmoil. With Stormwatch having been disbanded following the events and almost all its members dead or M.I.A. the United Nations is left without a metahuman force to help defend it. Many are seeking to take advantage of this with no way to actively stop them. At least until Jenny Sparks and Stormwatch Black re-emerge acting on their own, fighting for the world but not those who run it.
This first volume, Relentless, is divided separately into two stories and both establish the themes of the series. While they do feature the team combating enemies and reacting to threats much like a traditional superhero team would, they display different methods and motivations than you would ever expect. Ellis himself described them as a group who tries to deal with every thread by “punching it and/or dropping something on it” and that’s fairly clear very early on. This isn’t to say that those they fight don’t deserve such treatment or require so much force to be finished, but it’s what helps to clearly distance the team from both others within Wildstorm and the big two of Marvel and DC. Half the time they’re written as villains simply fighting much bigger, much uglier, villains.
None of this is to say that the protagonists themselves are unlikable and defined only by acts of violence. It would have been a very easy thing to have the whole thing backslide into the grimacing, emotionally bland characters who dominated the Dark Age. Thankfully they instead come across as being very human. For every time they’re shown to be forced to kill hundreds in the defence of Earth they’re never shown to be actively enjoying it (okay, except Midnighter) and treat it more as being their day job. Every time they’re forced to go all out to help halt some hugely destructive force from taking down civilisation as we know it, there are at least a couple of quiet scenes to try and help break up the action and give development on a more personal level. It’s this latter aspect especially which helps to make it far more enjoyable than a lot of modern big titles and more than a few of the New 52’s ongoing series.
It’s almost enough to help you forget that, for all the backstory and characterisation we’re given there’s no real origin for these characters.
Yeah, this is the big flaw within this comic. While it’s great to see the first arc not be completely caught up in an origin story there’s no denying that a great deal of the time it was relying upon people having read Stormwatch. A lot of what was shown in that comic such as Sparks’ background is attempted to be shown again here, but almost everyone either lacks a definitive origin or if one is given it’s explained in a brief throwaway scene. The Engineer details how she got the nanomachines which feels more like an excuse more than anything else and the Doctor has even less of an introduction, and both of these are effectively brand new characters. Oh you get their personalities fast enough and understand how they think and act but you it lacks the fine details. The same argument might be made of the villain of the first story Kaizen Gamorra, again previously introduced in another comic, but at least in his case we’re given an atmospherically detailed background. Still, when you can get past it the characters are easily some of the most naturally feeling interactions in almost any comic. Balancing out the fantastical with attitudes and conversations which feel like they would come from real people taking on the Authority’s role in the world.
Bryan Hitch’s art seriously helps to further bring the world to life with his usual high levels of detail and shows why he was exactly the right artist for this. His highly detailed refined style helps emphasise upon the scale of the threats and destruction, but unlike Miguel Sepulveda he has no problems drawing expressive human figures or facial features.
You might have noticed that unlike a lot of the comics I’ve reviewed, much of the plot and actual events have not been commented upon. There’s a reason for that, as even going into it in my usual spoiler-free style would ruin moments far better handled in the actual comic itself. Yet if you’ve not guessed it from what you’ve seen here The Authority: Relentless is an exceptionally good trade collection, and a prime example of how comics can display true innovation without betraying their basic aspects. With paperbacks going for around £11-12.00 on Amazon.co.uk, this is definitely a must buy for anyone looking for something different with superheroes. It’s not for everyone and you’ll find yourself being bugged by fine details which have been left to other issues, but there’s no denying the quality behind the work. Definitely take a look if you’re interested.
Created back in the late 90s by Warren Ellis, The Authority was an attempt to follow up an idea introduced in Stormwatch: Superheroes actively trying to actively improve the entire world. While Superman might take down Lex Luthor every week and Captain America might rail against unjust governmental acts (thanks for that Tony) they’re rarely displayed as characters attempting to actively reshape the world. They’ll preserve it, try to keep it from falling into anarchy, but when was the last time either attempted to enact drastic political change or take out a dictator? World War II? The Cold war? The last time Doctor Doom was mentioned before the status quo came into effect?
The Authority was an attempt to change that somewhat and show a new approach for superheroing. A good if unfortunately flawed one.
Taking place directly after the events of WildC.A.T.s/Aliens, the world is in turmoil. With Stormwatch having been disbanded following the events and almost all its members dead or M.I.A. the United Nations is left without a metahuman force to help defend it. Many are seeking to take advantage of this with no way to actively stop them. At least until Jenny Sparks and Stormwatch Black re-emerge acting on their own, fighting for the world but not those who run it.
This first volume, Relentless, is divided separately into two stories and both establish the themes of the series. While they do feature the team combating enemies and reacting to threats much like a traditional superhero team would, they display different methods and motivations than you would ever expect. Ellis himself described them as a group who tries to deal with every thread by “punching it and/or dropping something on it” and that’s fairly clear very early on. This isn’t to say that those they fight don’t deserve such treatment or require so much force to be finished, but it’s what helps to clearly distance the team from both others within Wildstorm and the big two of Marvel and DC. Half the time they’re written as villains simply fighting much bigger, much uglier, villains.
None of this is to say that the protagonists themselves are unlikable and defined only by acts of violence. It would have been a very easy thing to have the whole thing backslide into the grimacing, emotionally bland characters who dominated the Dark Age. Thankfully they instead come across as being very human. For every time they’re shown to be forced to kill hundreds in the defence of Earth they’re never shown to be actively enjoying it (okay, except Midnighter) and treat it more as being their day job. Every time they’re forced to go all out to help halt some hugely destructive force from taking down civilisation as we know it, there are at least a couple of quiet scenes to try and help break up the action and give development on a more personal level. It’s this latter aspect especially which helps to make it far more enjoyable than a lot of modern big titles and more than a few of the New 52’s ongoing series.
It’s almost enough to help you forget that, for all the backstory and characterisation we’re given there’s no real origin for these characters.
Yeah, this is the big flaw within this comic. While it’s great to see the first arc not be completely caught up in an origin story there’s no denying that a great deal of the time it was relying upon people having read Stormwatch. A lot of what was shown in that comic such as Sparks’ background is attempted to be shown again here, but almost everyone either lacks a definitive origin or if one is given it’s explained in a brief throwaway scene. The Engineer details how she got the nanomachines which feels more like an excuse more than anything else and the Doctor has even less of an introduction, and both of these are effectively brand new characters. Oh you get their personalities fast enough and understand how they think and act but you it lacks the fine details. The same argument might be made of the villain of the first story Kaizen Gamorra, again previously introduced in another comic, but at least in his case we’re given an atmospherically detailed background. Still, when you can get past it the characters are easily some of the most naturally feeling interactions in almost any comic. Balancing out the fantastical with attitudes and conversations which feel like they would come from real people taking on the Authority’s role in the world.
Bryan Hitch’s art seriously helps to further bring the world to life with his usual high levels of detail and shows why he was exactly the right artist for this. His highly detailed refined style helps emphasise upon the scale of the threats and destruction, but unlike Miguel Sepulveda he has no problems drawing expressive human figures or facial features.
You might have noticed that unlike a lot of the comics I’ve reviewed, much of the plot and actual events have not been commented upon. There’s a reason for that, as even going into it in my usual spoiler-free style would ruin moments far better handled in the actual comic itself. Yet if you’ve not guessed it from what you’ve seen here The Authority: Relentless is an exceptionally good trade collection, and a prime example of how comics can display true innovation without betraying their basic aspects. With paperbacks going for around £11-12.00 on Amazon.co.uk, this is definitely a must buy for anyone looking for something different with superheroes. It’s not for everyone and you’ll find yourself being bugged by fine details which have been left to other issues, but there’s no denying the quality behind the work. Definitely take a look if you’re interested.
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November 11, 2017"The Authority es el primer cómic de superhéroes del siglo XXI. Seamos honestos. A su lado, todo parece rancio, descolorido, repetitivo".
Grant Morrison escribió la cita con la que se abre este comentario en la introducción del primer volumen de The Authority. No sabemos bien si fue todo lo que señala el guionista escocés, pero sí tuvo que suponer una ruptura para su época.
The Authority de Warren Ellis mira el género de los superhéroes no desde su propia perspectiva, sino desde el punto de vista de la ciencia ficción y el cinismo de aquellos que saben que la realidad no siempre se reduce al blanco y negro (es más, aquí hay mucho rojo… rojo sangre).
En una etapa en que se comenzaba a notar cierta fatiga en el género de superhéroes, Warren Ellis escribió The Authority para Wildstorm. Sería un cómic que marcaría muchas obras que vendrían a continuación gracias a un enfoque más adulto, donde no se dudaba en plasmar de forma plástica la violencia, la sangre y la destrucción.
Al igual que una superproducción que no temiese ser para mayores de dieciocho, los personajes de The Authority tienden a una violencia radical, tanto como su forma de ver el mundo. No nos encontramos con superhéroes que quieren bajar a gatitos de un árbol, sino con metahumanos dispuestos a masacrar al enemigo.
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Grant Morrison escribió la cita con la que se abre este comentario en la introducción del primer volumen de The Authority. No sabemos bien si fue todo lo que señala el guionista escocés, pero sí tuvo que suponer una ruptura para su época.
The Authority de Warren Ellis mira el género de los superhéroes no desde su propia perspectiva, sino desde el punto de vista de la ciencia ficción y el cinismo de aquellos que saben que la realidad no siempre se reduce al blanco y negro (es más, aquí hay mucho rojo… rojo sangre).
En una etapa en que se comenzaba a notar cierta fatiga en el género de superhéroes, Warren Ellis escribió The Authority para Wildstorm. Sería un cómic que marcaría muchas obras que vendrían a continuación gracias a un enfoque más adulto, donde no se dudaba en plasmar de forma plástica la violencia, la sangre y la destrucción.
Al igual que una superproducción que no temiese ser para mayores de dieciocho, los personajes de The Authority tienden a una violencia radical, tanto como su forma de ver el mundo. No nos encontramos con superhéroes que quieren bajar a gatitos de un árbol, sino con metahumanos dispuestos a masacrar al enemigo.
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August 15, 2019
Достаточно традиционная нетрадиционная супергероика конца 90-х — начала 00-х. Герои с кирпичными подбородками и перманентно хмурыми рожами, девушки с ослепительными улыбками и сексуализированными формами, все кидаются друг в другами резкими ван-лайнерами сквозь сжатые зубы, постоянно рычат и понтуются друг перед другом, реализуя все эталоны крутизны российского кинематографа и культуры восьмиклассников.
Без особых преамбул и хождений вокруг да около команда главных героев на первых же страницах заново собирается и рвёт с места в карьер. Эллис как будто бы издевается над штампом запрещённых супергероев, вводя его в повествование и тут же без всяких объяснений вышвыривая его в окно. Отношения между героями даются вскользь, авторы концентрируются на экшене и сюжетах, представляющих собой большей частью чистый трэш: карикатурный китаец, невесть откуда взявший технологию клепания новых супергероев; синекожие креветки из параллельной вселенной с репродуктивной стратегией времён татаро-монголов; ницшеанский бог, вернувшийся чтобы превратить планету в музей Ганса Гигера.
В общем, для своего времени, быть может, было неплохо, но сейчас самая интригующая героиня — Дженни Спаркс — давно всем известна в куда более яркой версии Люцифера из Wicked+Divine (уже не говоря о том, что по сути это женская версия старины Спайдера, разве что Спайдер умён, а Дженни здесь чересчур часто изображает классического тупорылого начальника). Рекомендую только ностальгирующим по ушедшей эпохе.
Без особых преамбул и хождений вокруг да около команда главных героев на первых же страницах заново собирается и рвёт с места в карьер. Эллис как будто бы издевается над штампом запрещённых супергероев, вводя его в повествование и тут же без всяких объяснений вышвыривая его в окно. Отношения между героями даются вскользь, авторы концентрируются на экшене и сюжетах, представляющих собой большей частью чистый трэш: карикатурный китаец, невесть откуда взявший технологию клепания новых супергероев; синекожие креветки из параллельной вселенной с репродуктивной стратегией времён татаро-монголов; ницшеанский бог, вернувшийся чтобы превратить планету в музей Ганса Гигера.
В общем, для своего времени, быть может, было неплохо, но сейчас самая интригующая героиня — Дженни Спаркс — давно всем известна в куда более яркой версии Люцифера из Wicked+Divine (уже не говоря о том, что по сути это женская версия старины Спайдера, разве что Спайдер умён, а Дженни здесь чересчур часто изображает классического тупорылого начальника). Рекомендую только ностальгирующим по ушедшей эпохе.
March 18, 2023
A classic of its era, when Warren Ellis was one of the hottest writers in comics and wasn't yet canceled for his indiscretions. The gimmick here, which was novel enough back then, is that super-hero supergroup The Authority isn't content to use its considerable superpowers to prop up the status quo, but intends to actively shape global governance, but this first volume only really sets the stage for that.
It's all good stuff, though, even if we secretly would have preferred to have been reading Planetary (by the same creative team in the same universe). In fact, I might just switch to that instead of seeking out the second volume of this.
It's all good stuff, though, even if we secretly would have preferred to have been reading Planetary (by the same creative team in the same universe). In fact, I might just switch to that instead of seeking out the second volume of this.
January 27, 2018
Volume 1, "Relentless," contains two (seemingly unrelated) story arcs: "The Circle" and "Shiftships."
The story (stories?) was interesting, very weird, a little bit confusing, and definitely different. This is volume 1, but the action picks up where another series, Stormwatch, left off. There is enough exposition for me to keep up, however.
It was overall kind of meh, because whatever evil was thrown at The Authority, they countered it quickly and with apparent ease (although with extremely high civilian casualties, which they don't seem too concerned about) so there wasn't all that much actual plot tension. All Powerful beings are boring.
Extra points to Ellis for spelling "all right" correctly.
I wasn't thrilled with the art. The characters' faces and body types are fine, except for the Big Bad, Kaizen Gamorra, who is drawn as a stereotypical Asian bad guy, right down to slants eyes, buck teeth, and a long stringy mustache - like, seriously, guys?? You couldn't do better than that??? And Midnighter looks like Batman, which was confusing - why was he drawn to look like Batman?? The color palette chosen by Laura Depuy was awfully dark, made it hard for me to see what was going on ona lot of pages. And Brian Hitch made some odd choices for facial expressions - often the characters are shown with huge beaming smiles, while saying non-happy things like: "I'm still alive, so I did okay." It makes them seem insane. (Or was that the point?)
The story (stories?) was interesting, very weird, a little bit confusing, and definitely different. This is volume 1, but the action picks up where another series, Stormwatch, left off. There is enough exposition for me to keep up, however.
It was overall kind of meh, because whatever evil was thrown at The Authority, they countered it quickly and with apparent ease (although with extremely high civilian casualties, which they don't seem too concerned about) so there wasn't all that much actual plot tension. All Powerful beings are boring.
Extra points to Ellis for spelling "all right" correctly.
I wasn't thrilled with the art. The characters' faces and body types are fine, except for the Big Bad, Kaizen Gamorra, who is drawn as a stereotypical Asian bad guy, right down to slants eyes, buck teeth, and a long stringy mustache - like, seriously, guys?? You couldn't do better than that??? And Midnighter looks like Batman, which was confusing - why was he drawn to look like Batman?? The color palette chosen by Laura Depuy was awfully dark, made it hard for me to see what was going on ona lot of pages. And Brian Hitch made some odd choices for facial expressions - often the characters are shown with huge beaming smiles, while saying non-happy things like: "I'm still alive, so I did okay." It makes them seem insane. (Or was that the point?)
March 20, 2021
Second time I read this. First time was about 20 years ago. Bryan Hitch presents widescreen action, something he perfects for ‘The Ultimates’ some years later. Ellis does what Ellis usually does : deliver mind blowing stories.
I wish the colouring was less dark, but generally : still a great read.
I wish the colouring was less dark, but generally : still a great read.
September 12, 2017
Pretty good! I think I prefer Planetary but I enjoyed this. My one complaint is that at four issues a piece of 20 pages, the two arcs in this were not long enough. I really wanted more with Sliding Albion!
July 9, 2018
Kinda missed out on these the first time around. I remember sampling the WildStorm thing when Jim Lee was involved right at the beginning, but I soon lost interest so that when these titles and characters were evolving, I wasn't really paying attention. Came to The Authority through Garth Ennis and Kev and found the first two volumes going relatively cheap. This was good enough, I suppose, apart from the weirdly racist villain of the first arc. Refreshingly violent and mildly fascist in a way that I guess was meant satirically but which may have flown over people's heads. I can't say this was essential, but it was fun.
April 18, 2023
I read this as it was rated one of the best graphic novels by some random site on the internet. That being said it was just okay. The positive, you could get into it without knowing any backstory and the art is gorgeous. The negatives, it was just a darker version the standard superhero team. It might of been shocking when this was originally written but now it's just cliche.
A good but not great graphic novel.
A good but not great graphic novel.
July 20, 2024
Cool take on a new superhero team to me that obviously has heavy inspiration from the Avengers and Justice League.
March 15, 2022
Well, I thought it was brilliant! Art is ok for me, but different from the usual super-heroes at the time.
December 29, 2007
I'm willing to forgive quite a bit in a first trade paperback, just because of the necessary set-up drudgery and the way most writers seem to need an issue or eight before they feel comfortable with their characters. The Authority has the added advantages of a manic colorist (I think this title would be sweeet on acid) and two queer characters who aren't (gasp) villians beaten to bloody pulps and pissed on every third issue by a hairy-chested blonde wearing an Amerikan flag. And I'll admit -- seeing a queer relationship treated (when it's treated at all) as a resounding non-issue is enough for me to put Volume 2 on my wish list. But there are a couple major problems I'll expect to see addressed before I bother with Volume 3.
First, and most importantly, I want someone to follow through on Grant Morrison's promise in the foreword that "The Authority has endowed the tired superhero archetypes with vigorous new meaning." Cuz it seems like the same tired shit to me, only minus the patriotic oo-rah. An evil man tries to take over the world, with no motive beyond the absolute joy he takes in being evil. He has a sight-n-sound spectacular. It is countered by an even greater sight-n-sound spectacular, akin to the 300-mile thick wall of solid Green Lantern will-power. (Dude, no shit? Maaan.) An occasional graphically violent panel is evidently meant to convince the reader that this is "adult" and thus not, as she may have previously been thinking, utterly sophomoric. And it isn't until the second storyline, in which an evil alien wants to perpetuate his bloodline (slightly more plausible motive) by turning China into a "rape camp" (*sigh*...so close), that we finally start to get something resembling characters, let alone brand spankin new meaning. So step it up, boys.
Also, soliloquies in the midst of dodging an un-dodgeable city block thrown directly at your head -- that pisses me off. Just so we're clear. Maybe if the writer would spend less time trying to explain how, exactly, an army of 200 cloned super-thingies appeared in the middle of L.A. (or even wrote a story without an army of 200 cloned super-thingies), he'd have more room in the issue for the characters to deliver their soliloquies while sitting on a couch. Why does "action" always have to involve big walls of solid will-power that save China from being a rape camp? Doesn't anyone read Henry James anymore?
China is always already a rape camp in his novels.
First, and most importantly, I want someone to follow through on Grant Morrison's promise in the foreword that "The Authority has endowed the tired superhero archetypes with vigorous new meaning." Cuz it seems like the same tired shit to me, only minus the patriotic oo-rah. An evil man tries to take over the world, with no motive beyond the absolute joy he takes in being evil. He has a sight-n-sound spectacular. It is countered by an even greater sight-n-sound spectacular, akin to the 300-mile thick wall of solid Green Lantern will-power. (Dude, no shit? Maaan.) An occasional graphically violent panel is evidently meant to convince the reader that this is "adult" and thus not, as she may have previously been thinking, utterly sophomoric. And it isn't until the second storyline, in which an evil alien wants to perpetuate his bloodline (slightly more plausible motive) by turning China into a "rape camp" (*sigh*...so close), that we finally start to get something resembling characters, let alone brand spankin new meaning. So step it up, boys.
Also, soliloquies in the midst of dodging an un-dodgeable city block thrown directly at your head -- that pisses me off. Just so we're clear. Maybe if the writer would spend less time trying to explain how, exactly, an army of 200 cloned super-thingies appeared in the middle of L.A. (or even wrote a story without an army of 200 cloned super-thingies), he'd have more room in the issue for the characters to deliver their soliloquies while sitting on a couch. Why does "action" always have to involve big walls of solid will-power that save China from being a rape camp? Doesn't anyone read Henry James anymore?
China is always already a rape camp in his novels.
August 18, 2022
If you're looking for unadulterated and uncensored violence, then look no further. This is the perfect example of an enjoyable action comic, from the (a bit too snarky) dialogue, to the characters, to the over-the-top plot. They don't make comics like this any more. I find myself wondering why...
Stormwatch is no more. Who can protect the world from attacks that threaten all of humanity? A new team led by Jenny Sparks, the spirit of the 20th century, can. The Authority is ready for them, though they still need to get used to each other both on the field and on a personal level.
Stormwatch is no more. Who can protect the world from attacks that threaten all of humanity? A new team led by Jenny Sparks, the spirit of the 20th century, can. The Authority is ready for them, though they still need to get used to each other both on the field and on a personal level.
November 23, 2019
Buzzword readathon #10
I first read this two years ago and was worried going into my second read that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. I shouldn't have worried because I loved it even more the second time!
This is maybe the most underrated series and team in comics history, and I'm not over-exaggerating. The Authority are on the surface just a gritty version of the Justice League, but underneath that there's a lot of really smart commentary about power and some amazing characters.
I really love all of these characters. Jenny Sparks is the leader of this hodgepodge team and I love her so darn much. I forgot that while being a badass she's also a really funny, caring character, and just generally a lot more well-rounded than I remembered her being. I obviously love Midnighter and Apollo - I have a Midnighter sticker on my laptop for a reason - but I also genuinely love all the other members of the Authority.
The art is also so much better than I remember it being. While I don't love the way that Angie is drawn (do we really need to be seeing her nipples at all times??), the rest of it is so well done. The close-ups are particularly great, especially Jenny at the end of issue 2.
I just really love this comic and am dying every day that DC doesn't adapt it. Come on guys, Vanessa Kirby would be the perfect Jenny Sparks but she's not going to be age appropriate forever! I'm now going to read the next volume and despair at how my favourite series was ruined.
I first read this two years ago and was worried going into my second read that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. I shouldn't have worried because I loved it even more the second time!
This is maybe the most underrated series and team in comics history, and I'm not over-exaggerating. The Authority are on the surface just a gritty version of the Justice League, but underneath that there's a lot of really smart commentary about power and some amazing characters.
I really love all of these characters. Jenny Sparks is the leader of this hodgepodge team and I love her so darn much. I forgot that while being a badass she's also a really funny, caring character, and just generally a lot more well-rounded than I remembered her being. I obviously love Midnighter and Apollo - I have a Midnighter sticker on my laptop for a reason - but I also genuinely love all the other members of the Authority.
The art is also so much better than I remember it being. While I don't love the way that Angie is drawn (do we really need to be seeing her nipples at all times??), the rest of it is so well done. The close-ups are particularly great, especially Jenny at the end of issue 2.
I just really love this comic and am dying every day that DC doesn't adapt it. Come on guys, Vanessa Kirby would be the perfect Jenny Sparks but she's not going to be age appropriate forever! I'm now going to read the next volume and despair at how my favourite series was ruined.
October 2, 2019
You know a comic series is going to be good, at least as long as it still has its original creative team on the job, when the (almost inevitable) awkwardness of the establishing arc is almost undetectable, and when the immersion is almost seamless. There was one rather awkward moment, where someone said something that didn't make sense for the character to say -- it very obviously only existed as exposition for the reader, and it wasn't even all that necessary -- but the main reason it stood out is probably the fact it was the only significant case like that in this entire volume.
Warren Ellis set up a grand design very quickly, and pulled it off smoothly. These are the issues of The Authority that I read years ago, and I enjoyed them back then even more than I do now. The issues covered by the second collection were new to me, and as far as Warren carried them they were true excellence in comic book storytelling. I don't always find that I agree with Warren's ideological stances as expressed in The Authority, but his stories make a great case for them. It carries some visceral joy to the reader at a level that is rare in comic books, and it prompts the thoughtful reader to think more deeply than usual.
There is not much more to want from a comic book series, I think.
Warren Ellis set up a grand design very quickly, and pulled it off smoothly. These are the issues of The Authority that I read years ago, and I enjoyed them back then even more than I do now. The issues covered by the second collection were new to me, and as far as Warren carried them they were true excellence in comic book storytelling. I don't always find that I agree with Warren's ideological stances as expressed in The Authority, but his stories make a great case for them. It carries some visceral joy to the reader at a level that is rare in comic books, and it prompts the thoughtful reader to think more deeply than usual.
There is not much more to want from a comic book series, I think.
March 10, 2024
This is a review of the whole Ellis run, issues #1-12. If I had to rank the arcs I think I'd go 3,1,2 but that could be recency bias. This was my first Ellis work, and I'm excited to read more of his stuff, especially the Stormwatch run this stems from.
I think The Authority is a super hero team like no other, although reading it in 2024 it definitely bears resemblance to The Boys. However, unlike The Boys, its played straight. The Authority isn't satire, its very much a comic book story about supers and has the conventions as such, but the team doesn't act like we're used to a super team acting. It's really a testament to Ellis and his writing that this all works. The character of Jenny Sparks is exceptional. This run us essentially her story and was a wonderful ride.
I'd definitely read this again, maybe skipping the shiftships arc, but thats really my only complaint. I would've liked to spend more time with other members of the team but also understand that doing so would remove focus from Jenny. A team book is a very delicate thing to write well and this is a prime example of how to do that.
Definitely would recommend.
I think The Authority is a super hero team like no other, although reading it in 2024 it definitely bears resemblance to The Boys. However, unlike The Boys, its played straight. The Authority isn't satire, its very much a comic book story about supers and has the conventions as such, but the team doesn't act like we're used to a super team acting. It's really a testament to Ellis and his writing that this all works. The character of Jenny Sparks is exceptional. This run us essentially her story and was a wonderful ride.
I'd definitely read this again, maybe skipping the shiftships arc, but thats really my only complaint. I would've liked to spend more time with other members of the team but also understand that doing so would remove focus from Jenny. A team book is a very delicate thing to write well and this is a prime example of how to do that.
Definitely would recommend.
September 13, 2013
The Authority is ruthless, a book written from the perspective of, what if those more powerful than us truly made the decisions to be judge jury and executioner? A pre-emptive strike force going out of its way to police the planet. The Authority asks us a lot of questions about power and responsibility and introduced us to the cinematic stylings of Bryan Hitch. It's reasonable to say that his work on the Authority brought about the whole perspective of Marvel's Ultimate Universe, super hero comic books with a cinematic approach.
It also gave us Apollo and the Midnighter, a reworking of the Superman and Batman relationship where the characters are gay and committed to each other, while breaking the stereo-types associated with gay characters by making them hyper masculine.
The Authority continues to have life and DC regularly restarts the series, most recently with the new 52 relaunch, though that title has recently been discontinued.
It also gave us Apollo and the Midnighter, a reworking of the Superman and Batman relationship where the characters are gay and committed to each other, while breaking the stereo-types associated with gay characters by making them hyper masculine.
The Authority continues to have life and DC regularly restarts the series, most recently with the new 52 relaunch, though that title has recently been discontinued.
September 25, 2010
Having a lot of fun re-reading these Stormwatch/Authority books. First time through was early in my re-introduction to comics; now after six years and 500+ graphic novels, I feel an old nostalgia and some ambivalence towards Ellis' Authority.
The art is good, widescreen action but the faces are weirdly distorted (especially Jenny Sparks). The writing is at times hilarious, at times expansive, but sometimes through this book I find it's...spartan, not the mind-blowingly imaginative work that Ellis does such a good job at when he's *on*.
The single greatest concept I enjoy most in these books is Ellis' description of The Bleed. That alone makes the book worth reading. The tough-as-nails heroes, coupled with the stark illustrations of their limits, are powerful.
The art is good, widescreen action but the faces are weirdly distorted (especially Jenny Sparks). The writing is at times hilarious, at times expansive, but sometimes through this book I find it's...spartan, not the mind-blowingly imaginative work that Ellis does such a good job at when he's *on*.
The single greatest concept I enjoy most in these books is Ellis' description of The Bleed. That alone makes the book worth reading. The tough-as-nails heroes, coupled with the stark illustrations of their limits, are powerful.
June 3, 2012
I missed out on big things during the years I'd abandoned comic books. Evidently, Wildstorm Studios had developed into an uber-mature version of its original self and hired on comic-kind's greatest talents- Mark Millar, Dustin Nguyen, Warren Ellis, Ed Brubaker. The list goes on and on. In The Authority, Ellis gives us gratuitous violence and literary writing, making the book supremely mature and not just adult. Although The Authority is made up of a team of what seems to be unbeatable supermen who are never in any real danger throughout the story arcs, the writing is engaging and the characters are very real. Something Ellis excels at. Making his absurdities seem very real, very plausible. Although I respect Bryan Hitch's work, it suffers from a poor colorist.
Writing: A
Art: B
Writing: A
Art: B
February 24, 2009
Warren Ellis creates a super team that is a great mix of the Justice League, a really good summer comic book movie and a spoonful of wit and sarcasm.
Lots of big action scenes, larger than life menaces and adventures, a couple nice character moments and, because it's Warren, some real bitting humor.
Warren's run on the Authority is the only one worth reading. Learn from my mistake and walk away after the first 12 issues. There was never a creative team that was able to capture the magic of Ellis and Hitch and from issue 13 on the series degenerated into self parody, weak art and too many pop culture references.
Lots of big action scenes, larger than life menaces and adventures, a couple nice character moments and, because it's Warren, some real bitting humor.
Warren's run on the Authority is the only one worth reading. Learn from my mistake and walk away after the first 12 issues. There was never a creative team that was able to capture the magic of Ellis and Hitch and from issue 13 on the series degenerated into self parody, weak art and too many pop culture references.
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