The Authority: Revolution, Book 1

The Authority #7

by Ed Brubaker, Dustin Nguyen

Former StormWatch Weatherman Henry Bendix has returned from the dead and is busy remolding the Earth to his unique vision. But what ever happened to "Earth’s Last of Defense," the Authority? After the debacle in the nation’s capital that led to the destruction of Washington, DC, they relinquished control of the United States and all but vanished. How long can tyranny stand before heroes will rise up? Can a teenage Jenny Quantum reunite the fractured team and make them heroes again – or has Bendix finally won the battle?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Dc Comics, Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2005

About the author

Ed Brubaker (born November 17, 1966) is an Eisner Award-winning American cartoonist and writer. He was born at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

Brubaker is best known for his work as a comic book writer on such titles as Batman, Daredevil, Captain America, Iron Fist, Catwoman, Gotham Central and Uncanny X-Men. In more recent years, he has focused solely on creator-owned titles for Image Comics, such as Fatale, Criminal, Velvet and Kill or Be Killed.

In 2016, Brubaker ventured into television, joining the writing staff of the HBO series Westworld.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's like anybody who became a superstar writer was involved at some point with The Authority, kicked off by Warren Ellis, then drawn by Bryan Hitch, then dream teamed by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, then two issues drawn by Arthur Adams! And now Ed Brubaker writes the story of the revolution waged against Earth's new rulers. Who are Earth's rulers? ...The Authority! How far does one take and exert superior power? 6 out of 12.

2017 read; 2011 read

[Korynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the start I'm afraid I missed the Midnighter I used to know. Brubaker's tone for him is less darkly humorous and more filthy badass. It's more like Midnighter's loner Wolverine than gay Batman. The danger is present but somehow he seemed more dangerous when he could laugh about it. His absolute control of a situation was amusing to him rather than a token assessment.
There is a great deal of swearing going on in this volume and I can't say they get much done for all the posturing constant expletives entails. There is also skads of ridiculous superhero fighting. And lots of people dying.
But volume one sets up a great traditional premise: what if you saw the future and knew you had made a mistake in the past and knew now you had the chance to fix it? Well, Midnighter is left with that choice and it implodes admirably.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that The Authority have taken over the world, what's next? A revolution of course. A group of "golden age" heroes, probably based on The Invaders, are somehow de-aged and powered up. They proceed to leave a revolution on the Authority, which eventually leads to the team stepping down as world leaders. The team also splits up and everyone goes their separate ways, at least temporarily. Of course, this has all been a manipulation by what's probably the greatest threat the team will ever face. But that's the next volume..

Overall, not bad, but not great either. However, I think this was more of a set-up for the next volume, which is where the true fireworks will take place.

[F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens next when radical post humans have taken over the United States of America. They'll rule, right? Well, if it was that easy...
Of course, there is something going on to keep the "heroes" busy - all their goals are at stake, when there are hints of a very dark future.
After Warren Ellis and Mark Millar left the writing duties on "The Authority" (volume 1, #1-29) the series got a bit boring. Enter a high quality writer like Ed Brubaker, who made their adventures entertaining again.

[Comics Instrucciones de uso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las etapas de Warren Ellis (junto a Bryan Hitch), y de Millar en The Authority fueron tan épicas que con frecuencia se olvida que tras ellos las riendas las tomó el gran Ed Brubaker, quien consiguió construir una gran saga, si bien con menos elementos de ciencia ficción de los acostumbrados, sí con buenas dosis de suspenso e inteligentes giros argumentales, como es su estilo.
Por suerte, con el anuncio de que una de las próximas películas de DC será, precisamente, The Authority (la compañía hace años que compró los derechos a Wildstorm), se han vuelto a editar estas historias que por un tiempo eran casi inencontrables.
Brubaker toma la historia desde donde la dejó Millar. Muerta Jenny Sparks (al final de la etapa de Warren Ellis), el equipo quedó al mando de Jack Hawksmore. Posteriormente, Millar, oscureciendólos aún más, además de hacerlos más sarcásticos -aunque sin llegar a los niveles grotescos de The Boys, por ejemplo--, estableció que el grupo se tomó el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, convencidos de que sólo de ese modo se podía garantizar la paz mundial. Todo esto, naturalmente, no podía acabar bien, que es de lo que se encarga Brubaker. Pone el foco en la relación entre Hawksmore y Midnighter, el más crítico con el rol que están jugando en la sociedad (entre paréntesis, Midnighter y Apollo tienen una hija, la reencarnación de Jenny Sparks. Más de ello más abajo). De hecho, tras una masacre involuntaria en medio de una batalla en la cual un villano de The Authority causa la muerte de miles de personas, el grupo decide separarse (esta premisa, y su ejecución, es sospechósamente muy similar a la que desencadenó, apenas unos años después, el mega evento de Marvel: "Civil War" ¿Tendrá algo que decir Millar al respecto?). Pasan los años. El Doctor muere de sobredosis (aparentemente), Midnighter y Apollo se separan, Swift se retira a un templo budista, y sólo la pequeña Jenny capta que un peligro mayor se avecina y que todo lo que les ha ocurrido fue planeado por un antiguo villano. No revelaré los conflictos centrales pues en ellos radica gran parte de la grandeza de este libro. Pero quiero destacar cómo Brubaker eleva a la categoría de heroina superior a Jenny Sparks. Ella, reencarnada, por decirlo así, en esta niña (pero no es en rigor, reencarnación, Jenny es el "espíritu" de cada época de la historia que se manifiesta en distintos seres humanos), es la que logra reunir al grupo, e imponerse al mal con su típica afición al alcohol, malos modales, pero inteligencia y valentía superlativa.
Es cierto, hay varios detalles que no han envejecido bien y que responden a la época en la que fue escrito el comic, aquella época en la cual se suponía que si una historia quería ser tomada en serio, debía ser lo más "adulta" y cínica posible. Esa es la época que vio surgir a "The Ultimates", "The Boys", y también al bodrio de "All Star Batman y Robin" de F. Miller. Todo ello, naturalmente, es una mala lectura de "Watchmen" y de "The Dark Kinight Returns", del propio Miller (ay Frank Miller), pero sobre este tema acerca del cual se ha escrito tanto, prefiero pasar. Sólo que las escenas de sexo oral de The Engineer con Hawksmore, o las referencias a los vibradores femeninos de parte de una ¡Jenny Sparks aún niña! están de más. Por suerte, Brubaker es lo suficientemente inteligente como para contenerlos allí.
El arte de Nguyen, está espectacular, quizás su mejor trabajo. Entiendo que a algunas personas pueda no gustarles su poca atención por los detalles, pero su sentido de la composición es fuera de serie. Véanse las escenas de Hawksmore saltando por los aires, o el planeta-tortuga de Jenny Sparks. Magnífico

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good. There's apparently a volume in between mark Millar and this, involving the authority taking over the US. but it doesn't seem necessary at all, it's events are glossed over in the beginning of this volume. I went in hoping to find the Brubaker-ness in this book (just like the previous volumes had their authors' signature styles), and it's definitely there. Specifically it has much in common with Brubaker's run on Captain America. Questioning the nature of power and freedom. Plus WWII era heroes coming back with stronger powers and having a culture clash. Time travel shenanigans, so Marvel. I liked Midnighters secret agenda playing out, and being unsure of the shadows in play. This book had the strongest single story of any Authority book so far, and some of the best characterization. Good stuff. it ended on quite the cliffhanger, with a wonderful "where are they now?" segment.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. The Authority have long since shed their skin of being thinly veiled copies of more famous characters, and proved adaptable to whatever path each writer chooses to take them. Brubaker here plays with his favourite themes of freedom and power, as The Authority discover that running a country isn’t quite as easy as they thought it would be.
In fact, things go so bad that someone from the future has to get involved,and Midnighter, probably the best character, has to make tough decisions.
This collection is part 1 of the overall storyline, but complete enough in its own right to be enjoyed by itself.
Well written, well drawn. Great stuff.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Brubaker takes the Authority over a more grim and gritty road, as a covertly organized revolution against their global rule starts racking up a death count they can't simply fix by punching people in a more grotesque fashion. Brubaker is always good, even if it feels like something is a bit off here -- perhaps the unrelenting darkness in tone (aided by Dustin Nguyen's art), or the sense that some of these questions of imposing control by force have already been addressed in other iterations of this title. Still, a good read.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Builds on how the Robbie Morrison series ended. I don't enjoy the edgy-ness of the writing. I think Ellis was the only one who got that right. The Boys tv series would be the other one that did that well, having said that this is far superior to the Boys comic.

I dont particularly like Nguyen's art here. I like that the characters are progressing. The world is changing.

Probably a digital read.

[Desmond Killian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a good Authority book! Brubaker lends some depth to characters that had previously been sketched pretty thin. Midnighter, Apollo, et al. finally start to feel like people in the wake of a major paradigm shift that threatens to break up the team-- forever! Nothing like a big team fight to add complexity to your characters & their dynamics. Then, a three-year timeskip! See you guys in Revolution, Vol. 2!

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. What does the Authority do once they rule the world and how will the inevitably mess it up? This volume is mostly set-up and only has two major revelations; the break up of Midnighter and Apollo, and the death of the Doctor (who has one of my favorite characters).

[Yossi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for the story and 2.5 stars for the (horrendous) art averages to 3 stars. Hope it gets better with the second volume.

[Steven W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun. I love the Authority!

[Miłosz Bojan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh absolutely fuck this Bendix Palpatine bullshit. I expected better from Brubaker

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brubaker gives us the best Authority comic since the first volume, at least. Maybe the best since the Warren Ellis run.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since deciding to 'fix the world' the Authority has done away with democracy in favor of what is 'right'. But it's not the objective 'right'. It's their 'right'. Plenty of dictators have done this in the past and have fallen, eventually. This is a superhero comic, so everything is stacked in their favor, but the Authority is not infallible.

The Authority has taken over the US, but has yet to have a firm hold on the US government. There are groups, like the superheroes the Sons of Liberty, interested in seeing them gone. They will seed hatred for the Authority within the minds of regular citizens. Arguably, some dissent is already there. The country is being changed in ways that can allegedly bring about betterment for everyone, but there is a dark side to it too. Midnighter is the first to witness it when he gets transported into the future.

Midnighter finds himself in the ideal future the Authority is aiming for. As expected, it only looks ideal. To maintain control, old Midnighter holds the world in an iron grip. Old Apollo is trying to fix things and prevent this future from coming to pass, but the original Midnighter must change the present by disbanding the team.

First, they have to deal with the Sons of Liberty. The latter are heroes from many decades ago, brought back into the game with renewed vigor and youth by a resurrected Henry Bendix. They don't just oppose the Authority, but cause mayhem and destruction, especially among the Doctor's followers. Facing the Authority directly is part of Bendix's plan to discredit them. He removes the Sons' powers which causes a major explosion that kills many innocents.

Midnighter leaves the team. Hawksmoor declares that the team is not running the US any more and schedules elections. The Authority disbands. In the power vacuum they leave behind, Bendix shows up to take the US under his control from the shadows.

[Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very surprised by how good this is. Brubaker captures the crazy action of the original Ellis/Hitch The Authority while tying in continuity from all the various incarnations of the team. What's more, he brings in some big ideas in a style I'm not used to seeing from him- it's more a Grant Morrison vibe. Also Morrison-esque- the way the whole series becomes a meta-commentary on the concept of The Authority and super-hero comics in general (see New X-Men).

The art by Dustin Nguyen is appropriately dark and pays homage to the eyes-and-teeth-and-exploding-heads graphic style of the Tom Raney Stormwatch era. Nguyen also brings it on the big actions scenes, most memorably when a brainwashed Midnighter faces down the rest of the team (er, spoilers, I suppose).

Both volumes of The Authority: Revolution continue the twin traditions of smart political commentary and big dumb action that have been the series' benchmarks.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting ride. A very thoughtful, sombre inspection of the outcome from the last book. What happens when The Authority gets fed up and finally takes control of America from the complete bastards that currently control it? The answer is hard to watch - my favourite anti-heroes getting dragged into the muck and losing their "cool" factor. But watch the story as it evolves - Brubaker, in his usual far-sighted talent, sets in motion some major plot pieces whose payoff promises to be totally, viscerally satisfying.

The art is good, not all that detailed, but I simply cannot deal with the Midnighter looking Eastern European here compared to his chiseled, steely man-beast in all past books.

[arjuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex, dark, great use of the family tensions inherent in Apollo and the Midnighter and Jenny - lovely moral relativism and people stuffing things up, or not... just thoroughly enjoyable. And heartbreaking. And not. And all the things. :D Hell, I liked it. Although I'm going to agree with Korynn Knight to the extent that Midnighter seemed far less dangerous, far less *Midnighter*, here... although his actions and reactions were wholly in character, he's not as credibly effective somehow. Still, a great read, very satisfying.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty sweet that it seems like no matter who writes the Authority the still freaking rock! This was morally heavy, gritty and dark but also beautifully drawn and intriguing. Unfortunately it's only the first 6 comics of a 12 comic story arc. So now I have to track down the next graphic novel.

This book covers the Authority as dictators of the world stuff and though I haven't read Marvel's Civil War comics, I can't help but think they may have gotten the idea from the Authority comics.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revolution is the storyline I've put off reading for years, mostly because all I knew of it was that it was the part of the story where the Authority (and Midnighter and Apollo) broke up. I ended up being pleasantly surprised. The actual dissolution of the team is remarkably well done and the Midnighter's motivation for tearing them apart - and walking away from his family in the process - is emotionally satisfying. I can't wait till I get volume two so I can read the resolution.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of heroes from the 40's reappear, seemingly rejuvenated and with their powers enhanced, and start stirring up trouble for The Authority. It quickly becomes apparent that those behind them have resources on a par with Jack Hawksmoor and company. The Authority are in for the fight of their lives. While I still feel that this series' peak was back when Warren Ellis was still writing it, this storyline is still pretty decent. I'm looking forward to volume 2.

[Mare S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Brubaker has quickly become one of my favorite writers in this genre. I love the spin he puts on things and the worlds that he creates. I'm intrigued to see where this goes and how things are resolved.

[Jase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to reread this series again. Not only is the storyline bad@ss, the art is superb! Dustin Nguyen does, what I think, the best "look" for The Authority since Frank Quitely. Sleek and well-illustrated. A high recommendation!

[Centauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

the realest story about heroes wanting to do the right thing but absentmindedly falling victim to their own propaganda and power and conquering desire. this is what would happen if there were superpowered beings in our realm of reality. great work!!!

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brubaker successfully recreates the Authority as it was meant to be, mixing an epic scope with an original story. In the end, he offers the best take on the team since Ellis.

[Francisco Becerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best plotlines of the Authority ever! At last they are confronted by their own decisions, and the cliffhanger is superb.

[SA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This shit was crazy! Definitely should be read back to back with Coup D'Etat.