A disappointing effort from Warren Ellis
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I completely agree with alexander dobson's comments on this book. I've always enjoyed Warren Ellis's stuff but this is an exception. He must have been half asleep when he wrote this. In the first story Earth's cities come under attack from super-powered clones. In the second Earth's cities come under attack from spaceships from a parallel Earth - a lazy rehash of some of Michael Moorcock's ideas. In each case the enemy is defeated when some of the team decide to use their god-like powers. Add to this some cringingly stilted dialogue and you wonder how this series ever got off the ground.
However, I would buy this book for the stunning artwork by Bryan Hitch, Paul Neary and Laura Depuy. It's beautiful and way beyond what the writing deserves. The three stars are for the art.
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"Relentless"? - "Repetitive" more like.
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I expected so much more from this book. It lacks the humour or the good characters of Preacher. It also lacks the real-world feel of Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns.
What it has instead is a collection of super-heroes with powers bordering on the ridiculous, who might nevertheless be interesting if only there was some room in the story for a bit of character development. The action scenes are impressive, but quite repetitive. The book basically tells the same story twice and there are a lot of references to other comics that are confusing to anyone who hasn't read them also.
Much has been said about how these heroes reshape the world as they see fit, but all we actually get to see is a lot of huge battles, and in the end we just have to take their word for it when they tell us that they were in fact changing the world.
All in all, it's OK, but nowhere near as groundbreaking, funny or intelligent as any of the comics I mentioned above.
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Worth every penny
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I haven't enjoyed reading a graphic novel as much as I did this for some time.
Jaded a little by DC's regular output? The Authority will refresh you - good characters, strong plt, great art.
Thank you Mr Ellis!
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Excellent. Intriguing characters and jaw-dropping action.
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My superhero comics collection stopped in 1988. Until, that is, enough people raved about The Authority on internet forums I visit and I bought this book, which collects the first 8 issues. The team of seven characters all have their own personalities and very different powers, and they set themselves the goal of making the world a better place no matter who gets in the way. One distinctive feature of the series is the power level - they work at a BIG scale (e.g. destroying a country to stamp out an... unpleasant regime), and the threats that they face are of similar scale. The destruction wrought by both sides is astonishing, and the nameless ordinary people like you and me die by hundreds and thousands. This is a very dangerous world to be living in (it's clearly not our own, as the technology is way ahead of what we have). There are occasional gory moments and adult themes, and I wouldn't give the book to a young child. The artwork is brilliant, using depth of colour and big panels (e.g. the Carrier floating through strange universes, or "400 flying b*****ds" over Los Angeles) for dramatic effect. Afterwards I just had to buy the four Stormwatch trade paperbacks to see where it all came from - and they're great too! The second authority collection is out now, and that continues the standard (though I don't really like Quitely's art.) My wallet is not happy - but I am.
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A fast paced story of modern superheroes
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From the ashes of "Stormwatch" comes The Authority. A cracking tale of cross dimensional wars and alternate world history,with wry humour and great artwork. This collects 1-8 of the monthly comic and really grabs you from the outset as Moscow is attacked by an army of flying men with laser eyes. The superhero team,The Authority,are soon on the case and each member is introduced,showcasing their particular skill. The story develops and you learn more about Jenny Sparks,the leader of the team in the second half of the book. Throughout the book, the story and artwork are excellent and if I've got one gripe,its only that I want to know more about the team and their history.Guess I'll have to get the Stormwatch graphic novels! If you like your superheroes funny,mysterious and violent then this is for you!
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