| The Authority | |
|---|---|
The Authority, as featured on the cover for the Under New Management trade paperback. From left to right, The Doctor, Swift, Apollo, Jenny Sparks, The Midnighter, The Engineer, and Jack Hawksmoor. Art by Frank Quitely, 2000 |
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| Group publication information | |
| Publisher | Wildstorm |
| First appearance | The Authority #1 (May 1999) |
| Created by | Warren Ellis Bryan Hitch |
| In-story information | |
| Type of organization | Team |
| Base(s) | The Carrier |
| Agent(s) | Jack Hawksmoor Swift Engineer Christine Trelane Deathblow Flint Freefall Grifter The High Rainmaker Former Members Jenny Sparks Doctor Rose Tattoo Jenny Quantum Apollo Midnighter |
| The Authority | |
| Series publication information | |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Publication date | (Vol. 1) May 1999 – July 2002 (Vol. 2) July 2003 – November 2004 (Vol. 3: Revolution) December 2004 – December 2005 (Vol. 4: The Lost Year) December 2006 – October 2010 (Vol. 5) October 2008 – December 2010 |
| Number of issues | 29 |
| Creative team | |
| Creator(s) | Warren Ellis Bryan Hitch |
| Collected editions | |
| Relentless | ISBN 1-56389-661-3 |
| Under New Management | ISBN 1-56389-756-3 |
The Authority is a superhero comic book published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint. It was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, and follows the adventures of the Authority, a superhero team mainly composed of Ellis-created characters taken from Stormwatch — a title Ellis had previously written.
It is notable for its intense graphic violence, grand scale and visual flair (often described as "widescreen" comics), and the uncompromising attitudes of its characters.
The founding members of the Authority are
Following the "Outer Dark" storyarc, Jenny Sparks was replaced with
After "The Eternal Return", new members of the Authority are;
Beginning with #18 of volume five the team roster undergoes a major change. Jack Hawksmoor, Swift and Engineer remain on the team, where they are joined by new members:
The Authority's base of operations is the Carrier, a gigantic interdimensional "shiftship" existing everywhere on Earth at the same time and capable of moving through every imaginable plane of existence. Usually referred to as a female, the Carrier is in fact sentient and could be considered an additional member of the team.
In 1999, Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch introduced readers to the Authority, a team of superheroes who promised to get the job done by whatever means necessary. They were: Jenny Sparks, the Spirit of the 20th Century; Jack Hawksmoor, the God of Cities; Swift, a Tibetan woman with wings and sharp talons; Apollo, a bio-engineered gay Superman pastiche; The Midnighter, a Batman pastiche who was the lover of Apollo and possessed the ability to foresee his opponents' moves in combat; The Engineer, a scientist who replaced her blood with nine pints of nano-technology; and the Doctor, a Dutch junkie with the combined powers of hundreds of shamans who had come before him. On the creation of the series, Ellis notes
'one of the reasons I turned their STORMWATCH into THE AUTHORITY is that I found out that, despite the fact that no-one was buying STORMWATCH, they kept it going because they liked reading it in the [Wildstorm] office and wanted to keep me employed. And I felt so bloody awful about that, and at the same time had been so struck by Bryan Hitch’s STORMWATCH issues, that the train of thought that led to THE AUTHORITY began.'[1]
The Ellis/Hitch run of The Authority lasted 12 issues, divided in three story-arcs: The Circle, Shiftships, and Outer Dark. They showed an increasingly dangerous enemy: an international terrorist (previously seen in Stormwatch), an invasion from an alternative Earth, and "God," the hostile alien creator of the Solar system, with corresponding high scale violence and property destruction. The usage of a narrative tool called decompression, taken mainly from manga and novel in American super-hero comic-books, was distinctive: big, panoramic panels were used to examine action in deep detail, with a slower rhythm and lighter plotting per issue.
The run was hugely successful with readers, providing a form of large scale superhero action which was (at the time) not common in comics. Ellis never obviously delved into the politics of his characters; he left that to the reader to decide. This was soon to change after Ellis and Hitch finished their run on the series.
Replacing Ellis and Hitch were Mark Millar and the pseudonymous Frank Quitely. The Millar/Quitely run kept the widescreen narrative and violence of its predecessor, and added an irreverent and somehow revolutionary attitude to the characters, who fought social injustice and, if needed, the status quo, not minding crossing some lines to pursue their own agenda of making a finer world. This interesting and polemic analysis of the role of the super-hero in society was extremely popular with fans and critics alike.
During Millar's run, the Authority, now under Jack Hawksmoor's leadership following Jenny Sparks' death at the end of the 20th Century, faced such foes as a thinly veiled Marvel Universe, the Earth itself, and the US government, who had grown tired of the Authority's interference with the activities of the world's governments, and replaced them with a duplicate team of superheroes backed by the G7 group of nations. Also, Jenny Sparks' successor, Jenny Quantum, was adopted by a now-married Apollo and Midnighter, and the Doctor overcame his drug addiction after feeling guilty for not being around for one of the Authority's biggest challenges after suffering an overdose of heroin.
This run proved to be highly controversial and led into the title suffering from censorship by DC.[2] The first instance of this censorship was a removal of a kiss between Apollo and Midnighter due to DC's concern that it would lead to negative media reports. The matter would come to a head after the events of the September 11 attacks during Millar's final story arc, "Brave New World". This happened in issue #22, which proved to be Quitely's last issue as artist. Issue #23 was delayed after the 9/11 attacks, and a one-shot special (written and drawn by Bryan Hitch) entitled The Authority: Widescreen was cancelled outright due to concerns about the violence in that issue. The team's unilateral military interventionism has also been compared to the U.S. invasion of Iraq[3]
The series was subsequently restarted,[4] and with the planned Mature Readers relaunch by Brian Azzarello and Glenn Fabry being scrapped in the wake of 9/11,[5] it was instead written by Robbie Morrison[6] with art by Dwayne Turner (except for the single issue "Behemoth", which featured art by Tan Eng Huat, and "Street Life", which was pencilled by Whilce Portacio). This incarnation of the series lasted for 15 issues (numbered 0 to 14), the dialogue including gratuitously placed and stylistically jarring four-letter obscenities, and prior to issue 10, the series was part of the Coup d'état crossover that included The Authority, Stormwatch: Team Achilles, Sleeper, and Wildcats v3.0. This crossover revolved around the Authority taking over the United States of America.
The series was again restarted in October 2004 under the title The Authority: Revolution. This 12 issue limited series was written by Ed Brubaker with art by Dustin Nguyen and Richard Friend. It focuses on the troubles the Authority faces as the rulers of America.
In February 2006, it was announced that Grant Morrison would write The Authority Volume 4, with art by Gene Ha. The series was to be published bimonthly, beginning in October 2006. Morrison has "cited Warren Ellis’s original run as an approach he wants to return to, saying his new approach will allow the team to be effectual again".[7]
Morrison and Ha's first issue was released in December 2006. It followed a family man named Ken in his search for a downed submarine. The sub apparently encountered something massive and unexpected in the depths of the ocean that caused it to be destroyed. Careful readers will notice one of the Authority's "doors" appeared just before the interior of the sub ignited. Indeed, when Ken finds the ship, many of the crew are missing. The issue ends as Ken and his search party encounter the Authority's carrier, 50 miles long, lying on the ocean floor. Notably, no members of the Authority appear in this first issue.
The second issue eventually was out five months afterwards, and dealt with the Authority's reaction to crash-landing on an Earth far less developed than their own. Ken meets The Authority but begins to question their methodology.
In September 2007, Gene Ha was quoted at Newsarama as saying that he did not believe his run with Morrison would continue. "...I don't think The Authority #3 by Grant Morrison and Gene Ha is ever coming out. Grant is busy redesigning the DC Universe and I've moved onto new projects. Most importantly, it seems that editor Scott Dunbier has been forced out of Wildstorm. There is no #3 script, there may never be a #3 script."[8]
Scott Peterson announced at Wondercon 2008 that he had talked to Morrison two weeks ago about The Authority, and there is "very serious progress" and it should start shipping again toward the end of this year.[9] When asked to comment upon his inability to complete further issues of the Authority, Morrison has said that '"Authority was just a disaster." He said that they were doing it and running late when 52 started, but when he saw the reviews to first issue, "I said fuck it." ' [10]
On 19 April 2008, Wildstorm announced Keith Giffen would complete Grant Morrison's scripts.[11] Giffen unfortunately ran into an immediate problem: "I stepped into a book that was in the midst of a type of storyline that is probably my least favorite in comics. And that is, heroes come to our earth"[12] However, according to Giffen, this is only the first short arc of the longer story:
| “ | The story that Grant started wraps up in two more issues, then it moves into another adventure. This book is about the Authority having trouble with the Carrier and they're trying to find their way home. It's almost like the Odyssey, in a way, as trying to find your way home and going through various adventures. And this is what Grant had planned. This is in keeping with the basic structure that he told me over the phone. But then, I'll put in my point of view.[12] | ” |
The remaining issues of volume 4 have now been published by Wildstorm under the title The Authority Volume 4: The Lost Year. Giffen is credited alongside Morrison as the writer, with several artists contributing. The series runs a total of 12 issues, including the original two by Morrison.
In July 2007, it was announced that Christos Gage and Darick Robertson would do an intended story arc as a miniseries [13][14][15] due to the scheduling problems with the Morrison/Ha run on the title. The resulting six-issue miniseries entitled The Authority: Prime supposedly would have spanned issues #6 to #11 of The Authority (vol. 4), although this seems disputable due to the revelations that have come from Keith Giffen since. It featured the renewed Stormwatch Prime, who along with the Authority investigate a recently discovered secret bunker that once belonged to Henry Bendix.
In May 2008 in the new World's End status quo Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning[16] took over the writing duties, accompanied by artist Simon Coleby.[17] Senior Wildstorm editor Ben Abernathy has also said of four issues that had already been completed by the new team,"I can say honestly, based on the four issues of script and art that are already in the can, people will NOT be disappointed!" [18]
Although Abnett and Lanning have signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, it allows them to finish existing projects, which includes their fifteen issue run on The Authority.[19]
The next creative team of writers are Marc Bernardin[20] and Adam Freeman[21] (who had worked on the Wildstorm title The Highwaymen with Lee Garbett, and won Top Cow's Pilot Season), who, with artist Al Barrionuevo, will create the epilogue at the end of The Authority #17, before beginning their run on the title proper with issue #18.[22]
Writer Tom Taylor (Writer of several Star Wars titles including the Star Wars: Invasion series and a successful playwright) took over The Authority with issue #22[23] with artist Mike S. Miller filling in for two issues for Al Barrinuevo.
This annual written by Joe Casey and penciled by Cully Hamner depicts the Authority dealing with a number of the undead as part of the "Devil's Night" crossover running throughout several Wildstorm titles at the time. Collected in The Authority: Earth Inferno and Other Stories.
This five-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by John McCrea recalls Jenny Sparks's first meetings with her future teammates. She also encounters notable historical and fictional characters such as Hitler and Rumpole.
This was a crossover with Ellis’ other creation, Planetary, written by Ellis, and illustrated by Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning.
It was particularly notable in that despite being a crossover title the two teams (Planetary and the Authority) never actually meet during the course of the story.
It was published first in Prestige format and later collected in the Planetary: Crossing Worlds graphic novel.
A short anthology containing three stories of characters from the Wildstorm universe and includes the following: a Jack Hawksmoor story by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer; a story about the Engineer's sex life by Paul Jenkins and Georges Jeanty; a short story regarding the Wildcats member Zealot and; a series of artists' pin ups depicting various characters from the Authority and Wildcats. Collected in The Authority: Earth Inferno and Other Stories.
This single issue story written by Garth Ennis and penciled by Glenn Fabry introduced Kev Hawkins, a Special Air Services corporal turned unwilling assassin (due to an incident when a tiger ate a cabinet minister under his protection). In the story, he is called in by the British government to remove the Authority. Supplied with an alien-created gun and ammunition, Kev manages to do this rather easily. He soon discovers to his horror that the British government wasn't behind his orders, but rather an alien with designs on Earth who masqueraded as his superior. Kev must convince the Carrier to rewind time and return the Authority to life so they can save Earth. The Authority decide to let Kev off, but Kev still gets beat up by Apollo and Midnighter for making a homophobic remark.
Ennis and Fabry re-teamed for this four-issue miniseries in which transdimensional aliens called the Rakulai threaten Earth in their search for their #1 archcriminal, Slippery B'eeef the Galactic Thief. Years ago he flew to Earth and masqueraded as a British cabinet minister, the same one that was eaten by a tiger. This, while under Kev's protection. Apollo and Midnighter must team up with their favorite homophobic SAS agent to find B'eeef's remains, since the Rakulai can regrow themselves from a single cell.
In this five-issue miniseries, written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Carlos Ezquerra, (with covers by Glenn Fabry), Kev is again allied with the Authority. After all of the Authority except for Midnighter are neutralized by a bizarre intruder, Kev is sent to pick him up. Kev tells about how he entered the British S.A.S., and he and Midnighter uncover underground dealings by the British military to create their own superhumans. At long last, Kev gets his chance to redeem himself and escape the pall hanging over his career—but at a cost.
Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra return for the fourth installment of Kev's adventures. No member of the Authority actually appears in this miniseries, in which Kev encounters his old tiger-sheltering friend Danny Redburn and deals with trouble from his own past. This involves an embarrassing videotape concerning various world leaders.
This single issue story was written by Robbie Morrison and illustrated by Frazer Irving, and published (and presumed to take place directly) between Volumes 2 and 3. The Earth's Sun is suffering a major, potentially cataclysmic, upheaval. Its temperature is rising at an impossible rate and enormous solar flares are erupting from the photosphere, sending fireballs directly to Earth. The Authority finds out that Winter, the former field commander of Stormwatch Prime and an old friend of Hawksmoor's, is behind it. After he piloted SkyWatch into the sun, his energy absorbing powers made him become one with it. Trapped in eternal agony and enraged by the cruelty on Earth, Winter wanted to destroy it. The Authority are forced to cage him inside the sun.
This single issue story was written by John Ridley and illustrated by Ben Oliver, and set between Volume 1's Brave New World and Volume 2's Reality Incorporated, published in hardcover and softcover. A story of vengeance and despair, showing the Authority manipulated by various enemies, such as the father of Rush (one of the G7 superhumans who replaced the Authority) and "The One Who Has Lost All Hope". Jackson King, formerly Battalion of StormWatch, leads the Authority briefly after Jack Hawksmoor is wounded in battle. They are able to overcome their human faults (Apollo and Midnighter's insecurity about their relationship, the Doctor's drug addiction, the Engineer's fears of whether or not she is human, etc.) and stop the future itself from being destroyed.
This single issue book was written by Keith Giffen (story), and Alan Grant (dialogue), and illustrated by Simon Bisley. Set during Christmas early in the Volume 2 era, as Baby Jenny Quantum is of toddler age, walking and talking. Baby Jenny Quantum, left to her own devices on Christmas Eve, comes across a Lobo comic book in an unexplored area of the Carrier. In the book. Lobo is shown killing Santa Claus. Upset, her imagination runs loose and she accidentally brings Lobo to the Wildstorm universe, where he proceeds to hunt down the Authority at the behest of the parasites living in "God's" corpse (from Volume 1's Outer Dark storyline, now floating in orbit around Jupiter). The parasites offer God's fresh organs (valuable at the Intergalactic Organ Gambling tables) as payment to Lobo.
Giffen, Grant, and Bisley re-team for this single-issue story, presumably set during the Volume 2 era, for the same reasons mentioned above.
A short anthology containing four stories about characters from the Wildstorm universe and includes the following: a story about the Wildcats member Zealot; an adventure of Midnighter and Apollo's written by Tom Peyer and Cary Nord; a story about Wildstorm hero Deathblow and; a story depicting Jack Hawksmoor by Will Pfeifer and Scott Iwahashi.
A six-issue miniseries shedding light on the life of Jack Hawksmoor before he joined Stormwatch and The Authority, featuring art by Fiona Staples, covers by Cully Hamner, and written by Mike Costa.
The entire run of The Authority (vol. 1) is collected in four trade paperbacks:
The Authority #21 is collected in The Monarchy: Bullets Over Babylon trade (ISBN 1-56389-859-4), since it was the starting point for The Monarchy series.
The series was also collected in Absolute Editions, oversized slipcased hardcovers with extras:
Three volumes collect The Authority (vol. 2):
The Revolution series has been collected in two trade paperbacks:
The Authority (vol. 4) and The Lost Year have been collected as:
The issues from The Authority (vol. 5) are being collected:
So far the Kev stories have been collected into three trade paperbacks:
The Lobo stories were collected in:
Other collections include:
During the Peyer-written story arc Transfer of Power, the members of the Authority were temporarily replaced with analogues who had roughly the same powers. Their names were references to and/or parodies of the original characters' names. Unlike the original Authority, this group was intentionally selected by a council which sought to have heroes representing the G7 nations. During this story arc, the original members were believed dead or incapacitated in some fashion.
Appearing in Gen¹³, the "Authoriteens" are a teenaged version of the Authority's 2007 roster, from an alternate universe without grown-ups and where many of the Wildstorm characters are children or teenagers.
The series won the Squiddy Award for Best Character Team in 1999 and 2000. It was also nominated for "Outstanding Comic Book" in the 14th and 15th GLAAD Media Awards
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