The Authority #15

[skund.insanejournal.com]

Greetings,scans_daily! New poster here. For my first trick I thought I'd share some of the latest The Authority. Yes, that comic no body reads any more!

The latest issue was surprisingly good, mostly because it's the team getting back to its roots. There's snark, gore and general badarsery. It's also a literal return, as we're simultaneously treated to two villains from The Authority's first run a decade ago. Eh, the plot barely makes sense in 20odd pages, let alone in four, so here's some of the random best bits.

Background:
The Authority, an independent superhero team that specialises in bastardry, are scrounging a meagre existence on post-apocalypse Earth after their trans-dimensional spaceship, the Carrier, crashed and half-merged with London.

Most recently, the crippled ship was invaded by Evil Bad Guy Kaizen Gamora, who’s used the downfall of international governments to step up his world domination plans. He’s also kidnapped Jack Hawksmore to torture him with expositional dialogue. Jack is not amused.

Meanwhile Midnighter is off in Scotland trying to hunt down a cure for his husband, Apollo, who’s currently mind controlled by an evil sun virus. Or something. Apparently this involves applying unconventional chiropracty to dragons.

Meanwhile Ruthless Selfish Guy Lorenzo, alien prince from parallel world Sliding Albion, kidnapped Swift and The Engineer as he wants Engineer to construct a portal so he can go home. The Engineer is not amused either. Halfway through working on the door she finds some lost alien tech from the Carrier and powers up. She loves guns.

It makes me ridiculously happy that Lorenzo picked up a few of Jenny Sparks' favourite insults. The were married, after all.

Awww, Lorenzo's not really a bad guy, he's just a manipulative arse. Engineer opens a door to Swift, who's still lost in the inter-dimensional bleed. Then a doorway to Sliding Albion opens and Lorenzo makes a run for it. Engineer spots him and orders the door closed at the very last second.

No Lorenzo, I think you'll find your bollocks were left behind on Earth. XD

So let’s get a roll call of the Authority boys:
Jack – getting tortured bloody by an enemy The Authority last knocked the pants off a decade ago
Habib (The Doctor) – Last seen running screaming from the Carrier the day of the apocalypse
Apollo – Fridged. Literally, he’s locked in a deep freezer until someone works out how to hill his evil, mind controlling virus.
Midnighter – Mucking about in Scotland with dragons (admittedly, for Apollo).

And the girls:
Jenny Quantum – Fate unknown, last heard from trying to contain the baby universe inside the Carrier and prevent the apocalypse
Swift and the Engineer – These fine ladies right here? Just out to save the world.

Comments

[grazzt.insanejournal.com]

I can't help it. I love the Authority. I don't know why, they really are assholes much of the time, but they're so much fun to read.

I also love Angie's new look. It's "techno-Spartan", which I'm surprised hasn't been done before (to the best of my recollection).

[uadlika.insanejournal.com]

motto.

[wizardru.insanejournal.com]

Didn't they KILL Kaizen? A LOT?

I mean, that was the start of the whole 'we're not following the typical good guy rules' set that the Authority threw down, right (expanding from Stormwatch's already expanded mission profile).

[strannik01.insanejournal.com]

Yeah, they very much did.

[sianmink.insanejournal.com]

granted that was before the worldstorm semi-reboot which brought characters like Winter and Fahrenheit back from deadness so it's not like it's a cheap resurrection or anything.

Bad guys who piss off The Authority tend to stay dead though.

[jarodrussell.insanejournal.com]

As someone who spends an unhealthy amount of time dreaming up ways to kidnap super-heroines, I have to say without any reservations, there are two you should never, under any circumstances, abduct:

1. Susan Storm, aka Invisible Woman

2. Angela Spica, aka Engineer

If you're feeling lucky, or suicidal, you might get away with holding someone dear to them hostage, but actually trying to kidnap them...no. That's crazy talk.

[skund.insanejournal.com]

Heh, Angie was held captive in some kind of mind controlling hallucinogen during Under New Management. But then Swift came to bust her out and heads (literally) rolled. You think these bad guys would learn.

[comicoz.insanejournal.com]

My LCS hasn't had any of the past two Authority issues, so glad to see some here. Last I saw, the Engineer was mostly useless, and could only power up for a few moments (again, this was a few issues ago), so glad to see she's coming back up, although she looks like a roman gladiator now!

I could have sworn I read somewhere that the doctor is who told Midnighter where the cure for Apollo was?

Unlike the common opinion that I've read on here, I've actually enjoyed the Wildstorm universe post blowup. Majestic's insanity (with decently explained reason why), Gen13's fights with themselves, and what I've seen of Stormwatch PHD and this have been good enough compared to what I saw. Considering it will likely all be hand-waved away anyway, might as well have some fun with it.

[statham1986.insanejournal.com]

According to the lead editors and title managers, there are currently no plans to wipe away the status quo of World's End, which is refreshing. It isn't something that can be wiped away, I think, not like removing Norman Osborn from power or something along those lines, and I'm impressed that Wildstorm are dedicated enough to what they've set up to keep it this way for at least another year.

I do miss Jenny Quantum, though I don't think anyone other than Brubaker had a really good handle on her. I'd love for her to come back, only to find not even she has enough power to sort the messed up world out - She is, after all, directly linked to the status quo of the Twenty-First Century, so she'd likely be weak as Jenny, if not moreso.

[comicoz.insanejournal.com]

Trying to remember where I got the handwaving impression from. I want to say it was one of the backup stories where they have the Void and Tao and someone (?) saying that if they got Void free of the evil guy they'd be able to put everything back where it belongs, ala the end of Final Crisis.

I'm in no hurry though. I think the writing of how the characters act in the current environment seems realistic enough for a comic. What I am missing, and hope to see, is how Tranquility was affected. I loved that series.

[skund.insanejournal.com]

Yeah, Midnighter was told where Apollo's cure was in a dream so Habib was there, but also Jerone and Jenny and... weirdness.

If you like I could post scans from the last two issues? They weren't as entertaining, but Midnighter does ride a motorbike.

Dystopia stories are probably my favourite genre and I've really enjoying seeing the Wildstorm universe go to hell. But, as someone on LJ pointed out, the Authority aren't terribly sympathetic - they're bastards. Loveable bastards sure, but it's always hard to feel sorry for them. I think that why this book is struggling so much at the moment.

[endis_ni.insanejournal.com]

The Authority, an independent superhero team that specialises in bastardry,

I will now forever consider them as the Blackadder of superhero teams.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

So who would be their Baldrick?

[grazzt.insanejournal.com]

Kev.

[sianmink.insanejournal.com]

:D

[likeaminx.insanejournal.com]

Midnighter VS Dragons? Spartan Engineer? Delicious snark?

I'M IN.

[halloweenjack.insanejournal.com]

I really want to be able to get into this, because DnA are writing it... but when I saw that Kaizen Gamorra was back, I thought, "Who's next, someone from Sliding Albion?" Then I scroll down and it's Lorenzo, the dude who died at the end of the universe in The Establishment, but I guess that Majestic Boy-Prime must have punched the Wildstorm universe or something.

[(Anonymous)]

Kaizen Gamorra was brought back a long time ago in the Cybernary 2.0 mini series, long before the WorldStorm re-boot

[(Anonymous)]

Okay- this happened years and years ago, so I should probably let just go and move on, but here's my problem with The Authority (spoilers for Authority Volume 1)

So Earth's suddenly invaded by forces from Sliding Albion, a parallel Earth that's been closed off from ours for nearly 50 years. So the Authority buzzes on over and takes out the local Big Bad, but then Jenny recalls that, when she was last here, nearly half a century ago, the real power was centered in Italy.

So the Authority annihilates Italy, using the Doctor's power to alternately space or drown the entire country. Killing millions upon millions of people, destroying cities that have been hubs of human culture almost since there's even been such a thing as human culture, wiping out the Vatican, likely causing tsunami-like waves all over the Mediterranean, to say nothing of the ecological impact et cetera, et cetera.

Were the baddies even still there? Nobody asks. If they were, did they use their advanced technology to escape while those millions and millions of innocents die? The Authority can't be bothered to check. Too busy being awed by their own ability to change the world... for the better.

I adore Warren Ellis and do like reading about the practical application of cosmic power in mortal hands, but after that slipshod, half-assed act of casual genocide, I threw the book away and didn't look back.

Did I just totally misread that passage way back when, or is that really the nature of The Authority?

[skund.insanejournal.com]

Well, yes. The Authority totaled the entire country on Sliding Albion on Jenny's word. It *is* casual mass murder and not the last time it happens in either. I guess that is their nature. They're not about defending the innocent, just working on the big picture. That's why the UN won't have a bar of them.

[(Anonymous)]

That is the nature of the Authority. During the 2008 US Presidential election, when asked on how his characters would vote (http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/11/04/how-would-comic-book-characters-like-iron-man-hulk-and-x-men-vote-their-writers-respond/) Ellis said...

"The Authority would in fact have banned voting by this point and Jenny Sparks would be choosing our local leaders for us," said Ellis of the team in his wildly popular superheroes-as-government series. "However, Obama would stand a good chance of being selected as America's community organizer. Mind you, Jenny Sparks was an infamous drunk, so, frankly, so would Jesse Ventura, John C. McGinley or Bubbles from 'The Wire.'"

More than anything that scene is meant to express the fears he has about super-powered beings along the lines of Superman that are now bubbling to the surface in his recent Avatar work.

-- Adam C

Er sorry about that

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't read the part about comments remaining invisible until the community maintainers look at them and ended up posting twice. That's also not meant to be bolded, but a hyperlink code. Guess I botched that was well. :\ -- Adam C.

Re: Er sorry about that

[skund.insanejournal.com]

No prob. I've rescreened your first comment so it's hidden. You didn't botch the link, IJ disables HTML in non-user comments because apparently anons are riff raff. :P

[wingedknight.insanejournal.com]

I'm so glad you posted these! :D ...and I really ought to start reading this book. hehe!