Customer Reviews

Authority, The: Harsh Realities - Volume II

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This is the second collection of Robbie Morrison's run on the Authority. I have read both and since they comprise one large story I will comment on them together. Morrison had the unfortuneate luck to follow Millar and Ellis who put together quite a great run of Stormwatch/Authority comic tales. While they were pushing the boundries with the topics and their dark takes on superheroes, they were writing good original stories. Morrison starts off with the earth being invaded and devestated story that has been done over and over in this comic alone. I am surprised there is anything left of the earth. He resorts to excessive profanity, violence and sex. He seems like someone who is just saying f*ck because he thinks that it is shocking. It seems so out of character for the heroes to constantly be swearing when they never did before. It might be okay if the writing was top notch, but it isn't. The art however is good, though not Turner's best work. I would skip this one and pretend it didn't happen.

The collected edition is quite an unremarkable piece of dreck.

When Warren Ellis and his successor, Mark Millar, were kicking the U.S. comic book industry in the groin on the previous volume of the Authority series, they did so because there is genuine authenticity to their approach. They proved to the mainstream publishers that the super-hero genre should be written intelligently as well as incorporate mature content that can be targeted for adults who have had enough of Daddy Fanboy Comics that so many writers analy regurgitate month after month. Mark Millar's groundbreaking & innovative run on The Authority series scared DC Comics so much that they pulled the plug on the title that was gaining in both popularity and sales.

It appears that the boneheads in the DC offices came to realize that they killed a cash cow just for the sake of appeasing hypocritical egos who have a limited vision of the comic book medium. I gather that some brainiac obviously figured out that it may be a good idea to resuscitate the title to prey on the gullibility of the fans and feed off its legacy. Enter Robbie Morrison who has been assigned the task of ushering Warren Ellis & Bryan Hitch's creation into a new era.

Morrison obviously has no idea what The Authority is about and blatantly insults those who support what Mr. Ellis & Mr. Millar created for the comic book fan who wants more out of the super-hero genre. These prolific writers were not shy of utilizing coarse language, inserting violent acts or casting the members as people who enjoy sex into their script to demonstrate the harsh brutality of these characters' exploits, their private lives as well as flesh out their personas. It formed part of the series' breakthrough style but it is not and never has been the sole focus of the stories that Ellis & Millar created.

Robbie Morrison's bastardized vision of The Authority is one where a thin plot and weak characterization is disguised by excessive vulgarity besides random acts of murder. There is no redeemable writing merit that can bring forth any viable, entertainment value to the comic book reader. The obscene dialogue is so forced that the cast resembles a group of naive, nine year olds who want to impress their schoolmates by using the *F* word in every sentence but have no idea what it means. Actually, I would not be surprised if Robbie Morrison was hired to make a mockery out of the title's legacy while DC makes a quick buck by whoring the franchise.

Do not expect to be dazzled whatsoever by Dwayne Turner's effort. The pencil work is sketchy at best which added by the heavy inking & shading by Sal Regla makes the overall appearance of the art dreadful. The background work is appreciable in some panels while others have those dreadful lines that pencillers such as Rob Liefeld are so fond of using to save themselves application as well as time. Whether it be the members of The Authority, the victims they protect or the evil beings they must defeat, Turner's renderings makes each and every one of appear like lifeless mannequins.

Whether it be the case or not, the overall production of the art work looks rushed and inconsistent. A hard pill to swallow considering the asking price of this collected edition.

It is apparent that this era of The Authority is meant for shock value purpose to appeal to that segment of the readership that believes that using the word *a-hole* in a comic makes it sooooooooo cool. DC and Wildstorm have mistakenly deluded themselves that what made the previous series a success rested on it being absurdly offensive. Truthfully, a warning label on the cover should actually state;

Suggested For Immature Readers.

I love "The Authority" series, it's a superhero franchise I don't think is cheesy or stereotypical in the same way I think of Superman or Spiderman as. It's fresh, has great ideas, and contains some of the best writing in comics today. That said, it's had a couple of poor books. "Human on the Inside" had poor art and poor writing. "Harsh Realities" has poor writing though the art isn't as bad.

If you're familiar with Authority books you'll know that bad guys from another dimension threaten Earth with vast armies and the Authority battle them to win the day. Same thing happens in this book. Utterly uninspired. The bad guys lose, the Authority wins. It's also annoying as those who know who the characters are have to endure a whole issue reintroducing the characters and their powers.

Like I said it's a fantastic series and for those wanting to see the brilliance I'd suggest Warren Ellis's "Relentless", Garth Ennis' "Midnighter" and "Kev" series, along with Mark Millar's "Jenny Sparks: Secret History of the Authority" and Ed Brubaker's "Revolution". They're all awesome, unfortunately "Harsh Realities" isn't.

This trade edition contains the first six issues (nos. 0-5) of The Authority vol. 2. This Morrison/Turner run on The Authority tends to get unfairly criticised by fans who compare it to the launch team of Millar/Hitch. Nevertheless, the stories contained in this issue are essential stories in the title's continuity and should be considered a "must have" by any serious fans of the title.

Continuity (no spoilers):
"Reality Incorporated" nicely dovetails with the story "The Circle" which was featured in "The Authority" vol. 1 and spins off into a classic politically-tinged Authority tale of interstellar exploitation. This run contains some of the cheekiest scenes and lines between Apollo and the (frequently unmasked) Midnighter as well as genuinely charming domestic vignettes. If you're interested specifically in the gay angle, you should know that this book features some of the only panels of Apollo and Midnighter in bed together. Look for some welcome exploration of Engineer's character as well.

The Creative Team:
Morrison's scripts are just fine. He expands on Millar's character concepts without unduly distorting them. There's nothing here that breaks concept. He introduces and continues to develop Millar's subtext of global political unease with The Authority's methods.

The art team of Dwayne Turner and Art Regla lacks the elegant stylishness of Hitch and Neary but they are consistent in capturing attractive likenesses of the characters and creating imaginative and sweeping vistas in the many two-page layouts. My only reservation is that I find Regla's inks a bit heavy and some of the colouring overly saturated, but this is obviously a matter of taste.

This TBD also has the advantage of being almost entirely the product of a single creative team, which makes it a clean, consistent reading experience in this single volume format. The only exception is the final, stand-alone story "Behemoth" which is pencilled and inked by Tang Eng Huat. This issue deserves a note of its' own. Huat's art is highly mannered, unusually psychedelic and - for many people accustomed to conventional comic art - highly unpleasant. For all that, it's rather good once you get used to it. I wouldn't want a whole run by Huat, but this one is a valid experiment.

The Language:
Yes, they say the "f" word and use other blue language. It's an adult comic and clearly marketed and labelled as such. They also kill people and do quite a bit of property damage. If you're a fan of The Authority you already know this. If this sort of thing doesn't suit your taste, stick to Disney comics.

I think I bought the first 5 or 6 volumes of "Authority". I enjoyed the stories and characters were interesting. These aren't comics for kids--very adult language, violence. Science Fiction. Futuristic.

The Authority bust up a gambling ring that likes to bet on crazier and crazier things as a prelude, then they go to war against a multi-reality corporation that has an overinflated opinion of itself. A bit of an Aliens parody here, as well. The art is not as good as previous eras, really, and the story perhaps a little rushed. A boy as monster movie finishes it off.