Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Spotty Send-Off For The World's Meanest Super-Team., January 13, 2003
In it's original incarnation as a monthly comic, the "Transfer of Power" story arc was one of the most troubled comics in recent history. In it's collected edition, it's a spotty mess, with a few glimpses of brilliance. Writer Mark Millar had already decided Transfer of Power would be his last story arc, but after completing one issue, Artist Frank Quitely jumped ship to illustrate Marvel's New X-Men. (I consider Quitely's abrupt departure from the book that made him famous at best unprofessional. At worst, downright $h!tty...) This left DC/Wildstorm with a big problem: Since the artist they tapped to finish off the story, Art Adams, is notoriously slow, how could they keep the book coming out in a relatively timely fashion? Answer: Since The Authority are killed and replaced by an even MORE vicious team in the first chapter, Tom Peyer and Dustin Nguyen would create a 4-issue fill-in that would detail the new team's adventures. Adams STILL wasn't able to get his three issues done, so Gary Erskine needed to do the art chores on the final issue. And in the midst of all of this, September 11th made the suits at DC rethink their stance on publishing such a violent book....So this simple 4-issue story became an 8-issue mess that dragged on for almost two years, and also became the swan-song for The Authority. (After all the hubbub, DC is quietly getting ready to lauch a new version of The Authority, with an unknown creative team....yay.) The story starts off strong, as a Government sanctioned Hillbilly/Billion Dollar Cyborg is sent to kill The Authority, and seemingly succeeds. The team is replaced with a bunch of brutal look-alikes, who waste no time in putting the entire Universe in deadly peril. Only The Midnighter (with little Jenny Quantum in tow) has any hope of putting things right. The DRASTIC differences in artistic styles really make the book seem schizophrenic; Nguyen's style just doesn't mesh with Quitely & Adams' cartoony artistry, and the realistic renderings of Gary Erskine aren't a good fit to follow two chapters of Art Adams. All of the artists involved are very talented, but read as a whole, the book has no artistic flow. Peyer's fill-in arc is okay, but nothing special. It could have easily been skipped entirely, and nothing would have been lost, story-wise. I did enjoy the hillbilly killer, Seth, but the final fate he suffers is taken whole cloth from Garth Ennis' excellent Preacher. I was hoping for something a little worse. I also enjoyed the realistic relationship between The Authority's Batman/Superman duo, The Midnighter & Apollo. Maybe one of the best romantic relationships in comics today. While FAR from the best Authority tale (See Warren Ellis' issues for those), Transfer of Power has it's share of powerful moments, and is worth a look for fans of the team. I just wish they could have gotten a better send-off.....
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Over a year to complete the series...., October 8, 2003
It is true that the ups and downs of the last 8 issues of the authority were tumultuous, both in context and in waiting to see the stories get published. Those of us who loved The Authority in its initial run definitely remember waiting months, even half a year, for the next installment, but I think overall it was worth the wait. The story is so bleak at points that you feel the characters will never recover. For anyone who has read The Authority, you know what you are in for: Life or Death struggles to the unfathomable power. Unbeatable odds. Authority taking on Authority. A genetically altered mountain man called Seth with 2,012 powers!!! Politics with attitude. At times the violence is outrageous, and the plot twists even more so, but that is all part of the fun. This book reprints the last 8 issues of the series from #22 - 29, and it is a hell of a ride. Join Jack Hawksmoor, Apollo, The Midnighter, The Engineer, Swift, and The Doctor for the battle of their lifetimes! It is to comics what the Dead Kennedys were to punk.
Seriously.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful, May 17, 2006
Mark Millar never disappoints.
If Warren Ellis invented the concept of widescreen comics, then Millar perfected it. This entire volume is in your face, never pulls its punches, and makes you glad you got into comics in the first place.
You have to keep in mind that when the source material was published back around 2001, the world lost its sense of humor, and in way, its tolerance for edgy work. It's no small wonder that this volume marks Millar's last work for DC, and the end of The Authority (for a little while), given the offensive content. But man, it's one hell of a fun ride.
It must be said that Millar did not write the entire volume, but it's hardly noticeable. The whole thing has the same tone, the same irreverence, throughout.
My only gripe with this work was the deus ex machina used to wrap up a hanging plot thread at the end, but since it was such a fun read, I can let it slide.
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