Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Authority through the looking glass, 15 Aug 2006
The Authority is, as the kids say, not your daddy's superhero comic. Every issue it dishes out graphic violence, a body count to rival that of US foreign policy, and a cast of stereotype-defying characters who stamp on the archetypes of superhero convention. The team has devastated corrupt governments, alien races, and God, and they aren't afraid to rack up the gore while doing it. So, how do you shock readers who expect to see civilisation laid to waste every issue? Easy. Hand over their favourite characters to Garth Ennis.
In Kev, the creator of Preacher pits the Authority against their least threatening opponent yet - or so it would seem. An ex-SAS corporal dishonourably discharged after some nasty business with a tiger, Kev spends his time dodging IRA retribution and grousing with his mates in the pub: not an easy life, but nothing compared to the mind-bending he gets when he's sent aboard the Carrier to take on an astonished Authority team. This collection follows that first encounter, and Kev's later uncomfortable
reunion with Authority stalwarts Apollo and the Midnighter. Tigers, zombies, aliens, long division, and a really nasty orange all feature.
The art is ... alright. I didn't love it (it made me appreciate Frank Quitely, which takes some doing), but then I have to stop judging artists on whether I like what they do with Apollo's hair. It's the writing that makes this an unmissable hit. Ennis is a stupendous storyteller. His dialogue pops like machine gun fire. No opportunity for a cheap laugh is missed, but Ennis keeps the plot unpredictable and flips the tables on every cliche he encounters. Best of all is Kev himself: perfectly placed to cut through all the genre bullshit, his show-down with the similarly take-no-prisoners Midnighter is the collection's high point. The final scene between them is jawdropping.
This is one hell of an iconoclastic read, but The Authority, already one of the least po-faced comics out there, stands up to the challenge well. And - alien cross-dressers and violent massacres aside - there's much more to this collection than shock value. However much he rips the piss (and viscera) out of them, Ennis's appreciation of the established characters shines through. Fans anxious about his forthcoming Midnighter series have nothing to worry about. An even greater achievement, Ennis makes Kev - at face value a bigoted, violent jobsworth - into an incredibly appealing character.
If you're new to The Authority, don't start here. You'll never be able to take the poor buggers seriously afterwards. But if you already know and love the team, and you're brave enough to see them through the looking glass, buy it now.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One man's work destroys anothers., 5 Jan 2006
What started as a political and 'realisitic' take on the superhero story is given here to Garth Ennis so he can work his somewhat formulaic magic. However, his magic, no matter how formulaic it becomes, never fails. Totally brilliant destruction of the established characters and a ridiculous storyline make this one of the best "graphic novels" going. The central character is as lovable as he is pathetic. A great addition to the Authority storyline.
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by Garth Ennis
by Garth Ennis
by Garth Ennis
by Ed Brubaker
by Garth Ennis
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