Authority #1 review and spoilers.

[unkiedev]

Ah, Authority! The cover of this issue has that daring gay skull smasher the Midnighter pointing to something. Maybe it's a ZOMBIE?! It also has the Engineer looking all metalic and sexy as she interfaces with...who knows?

The Authority! That super exciting, go-go action packed thrill ride of Sex, Drugs and High Body counts! Man, you never know what yer' gonna' get when you pick up THIS book.

So, on with the review (Spoilers):

A guy named Ken breaks up with his wife and goes to a submarine.

(Spoilers end here)

...WHAT?! That's it?! Yup true believers, that's all you get. here is a more detailed, less glib synopsis: There is a secret service type guy, white and blonde, who has marital troubles compounded by his job. He is called in to investigate a submarine disaster. This sub was investigating a mysterious wreckage when somebody on board got violent and started killing folks. Ken and two others go to the wreckage and find a dead sub, dead sailors and a Wrecked space ship. MAYBEthat space ship is the one the Authority lived on...who knows...

...and who cares? I spent $2.99 on a broken marriage and a promise of a story. It's like all the bad parts of the movie Sphere. Where's the SCREWING, SWEARING and the Ultra-violence?

-Shame on you, Grant Morrison. You get a D. I do hope you do better on your NEXT issue, or I'll have to send a note home with you for your parents to sign.

*UPDATE: OH YEAH! This issue also breaks one of my cardinal rules of comics: The heroes never even show up in the book. They're on the cover, they should be in the book. The comic is called "The Authority," not "The Amazing Adventures of Ken the Submarine Investigator." Authority on the cover, Authority in the book. for shame, Wildstorm. For shame!*

[Adem]

I was really dissapointed with Morrison on this and felt like I didn't get me money's worth. If the book continues to be this slow I think I'll drop it. Morrison used to be a sure buy with me, but with this and Wildcats #1 I think I'll change that rule.

[unkiedev]

Yup. You vote with your dollars. This is decompressed to the point of futility: The book is a prelude to a comic, not a book itself. I wonder what Morison is thinking...this is not his style.

[jj9126]

I can see what Morrison is trying to do here. Rather than take the predictable/derivative approach of the book's last two writers ("in-your-face" violence, politics, sex, drugs) he's messing with our expectations by starting off painfully slow.

Think of this as a whole new beginning. This particular issue is like an enema to get rid of the crap we've seen since Millar left.

Still, they would have been better off marketing this as Issue Zero...

[shrike]

I added it to my pull list this week, 'read' it (using this term loosely, as there was very little going on), and deciding next week I'll be asking to have it removed from the pull list.

WILDCATS sucked too.

[unkiedev]

There's a fine line between "Playing on fan's expectations" and "Failing to deliver on a story." Authority is a highly anticipated book. Imagine if they relaunched the Muppets on TV and the first episode had no puppets, just some intrigue under water.

[Generic Eric]

That was not the Authority I knew and loved. Oh yeah what Authority, maybe they'll show up sometime next issue.:( The one other downside from this issue for me was the art. It's blury as fuck. This issue was like watching the opening credits to a summer blockbuster. not that interesting.

[Sparda]

This issue blows =/. Wildcat's was a million times better than this. Felt like the story was not going nowhere. They can atleast have added extra stuff to make us all say "wow can't wait for the next issue" but I did'nt get it :/

[Generic Eric]

Wildcats# 1 on the other hand I had no problem with. I don't know and love the characters so I really got nothing out of it. Jim Lee's art wasn't a big draw for me because aren't there like 50 other artists that draw just as good as Jim Lee and often times very similair looking to him.

[Subotai]

Not writing Wildcats off yet, but I would've loved to have seen Casey and Lee.

[DaveEB]

I can see where people can be upset by this issue, but I don't mind. It's a build-up issue. I don't really expect big esplodo from the next issue either, but I don't mind that this is a quieter story. They've upped the ultra-violence and fast-paced storytelling so much over the last few years that it's time to take a step back and a fresh look at the book. We're seeing these guys through the eyes of a guy who's never seen a "superhero" before. You think he's going to see them as heroes if they've kicked off a bunch of peoples heads?

Yeah, maybe we should have at least seen the Authority, but still I don't mind it. I seriously doubt that we WON'T see the Authority next issue, but given that this is bimonthly, yeah, we probably should have seen a little more. But this'll probably be a great start to a trade though...

Wildcats, on the other hand, simply rocked.

[PanzerMega]

Speak for yourself. I've been waiting for a comic about a submarine investigator for years.



This actually sounds really uninteresting, but I'm waiting for the TPB anyway, and I'm sure it'll pay off eventually.

[Erwin Heinek]

Yeah there may be a great story coming but this is a textbook example of "writing for the tradepaperback".

[ultramandingo]

morrison does rucka doing planetary without anyone getin punched in the brains . oh ......and gene f#$%ing HA! eat it fan boys!

[lostphrack]

You know what really ticked me off about this issue? Aside from the whole "nothing happens" schtick.. the art. I didn't like the off center thing that was going on with the panels, and what the hell was up with the last three pages? A two panel spread that's 90% black with a vague hint of the carrier being there? What the hell...?

I'm with unkiedev, this was a prelude to a series. It probably should've been included in that Worldstorm one shot or something.

I really don't know about this reboot. I was kind of looking forward to it, but between this and C.A.T.s #1 and Wetworks #1.. ehhhhh....