The Authority is one of those titles that evolved comics over the past ten years. Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch created a new status-quo with their superhero team that wanted to “create a better world”. Over
the years there have been superstar teams such as Ellis/Hitch, Mark
Millar/Frank Quietly, and Ed Brubaker/Dustin Nguyen shape the mythos of
The Authority. I would argue that the current incarnation of The Authority is as good as any of the past storylines and directions of the book.

Armageddon has come and gone and the entire Wildstorm Universe and everyone are just trying to find a way to keep going. No
longer are The Authority trying to create a better world but rather
just trying to survive this one. Doors to transport from one place to
another are a thing of the past and most of the team members have had
their powers negatively impacted in one manner or another. I
personally think that Abnett and Lanning, or DnA as they are commonly
known, has painted an amazing post-apocalyptic world as a backdrop for
the drama the team must overcome.

This
issue is a great recap that tells the reader how so many of the
characters survived the end of the world and got to this point in time. If you were looking for a good jumping on point for this title this is a great time to take the plunge. This issue is easily accessible for new readers and a treat for those longtime fans of The Authority.

Guest artist Brandon Badeaux did an amazing job on this issue. I
don’t mean to put pressure on him but as I flip through the pages I was
reminded of how amazing this title was from a visual standpoint under
Hitch and Quietly. Badeaux is a name to watch out
for in the future and I think his style compliments this title and
would be a job to see him as the regular artist should Simon Coleby
ever move on to something different.

The back-up story is the second part of a Team 7 reunion. Christos
Gage understands the history and importance of characters and events in
the Wildstorm Universe and he continues to display that in this story. Continuity
is something that fans are always clambering for in their stories and
somehow Gage is able to always pull together a story that tie in with
the historical events of characters and introduces new elements.

I
have been critical of the back-up stories that have been running
through all of the Wildstorm: World’s End titles but I know the
longtime fans have been giddy with joy reading most of them.

I have been a fan of The Authority for a long time. That makes my opinion biased but also can make it more critical. Names like Ellis, Hitch, Millar, Quietly, Morrison, Turner, Brubaker, and Nguyen read like a” who’s-who” in comic book annals. It is an even more daunting task to live up to the lofty expectations those creators set on a title like The Authority. DnA have lived up to, and in some areas exceeded, those expectations. I find this to be one of the top 5 books that people should be reading and aren’t. I would encourage anyone who has not checked out the new status-quo for The Authority to pick up this issue.

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Excellent)