Rating: 
Summary: Miracleman Lite
Review: Almost 20 years ago, Alan Moore created Marvelman, which came to be known as Miracleman in the US. It was a startlingly deep and original superhero story -- the story of a superpowered being who, among other things, struggles to remain human, wrestles with the need to kill even when the need is all-important, and, eventually shedding his human trappings, embraces his godlike stature and remakes the world as he sees fit.The Authority is Miracleman without the subtlety, complexity, character development, or moral ambiguity. TA:Relentless, a collection of 8 issues from the series, is the story of 7 superpowered beings who use extreme violence as the first resort, not the last, who, indeed, revel in violence. "I've been waiting to punch someone in the brains all goddamn day," says one, and literally punching someone in the brains is only one of the many gruesome murders he commits in the name of justice. Another character, the Engineer, can create any mechanical device in the blink of an eye; when confronted with soldiers on horseback, despite her many, many options, she merely creates a bigass gun and perforates the soldiers, as well as all of the horses. At the end of the collection, after countless brutal and, considering the powers these 7 wield, often unnecessary killings, they congratulate one another on changing the world for the better, and imply they will take even greater control. There is no irony, no suggestion that these people are as bad as those they fight; the clear implication is that the world would be better with these people in charge. There is zero character development, zero self-examination; one character says that changing a world is "really frightening... we changed things to the way we thought they should be," but that is the full extent of questioning the righteousness of their actions. TA:R merely leaps from one full-out blood-soaked battle to the next, without pausing to understand the characters and their motivations, nor to examine the implications and consequences of their actions. On the other hand, if you want nothing more, if you're not looking for the next Alan Moore, if you just want to see someone get punched in the brains without having to think about it too much, it's a quick, mostly fun, action-packed read, with above average artwork and a few decent one-liners.
Rating: 
Summary: This Is the New Age of Heroes
Review: Before The Ultimates, there was The Authority. This is the comic book series in which Warren Ellis and Mark Millar took the notion of the super powered being to it's ultimate conclusion. They are arrogant, independent and vicious. Yet, they all have one goal in mind- to make this a better world. And anyone in their way, be it Asian despots, monsters from space or military super being technology run wild, will suffer their wrath. Okay, so you're wondering about the two gay characters on the team. There are two of them, named Midnighter and Apollo. And besides being gay, they are also the most dangerous super heroes in the business. A curious reader might go back to the last Stormwatch TPB in order to come to grips with the beginings of the team, and the reason why The Authority was formed. There are lots of great moments in this series, but the reader should also be warned. The latest version of The Authority, currently being published, is only a pale imitation of the original series contained in these TPBs. Another book you might be interested in is The Absolute Authority hardcovers, they are over sized and the quality is absolutely stunning. The Authority- read it or else!
Rating:
Summary: Oh, yeah.
Review: Contrary to what's been said previously about this graphic novel, The Authority: Relentless is quite possibly the best action-adventure superhero comic being published today. Not only that, there's a lot more going on than what's been stated. The Carrier and the Bleed for instance. Alternate realities with rape camps and the intentions on making our Earth an entire rape camp for the purpose of furthering their bloodline. Bryan Hitch's tremendous pencils and Laura DePuy's colors make this story very beautiful to look at. Plus there's Jenny Sparks, possibly the strongest female character I've read in a story. This is a wonderous and a definite new direction for the superhero genre. Words like amazing and original, simply put, aren't enough to do this book justice.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring!
Review: Even though I had read good things about this book, I'm not easily fooled by hype. Unfortunately, my low level of expectations were not met by this title. Standard Authority Plot:
[Insert villains -- aliens, clones, time travelers, mutants, etc.] start a large scale invasion of [insert city or cities]. Authority attack with swift and violent force. It's still not enough to thwart force or it's not enough to defeat the source of the problem. Escape back to the Authority's huge space ship. Use the ship to decimate head villain by ramming the ship into villain's [Insert location -- fortress, dimension, secret base, etc.]. Repeat. I hope that I have saved you some money.
Rating:
Summary: oh... the suspense (yes, that's sarcasm)
Review: Everybody says that there is very little character development in The Authority - and it's true. But that's fine by me. You actually don't even notice because there is so much action and violence. The action is like a ballet, or an opera; very smooth, very artisitc, w/ an epic feel. However, the problem w/ the book is that there is very little satisfaction in reading about their victories. In Justice League of America, it's cool reading as Batman analyzes the impossible situation and comes up with a miracle plan to pull victory out of defeat. In X-Men, (at least during the Jim Lee/Claremont era - ever since then, the X-Men have been a mess) they'd be getting their cans kicked around, but there always was Wolverine or Cyclops or Gambit around the corner to come to the rescue. In The Authority, however, the good guys go after the villains with overwhelming force. There's no suspense, there's no doubt. The good guys are far and above superior to the bad guys. The explosions are huge & there's blood everywhere, but it's very uninteresting. If your battles aren't going to be suspenseful, then at least the interaction between the characters should be. The Authority, think big - like Grant Morrison w/ more style, but without the peril.
Rating:
Summary: Next level action
Review: For those of us who grew up on Marvel comics and switched to Vertigo when we hit adulthood, the Authority is a great compromise between the joy of a good fight scene and the subtlety and themes more often found in Sandman or Transmetropolitan. The characters are almost frighteningly powerful and unrepentant, there is no angst and few if any thought bubbles, though the brilliant, cutting dialogue more than makes up for the lack of introspection. An earlier reviewer complained that not enough was made of the gay couple, but I think the portrayal was just right: there were no endless defenses of gay lifestyle, no questioning, no "I say I'm gay but really I'm just confused and waiting for the right heterosexual partner". Instead, a couple of tough guys, clearly in love, are shown in the same matter-of-fact light as any heterosexual comic book couple. About bloody time.
Rating:
Summary: Finally a realistic Superhero book
Review: I am a diehard Warren Ellis fan so it must come as no shock to you that I rate this book so high, however I feel that it really deserves this rating. This is the first realisitic superhero book I have ever read as we see characters make mistakes, act human, and make moral descisions, but also act as a team with realistic team dyanmics. (None of that X-Men esque crap). After first seeing Mr. Hitch's pencils in this book I have become a diehard Brian Hitch fan as well as a diehard Warren Ellis fan.
Rating:
Summary: A great team book
Review: I am a huge JLA fan, and it took me a while to pick up this trade based on the descrpition of "It's like JLA without morals." Yes, the members of The Authority do take lethal measures, but I think to harp on that fact REALLY misses the point of the book. The concept lies in the thought of "What kind of super hero team would you be on?" Yes, the situations the characters are put in are so over the top that's it is insane, but the middle ground that Ellis achieves with characters that seem like they're not larger than life doing larger than life things is a lot of fun. This book truly captures the sense of wonder that people probably had when the Avengers came around. It's that good. Like anything else that Ellis does, the book does have a lot of dark humour and bizzare characters. It should also be noted that Hitch's art on this book is outstanding, and it's probably his best work. (Which is saying something.) Sadly, some of the characters are a little thin, and this book is nothing like Sandman or Watchmen. It's just the best superhero team book out there, which is really saying something considering Morrison's JLA and Busiek's Avengers. If you're looking for a deep, metaphorical graphic novel, stay away. It's not a dumb book by any stretch, but there's no mistaking what it is: a fast paced, over the top, satirical, and ulitmately very satisfying team book.
Rating:
Summary: Something different, but different is good
Review: I had first read the two collected editions of Planetary which are also written by Warren Ellis. I decided to pick this up because I liked his work in the Planetary. I wasn't disappointed at all. The interaction between the characters is one of the things that I like the best, and their individual powers place them on god-like status. The development and character of Jenny Sparks is as good as any other I've read. The thing about this read is that you know that they have the power to defeat whatever crisis arises, the most interesting part is how everything comes together to solve the problems. Great read. Loved the art. Chi!
Rating:
Summary: 70mm entertainment in comic form
Review: I have to disagree with the previous reviewer. Ellis, Hitch, and Neary (and the colorist, whose name escapes me) did a fantastic job in their 12-issue run on Authority. I picked up the issues without having read a page of Stormwatch and wasn't lost at all. Yes, several of the characters are from that series, but you DON'T need to have read Stormwatch to appreciate The Authority. This is big-screen entertainment. Very well written and the artwork will make you gasp.
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