The Authority #29

“Change, Not Die” (No Spoilers)

The end of the Wildstorm Universe is here and the first title to bow out in the imprint’s final month is one of its most popular and controversial titles: The Authority. My personal history with The Authority is bittersweet. I thought they were great when Warren Ellis first brought them on the scene but then I quickly lost my taste for them as they seemed to fall into a cycle of shock-value stories instead of stories that simply had some value. Then Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (affectionately known to fans as DnA) came along with the World’s End storyline and made me like The Authority again. In the end it was a short reunion but I’m glad I could enjoy this team once again before the end.

The Authority #27

“Slaughter Moon” (No Spoilers)

The Authority really got back on track with this issue story-wise. Where I felt the last issue went by way too fast, I liked the pattern this one laid out. It did a good job of juggling the two groups of the heroes and kept the story moving along nicely.

I won’t spoil it but I will say we finally get the origin of The Carrier this issue. It’s an interesting concept but ultimately I wasn’t blow away by the revelation like I was hoping I was. I think it was mainly because the explanation surrounding the alien race was something I’ve heard in other stories. If it weren’t for that, I think I would’ve appreciated the origin story more. Don’t misunderstand me, it’s not a bad origin at all. It’s just something I’ve seen before countless times in science fiction.

The Authority #26

“Genociety” (No Spoilers)

The Authority continues their space odyssey which turns into a space nightmare in this issue. Tom Taylor has taken us through some great science fiction during his run and he throws in a little science horror now.

I can tell artist Al Barrionuevo had a lot of fun designing some of the alien creatures we see in this issue. I especially like the fact that none of them are humanoid. The team has traveled so far out in space now these things should not even know what a human is (or should they?). That’s another great thing about the story that’s unfolding here is Taylor keeps piling on the mysteries (including a very interesting one with Swift) even as we get some answers.

The Authority #25

“This is Gonna Suck” (No Spoilers)

Don’t let the title of the issue fool you. It does everything BUT suck! But rest assured, Tom Taylor finds a clever way to present the title too. I personally thought it was hilarious how he did it.

After the events of the last few issues I figured things would show down a bit here and I was partially right. Taylor does take the first half to the issue to fill us in on the mystery of Jack’s secret weapon. There is also time to get genuine reactions from the other team members concerning Jack’s weapon. Each of their reactions makes perfect sense and you’re either going to feel really sorry for Jack at the end or hate him for being such a jerk. I personally felt sorry for him.