Book: The Authority
Story: The Circle


Issue: #1-4



Credits:


Overview:

This story provides us with our introduction the The Authority. The plot is fairly simple, a tyrannical madman named Kaizen Gamorrea is out for revenge on the world after being defeated a few years previously by the Stormwatch team. Of course, Kaizen has spent the last few years breeding an army of superhuman clones to fight his great battle for him. He has decided to make his mark on the world quite literally by cutting a swathe of destruction across the globe, and the only ones who can stand against him are The Authority. Very dramatic. Anyhow, it serves it's purpose and we are introduced to the Authority team, their abilities and a stage is set for future battles.



The Baddie:

Kaizen Gamorrea





The none too subtle biblical reference used here is overshadowed by the cliches this villian spouts with excessive regularity. Kaizen is an obsessive dictator, a tyrannical madman, and all around a generally terrible excuse for life. But the real problem isn't with the character, you can't blame a cliché for being a cliché, that's just what it is. Maybe Warren Ellis wanted to give us something simple to start the series off with, but for the most part Kaizen Gamorrea isn't threatening, he's comical.

The Good Stuff:

- Kick ass action. These guys really know how to fight.
- Watching Moscow, London, and Los Angeles take serious beatings.
- The relationship between Apollo and Midnighter, priceless.
- Jack Hawksmoor punching through someone's head. Gross, but effective.
- Jenny Sparks electrocuting a hundred or so bad guys in the Thames.
- The Carrier, very cool.

The Not So Good:

    - Kaizen Gamorra's cliched tyrannical rants.
    - Almost all the fights took place at night, it was just too dark.
    - Not really enough explanation for who these characters are, or the background of Stormwatch.
    - The rather silly places the Carrier travels as thematic references, is just a little too obvious.



The Best Scene:

The Shaman finally getting his act together and transforming a slew of attacking baddies into shattered shards of glass, then into trees that grow out of the street.


Check out this scene by clicking HERE.

Overall:

A very cool story. A good introduction, with some genuinely interesting dialogue and some very good artwork. The characters are definitely still finding their place in the book. Rather simplistic bad guy, but still entertaining. The art is somewhat inconsistent, but the book is still new. I see a very promising future for this comic. Good work all around.






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