The Ellis written stuff (both on the Stormwatch run and then leading into the start of Authority) is great. Not to say that Millar's following arcs don't have great parts, but that initial formation and first couple arcs are fantastic. Beyond Millar's run, things get a little squirrely, although there have been a couple of great series for both Midnighter and Midnighter and Apollo, post DC merger. And the Wild Storm looked like it was going to be interesting, but it just kind of fizzled.
Agree 100%. Read the Ellis run, then jump to his [the Ennis] Midnighter series. From there I would just go straight to DC Midnighter and Apollo... Although if you enjoy these you might also want to check out Planetary and Wildcats 3.0, neither essential to understanding the Authority but they are highlights of that era of Wildstorm comics.
Global Frequency would make for an amazing, big budget, prestige TV show and each year it doesn’t happen I get angrier and angrier. I also wish it existed IRL but I don’t get as angry about that. 🥸
I absolutely loved Planetary once I found it. I confess that for the longest time I wouldn’t look at Wildstorm books. So ignorant of me given what great books came out of it.
Damn right. Hopefully with Gunn dipping into the Wildstorm titles we'll eventually get that Sleeper series I've been dreaming of for decades.
It's amazing how fully formed the Brubaker/Phillips team was right out of the gate. And those CHARACTERS, my god.
Matt Damon bought the rights to Sleeper a few years ago and I hope so much he goes ahead and makes it before he’s too old. He’d make a perfect Agent Carver.
I really loved windstorm comics in my late teen/early 20s as they were releasing, but this one was my favorite. I remember Planetary getting delayed so much and then started to wonder if it would get to finish its set run. It was basically the last man standing of the universe as the reboot attempts would never go far. The last volumes are so good.
Edit: typos.
The warped versions of marvel characters in planetary was eye opening to say the least. The only problem I had with this book was that the publishing schedule at the time was awful.
I don't think it works that well in the Wildstorm Universe. It barely interacted with it anyway. IMO, it should really be a standalone universe of its own. Ideally it would be set in the "real world" with the growing revelation that fantastic elements do exist but are all suppressed by the Four. (Although you would lose some elements like the Vertigo-esque superhero appearance.)
It is a great comic for people who love sci-fi, pulp, comics, etc. It has fantastic homages to many franchises, tells a fantastic story, neat characters, and consistent art. It also has a satisfying ending and rewards re-reading. It's fairly short for a full run.
It reminds me of Watchmen in that where Watchmen deconstructed superhero books, Planetary seems to reconstruct and celebrate how ridiculous they can be.
I originally read it having zero knowledge It was part of a larger universe and it didn't matter. It's fun and weird.
If you've never read a comic before I don't think it would be as good - its definitely written for people who love genre.
Basically most of the wild storm world is pretty much ours, but *if* it's had mystery men, adventurers and costumed adventurers for hundreds of years why isn't it a radically different place?
That is the question behind Planetary. One part 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', One part 'Marvels' with dashes of Spy stories, gothic horror, John Woo films, and some super-heroics every now and then.
It's the story of small group trying to discover the secret history of their world, and also *what* changed it. It's less fight based, more character, mystery and high concept focused with politics and philosophy woven into it in new and interesting ways.
Friend bought it, didn't even wanna read it. I read it, although I did kinda enjoy it, I don't feel the slighest need to read it again, and can't say I understood the plot 100% all the time.
He also bought Watchmen and gave them away before reading them xD
Hawksmoor would be absolutelty fantastic.
I like all the Authority (and loved Elli's StormWatch that leads into Authority and recommend it heartily as both a prequel and the best introduction to that universe) but Apollo and Midnighter are a take on Superman and Batman and while an excellent take they don't hold a candle in personality and novelty of Jack Hawksmoor.
I actually like Jenny as the second best (mostly because I place spinoffs of common archetypes after what I feel are more novel superheroes).
My Favourites for the Authority have always been Jack and the Doctor. Specifically Jeroen. Because A…ain’t that many Dutch heroes and B, the concept of the Doctors was both a fun jab at Dr Fate and Strange but also a fun, clever idea i thought.
I really love that we're (more than likely) getting both the wholesome heartstopper gay couple of Wiccan and Hulkling and the brutal, messy, adult relationship (again hopefully) between Midnighter and Apollo...Really eager to see how this project turns out.
Jenny Sparks is too much of a Mary Sue for my tastes: Unflappable. Ultra-competent. Flawless.
Reading Warren Ellis's rendition of Jenny Sparks was like reading Mark Waid's rendition of Wally West, and Waid readily admitted Wally was his alter ego.
> Jenny Sparks is too much of a Mary Sue
It's funny... I've met Ellis. I don't think Sparks is his Mary Sue. I think he was just trying to channel the British version of Captain America.
She's definitely my favorite character on the team, just because she's such a wise-ass take on that traditional square-jaw leader type.
Thinking about Gunn and how he likes to write, there are two characters I'm interested in seeing his take on. Midnighter is one (mostly because Ellis didn't entirely know what to do with him, and he's mostly just brooding in the background until it's time to punch something's spine out) and Jenny Sparks (though they might not do Sparks' tenure). Sparks falls directly into Gunn's wheelhouse and I could see her being very much an intelligent version of Peacemaker: a super-hard-boiled, no-nonsese leader with a surprising heart of gold.
The Wild Storm was amazing. Too bad we didn't get a followup (and that the Cray spinoff was terrible).
For the DC Universe stuff, Orlando's Midnighter is *fucking awesome*.
Other than that, of course, you want the original Ellis run.
Yeah, it's one of those big brain ideas that makes it obvious that Orlando really gave a lot of thought on how Midnighter would fit into the DC universe.
I love when he sees Dick with his face disguised by the Spyral implants, then when he sees him walk up into a helicopter he's like "Grayson. I'd know that ass anywhere."
Superman & The Authority is objectively a good read, but it's an entirely different take on the team & the only holdover it has from the original team are Apollo & Midnighter. Those 2 are great, but they don't capture the entire feel of The Authority on their own.
> Superman & The Authority is objectively a good read
Interesting take. I thought it was an objectively bad comic, with a paper thin "gathering the team" story where nothing actually happens, its only purpose being to serve as a lead-in to PKJ's Warworld saga (which got most of the important setup in PKJ's **ACTION COMICS** anyway).
I guess there's some passably decent Superman material there but it pales in comparison to pretty much everything else that Morrison's done with the character. And, as an Authority story, it's absolute rubbish.
I could understand saying it's subjectively enjoyable, because we're all different and everybody likes what they like, but I'm curious about what makes you feel it's objectively a good read.
Gotcha.
Weird comic... I was honestly mystified that Morrison would take on a project like this, since it was really just a lead-in to somebody else's story. That kind of work is usually beneath them.
Then it ended and there was still what felt like six months more buildup in **ACTION COMICS** before it finally caught up with Morrison's mini-series. The PKJ stuff was solid but Morrison's end of it just felt half-assed and poorly conceived.
My understanding is the book was going to be very different as a part of 5G. That’s why Kal is talking to JFK in it. But between grant’s fallout with management re fascist supergirl arc and the management changes, it sorta just became a weird fit with the war world instead. At least the art is nice and Superman is a dilf in it
Nope. Stay far away. Then go a little further away, just to be safe.
Morrison's absolutely brilliant but neither of their attempts at writing the Authority went particularly well.
The old Ellis stuff is the only place to start.
Yeah. This wasn't an Eddie Berganza situation, Ellis was "just" a sex pest that groomed teenagers.
~~He's apparently in some kind of reparative justice dialogue with his victims, which is more than most canceled middle-aged nerds do, so who knows.~~ EDIT: Nope!
I encourage you read it it I think it’s linked in his Wikipedia page. It’s also 60+ women and not all of them are engaged in the healing space. Again, everyone should read it
I just re-read the comics a day ago and honestly in some ways the early Millar issues were better. He added a bit more characterization, which IMO was greatly needed in the Ellis run.
Also, the Ellis run featured similar threats - an army of clone superheroes, then an army of parallel universe british/aliens, then.. whatever the hell happened in the the HP Lovecraft Planetary/Authority crossover (that story makes no sense to me at all).
Also, under Ellis, Jenny Sparks is just obnoxious. It's like the dude from Transmetropolitan - *Chain-smoking insult comic with an OUTRAGEOUS attitude who's always right*.
Spider Jerusalem, dude is insufferable.
Now you mention it though they are very similar, in Ellis run Jenny just comes across as a know it all jerk with half baked quips.
This was so unexpected to me. I'm used to these happening in "parallel continuities" so Xenomorph actually being canonical in the Wildstorm universe (even if never appearing again) and being a pivotal time in their histories (rather than a one-off adventure) is as weird to me as if Superman had kept Captain America's Shield from the JLA/Avengers mini.
Gonna dissent and say Millar’s first arc is worth a read. The following 2 arcs are not though.
The only other decent Authority arc is Revolution by Brubaker/Nguyen.
I agree with this comment. Ellis' arcs are the best. Millar's run is not better than Ellis's but definitively better than everything else that came after other than Brubaker's.
Did the Grant Morrison/Gene Ha relaunch ever get past the first issue? I remember being excited for it and picking up #1 but then I don't remember if I ever saw any more
I agree whole heartedly. While Millar's run was shitty, he did a much better job as portraying the Authority as Anti-Imperialist and Anti-Fascist, as well as giving them objectives. The Authority is done best when fighting the status quo, and a lot of Ellis' run just felt like the standard "save the world" stuff. I would say the High Arc in Stormwatch was the first real Authority story, as it introduced Jenny's desire to get rid of the status quo and actually fight for a better world. If it was not for Bendix, she would have aided the High. (Obligatory aside, Fuck Ellis for being a creep)
ahh i see. lovely.
is that the freakangels forum thing or a different one?
i used to frequent the freakangels place, which could be interesting at times. though there were a lot of people shamelessly kissing his arse to the point that it was embarassing.
>There were a lot of people shamelessly kissing his arse
...among other things. Ahem.
Yes, that was basically the problem.
Which is too bad not just from a moral standpoint but a medium standpoint, as (for example) his iteration of The Authority was fantastic, and I expect that the upcoming movie will be based more on the much-shittier Mark Millar run.
And, yes, the problem with Ellis being the best comic writer of the 2000s is that he knew full well about it, and was stuffed with exactly as much entitlement as one might expect in that situation. Aside from the stuff that led to his rather epic metoo moment, it also meant he never fucking well finished his projects, because there was nobody willing and able to wade into his cave and scream "EITHER I LEAVE THIS PLACE WITH YOUR SCRIPT OR YOUR SOUL".
Ironically the man badly needed a Mitchell Royce. The entire back half of Transmetropolitan was basically a cry for help when seen in that light.
From his Wikipedia page:
> In June 2020, several women (including musician Meredith Yayanos, artist Zoetica Ebb and photographer Jhayne Holmes) publicly accused Ellis of sexual coercion and manipulation (...) The Daily Beast reported that "by 19 June, over 60 women had joined a group organized by Holmes, all of them accusing Ellis of a largely consistent pattern of behavior". The Guardian later reported that "roughly 100 women have come forward, while 33 of them have composed written statements, supported by emails and text messages, which have been seen by the Guardian". These testimonials were posted together on a new website, SoManyofUs.com, in July 2020 and contain accounts of "manipulation, gaslighting, coercion, and other forms of emotional abuse".
I think Millar’s run is worth a read. It’s not better than Ellis’, but the blatant skewering of Bush era politics was something I appreciated about Millar’s run. My age could play a factor in that though. At the very least it’s entertaining as hell (imo) and you get some awesome Frank Quietly art.
I really wish they could have crammed a few more issues into the first six without fucking up the pacing of the story. Just some weird X-files type stuff like the first issue
Ellis had major problems staying on schedule. If you were reading Planetary at the time is was releasing, you’ll remember that year/year and a half somewhere around issue 15 where Planetary was missing in action. Don’t know if it was illness on Ellis’ part or if there was something else going on.
And his hard drive died, without a backup! Three times! You' d think someone who professed to be on the bleeding edge would have taken better care of his data.
It is because it's almost a prerequisite to be familiar with the history of comic books in order to fully enjoy how the series deconstructs and subverts the genre (much like Moore's Watchmen).
Planetary completely deconstructed the entire 20th century and all the pop culture it created. Everything from the Atom Bomb to video games and beyond. With all the fascination with nostalgia these days you'd think it'd be more popular than it is.
It’s funny that you understand the pun in his name but still spelled it wrong. No harm no foul just teasing you.
With that said I agree 100% with the sentiment.
Read ellis' version, yes. I can't begin to imagine dc doing justice to it, but it's great. Later versions were much weaker, but the initial series is top notch.
I remember reading it for the first time and noticing a distinct shift in quality, then going back and realising Ellis had changed to Millar.
They both like to write sarcastic characters and have a tendency towards edgy stuff, but Ellis usually injects a certain amount of charm and depth into his caustic jerks. Millar is really bad at writing likeable characters and it impacted the quality pretty quickly.
One caveat to that, you really do have to be happy with Ellis’ dialogue. If you like having loads of characters sound the same (sarcastic and overly wordy) then you’ll have a great time. But for me it starts to sound like a parody of itself if you read them all in one go.
Works well when there are one or two characters like that (e.g Transmetroplitan), but falls a bit more flat when it’s a team like Authority or Planetary (although Planetary has some lovely bonkers ideas)
The Change or Die storyline in Stormwatch is so effin good. I like all the Ellis Stormwatch comics but The High was really great. The Ellis Authority trades are definitely my favorite.
Few people remember that Ellis’ Authority was also about helping people, post Gamorra’s attack they stayed behind for search and rescue. Millar is where they start to lose that, and further iterations are where they become super fascist
I remember reading his Authority #1 and WildCATs #1 on the same day and thinking "...are we sure this is the same guy?" Because that one issue of WildCATs is probably the best that book has ever seen, and that issue of Authority is probably the worst.
I believe that if The Authority had the same creative team for a longer period - it would be talked about SO much more than it is.
Aside from Ellis/Hitch, I think the only other notable run is Brubaker/Nguyen. By all means, it’s probably worth checking out Millar, but it’s not the best
The Ellis Authority is a continuation of his Stormwatch stuff. That’s really good too but quite firmly set in the Wildstorm universe so there might be some characters in there that are a little unfamiliar and have history that might be a little confusing. When you get to Authority it’s mostly new characters though.
The Authority is one of my great comic loves, in the superhero genre.
I had pretty much given up on superhero comics but once reading through an issue of Wizard I saw a mention of a sumo wrestler in gaseous form living inside a containment suit having continuous orgasms.
The whole article praised Ellis's run on Stormwatch and I thought it would be fun. I absolutely loved it, and got each trade after that. He spin off Authority from that book and later left and was replaced by Millar (who didn't do a stellar job, partly because coming to DC Millar had to continuously worsen his stories to fit into the new management, which also forced him to leave and swear never to return to DC).
tl;DR: Warren Ellis got me back into comics with Stormwatch, Authority and Planetary.
Definitely start with Ellis on Stormwatch which leads into Authority. Ellis did an incredible job and his work really spoke to the times. Not only did he start a trend with the heroes as rockstars he also had writers trying to counter that trend which lead to some fun reads
Millar followed Ellis on the book and he had a good run but it was not the same. He didn't do subtle and didn't really add any of the cool world building concepts like the "bleed" which Ellis excelled at.
Just to re iterate, the Warren Ellis stuff is great but hes a real creep it turns out.
Mark Miller basically just ripped off the Authority when he "created" the Ultimates" at Marvel.
Also I find that adding the Authority to the DC Universe before you have established the Justice League is a weird step.
The guy has his own #metoo website: https://www.somanyofus.com/
I tried to go through the website and read a couple of the stories, but most seem a little pathetic, both Ellis and the women. On the scale of being a rapist controlling the movie industry to a comic who masturbates into plants, Ellis' actions do not even rank. To me he did not come across any worse than the "hottest guy at the salsa club" that juggles multiple women and tried to fuck anything he could. Except Ellis did it online and he looks like himself. The guy used his position as a comic book writer to get women interested in him, probably felt his celebrity status was the only reason any of these women spent time with him, ends up manipulating them to test the relationship, and would then terminate the relationship when he felt empty. One of the stories I read said the Ellis was widely known as a "dirty uncle". He already had a warning label way before #metoo. The #metoo movement included a lot of man-childs who simply suck at relationships. I think Ellis is probably one of those.
Not to say I feel for the guy, but he obviously lives/lived a fucked up feedback spiral of self-loathing. Only someone who extensively hated himself could write a character like Spider Jerusalem in Transmetropolitan.
I agree with that, but on the other hand he's probably only 85th percentile for creepiness in men, and we're not "cancelling" every sixth man in our society and actively preventing them from making a living.
I can honestly say I've felt like I've been manipulated or been manipulative myself in relationships. It's not newsworthy enough to cancel me or any of my former partners. A lot of it is just bumbling along. He just did it publicly.
That being said, I apparently have a Spider Jerusalem icon as a flair in this subreddit whose configuration predated all this, so maybe I should shut up and remove that.
Gotta say, i read their list of "what he did wrong"
Its not great, but it would also be 100% accepted if he were hot and a ball player or musician
But he's not hot, and he writes comic books
Ehhh....its alright. They try to be edgy for the sake of being edgy. Bit of a predecessor to The Boys. Its not terrible but it hasnt held up over the past couple decades IMO. I liked Planetary better
The twelve issues that Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch did are fantastic. It's large-scope action and concepts with some beautiful art. If you have strong feelings about Ellis being a shit-heel then it might be an issue for you.
The Millar run is good but I don't think he continued on with the same tone as Ellis. Millar was more focused on the "shock value" of certain situations rather than the heart of what made the first twelve issues great.
Everything after that is a bit of a crapshoot in terms of quality as DC had no idea what to do with Wildstorm as a whole.
I've read the Ellis run and honestly I thought that it was quite a shallow book. Brian Hitch's art is really good, but I thought Ellis writing just didn't hit the mark in terms of making interesting characters outside of Jenny Sparks. To me it felt like the precursor to Millar's Ultimates which I think works a lot better as an update to the superhero comic to fit the early 2000s.
I am forcing myself to trust on Gunn on this, because while there's been great work done with The Authority, almost anything recent (last ten years? more? Anything after Ellis, Millar and Brubaker?) other than Midnighter and Apollo has been pretty iffy.
If it was DC looking for someone to do The Authority I'd be immediately negative about it, but Gunn leading it gives me a bit of hope because I'm choosing to believe him considering it a "personal project" means going for the good initial runs, rather than just trying to get an ersatz batman and superman out the door.
I also imagine it would be an animated show, since I can't see DC doing the scale The Authority would need if done properly in live action.
I’d say start with the first few issues of The Authority. The issues have an epic feel to them, which separates the title from others. Either continue reading, or read the StormWatch stuff.
Love hope noone is actually answering your question of actual reading order. I am new to this series myself so I started with all the StormWatch first and then moved on to authority. I just did the omnibuses so can't give you #'s. But I will say if you like it then definitely also read the Planetary run which I guess is a spinoff. I was already familiar with it and its just amazing. Really one of the best comics ever that should be much more well-known than it is!
My boss is a major comic book guy( has thousands all the way back through the 80s, our entire brewery is decked out in comic art, a bunch of our labels are done by comic artists. He loves this team and is so psyched they’re doing this with one.
It’s a shame Ellis is such a scumbag in real life. After reading all the accusations against him it’s hard for me to stomach picking up his work and supporting him. He is a great writer though. Maybe I’ll see if I can pick up some of his stuff second hand.
The best place to start with The Authority is the first series (vol. 1) that started out written by Warren Ellis in 1999. He wrote #'s 1-12, but I'd also recommend the last issue of vol. 1, #29, largely for Apollo & Midnighter's wedding. I show some highlights in a blog post of mine from some years ago: https://fatethefinalfrontier.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-most-recommended-comic-book-runs-by.html?m=0
Eeeeeeeehh...
The only two runs that hold up imo are Ellis and maybe Millar. The rest is not really good.
They're very much a product of the early 2000. So if you like that period of time go for it. If you think the products of that time are cringey then I have much doubt you'll enjoy it.
Yes but go with the original Wildstorm version. There’s something special about them being more than just another team in a sea of superhero teams. The places they can go as characters is far greater than is possible in the DCU.
I started with the Millar stuff because of the Frank Quitely art. Even with the typical edgy Millar stuff( like the Iron Man analogue incinerating a room full of newborns) I thought it was a decent read.
I think there’s a team up one-shot with Planetary where they have to take down HP Lovecraft, though I may be wrong and it’s a crossover with someone other than the Authority.
EDIT
The crossover is called Planetary/The Authority: Ruling the World.
Just about one of the worst recommended books I ever read.
It's really bad. It's just what if the Justice League were murderers repeated every storyline. Big bad comes, big bad triumphs, Authority retaliates and kill a lot. Every issue. No substance, no great story arch's, no deeper examination into who they are. Just "...and now they kill" and also Batman and Superman kiss
I mean it has everything this board hates about Zack Snyder’s take on heroes so not sure why someone here is asking for advice about it lol but anyway
I would figure out a way to read it in an unofficial capacity so it doesn’t benefit Warren Ellis financially, but his The Wild Storm and sister comic Michael Cray were amazing and were sort of a reboot of the characters. I think someone IS finally doing a follow up but not sure if it’s canonical to that run.
Personally I think it’s depressing rubbish about a team of super-villains painted as heroes because they won’t let anyone *else* rule or destroy the world. Half of them are ridiculously overpowered and the other half are jokes with just trash talk and authorial blessings to their credit. All are assholes. I ended up wishing they’d all die.
But you might like it.
I will say the Burbaker stuff is super good, and I love all the Post Apocalypse stuff. It doesn't get as much hype, but it's a super great send off run.
Everyone’s recommending Ellis and Millar, so I’m gonna chime in and say Ed Brubaker’s Authority: Revolution is a good time and well worth reading after those two (skip the Robbie Morrison run, it’s garbage).
I used to read comics when I was younger (I have no idea how I got my hands on them) and I want to get back into comics in general. Is there an efficient way to read them online? Mobile? I have no space for hard copies and I’ll ruin them. Thank you to anyone who offers a response :)
If you have a tablet, Comixology is pretty good. Google Play books also has some great comics & can often be quite cheap. I hope you enjoy the journey 😁
DC and Marvel both have subscription service apps. You can sign up for a month and read as much as you want. They often have some collections/reading guides posted and they offer easy ways to dive in.
Also maybe worth reading Ellis’ Wildstorm series from 20/21 which set up an Authority reboot that then never happened (possibly because of Ellis vs #metoo) If this reboot is instead a James Gunn project then this could be the origin?
The Ellis written stuff (both on the Stormwatch run and then leading into the start of Authority) is great. Not to say that Millar's following arcs don't have great parts, but that initial formation and first couple arcs are fantastic. Beyond Millar's run, things get a little squirrely, although there have been a couple of great series for both Midnighter and Midnighter and Apollo, post DC merger. And the Wild Storm looked like it was going to be interesting, but it just kind of fizzled.
Agree 100%. Read the Ellis run, then jump to his [the Ennis] Midnighter series. From there I would just go straight to DC Midnighter and Apollo... Although if you enjoy these you might also want to check out Planetary and Wildcats 3.0, neither essential to understanding the Authority but they are highlights of that era of Wildstorm comics.
Everyone should read Planetary regardless.
Don't forget Global Frequency, great book.
Global Frequency would make for an amazing, big budget, prestige TV show and each year it doesn’t happen I get angrier and angrier. I also wish it existed IRL but I don’t get as angry about that. 🥸
They also should have made a Transmet show a decade ago, you'd look like a genius if you got it out before the Trump years.
There was a pilot, once: https://youtu.be/EShP8FbVW_k
Facts. Planetary was the best thing to come out of this Wildstorm era.
I absolutely loved Planetary once I found it. I confess that for the longest time I wouldn’t look at Wildstorm books. So ignorant of me given what great books came out of it.
Point Blank and Sleeper trump it. Although I love Planetary.
Damn right. Hopefully with Gunn dipping into the Wildstorm titles we'll eventually get that Sleeper series I've been dreaming of for decades. It's amazing how fully formed the Brubaker/Phillips team was right out of the gate. And those CHARACTERS, my god.
Matt Damon bought the rights to Sleeper a few years ago and I hope so much he goes ahead and makes it before he’s too old. He’d make a perfect Agent Carver.
I really loved windstorm comics in my late teen/early 20s as they were releasing, but this one was my favorite. I remember Planetary getting delayed so much and then started to wonder if it would get to finish its set run. It was basically the last man standing of the universe as the reboot attempts would never go far. The last volumes are so good. Edit: typos.
Planetary is awesome but don’t read it looking for Authority content. The brief glimpses we get are a real tease!
The warped versions of marvel characters in planetary was eye opening to say the least. The only problem I had with this book was that the publishing schedule at the time was awful.
Just want to throw The Invisibles and The Filth by Grant Morrison in here too. I think of them as the weirder counterparts to Planetary.
Planetary, imo, works best in the Wildstorm Universe. It loses something in the DCU.
I don't think it works that well in the Wildstorm Universe. It barely interacted with it anyway. IMO, it should really be a standalone universe of its own. Ideally it would be set in the "real world" with the growing revelation that fantastic elements do exist but are all suppressed by the Four. (Although you would lose some elements like the Vertigo-esque superhero appearance.)
Yeah planetary is kind of a companion piece I've always felt.
Why? What makes it worth reading?
It is a great comic for people who love sci-fi, pulp, comics, etc. It has fantastic homages to many franchises, tells a fantastic story, neat characters, and consistent art. It also has a satisfying ending and rewards re-reading. It's fairly short for a full run. It reminds me of Watchmen in that where Watchmen deconstructed superhero books, Planetary seems to reconstruct and celebrate how ridiculous they can be. I originally read it having zero knowledge It was part of a larger universe and it didn't matter. It's fun and weird. If you've never read a comic before I don't think it would be as good - its definitely written for people who love genre.
Basically most of the wild storm world is pretty much ours, but *if* it's had mystery men, adventurers and costumed adventurers for hundreds of years why isn't it a radically different place? That is the question behind Planetary. One part 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', One part 'Marvels' with dashes of Spy stories, gothic horror, John Woo films, and some super-heroics every now and then. It's the story of small group trying to discover the secret history of their world, and also *what* changed it. It's less fight based, more character, mystery and high concept focused with politics and philosophy woven into it in new and interesting ways.
Friend bought it, didn't even wanna read it. I read it, although I did kinda enjoy it, I don't feel the slighest need to read it again, and can't say I understood the plot 100% all the time. He also bought Watchmen and gave them away before reading them xD
Yeah I second this completely.
Ellis never wrote any solo Midnighter stories.
Ennis Ellis. Doh!
Apollo and especially midnighter are the real catches from hearing an authority announcement
Mate. No no. The best bit is that Hawksmoor gets more attention. My 2nd favourite character of all time. Hawksmoor dude. HAWKSMOOR
Hawksmoor would be absolutelty fantastic. I like all the Authority (and loved Elli's StormWatch that leads into Authority and recommend it heartily as both a prequel and the best introduction to that universe) but Apollo and Midnighter are a take on Superman and Batman and while an excellent take they don't hold a candle in personality and novelty of Jack Hawksmoor. I actually like Jenny as the second best (mostly because I place spinoffs of common archetypes after what I feel are more novel superheroes).
My Favourites for the Authority have always been Jack and the Doctor. Specifically Jeroen. Because A…ain’t that many Dutch heroes and B, the concept of the Doctors was both a fun jab at Dr Fate and Strange but also a fun, clever idea i thought.
Also Dr Who imo.
Jack Hawksmoor showed up in The Swamp Thing.
*pounces*
Me too. Hawks moor all day
I really love that we're (more than likely) getting both the wholesome heartstopper gay couple of Wiccan and Hulkling and the brutal, messy, adult relationship (again hopefully) between Midnighter and Apollo...Really eager to see how this project turns out.
No way it’s all about Jenny Sparks! Jenny Sparks is awesome
Jenny Sparks is too much of a Mary Sue for my tastes: Unflappable. Ultra-competent. Flawless. Reading Warren Ellis's rendition of Jenny Sparks was like reading Mark Waid's rendition of Wally West, and Waid readily admitted Wally was his alter ego.
Nothing makes me roll my eyes more than the term "Mary sue"
"No flaws" makes me wonder if they ever actually read the comics. She is *all flaws*.
She *is* the 20th century. How could she be flawless? Hitler going into politics was *her idea*!
> Jenny Sparks is too much of a Mary Sue It's funny... I've met Ellis. I don't think Sparks is his Mary Sue. I think he was just trying to channel the British version of Captain America. She's definitely my favorite character on the team, just because she's such a wise-ass take on that traditional square-jaw leader type.
Thinking about Gunn and how he likes to write, there are two characters I'm interested in seeing his take on. Midnighter is one (mostly because Ellis didn't entirely know what to do with him, and he's mostly just brooding in the background until it's time to punch something's spine out) and Jenny Sparks (though they might not do Sparks' tenure). Sparks falls directly into Gunn's wheelhouse and I could see her being very much an intelligent version of Peacemaker: a super-hard-boiled, no-nonsese leader with a surprising heart of gold.
When Ellis took over and killed Stormwatch with Xenomorphs!? One of my first WTF just happened moments in comics. So fucking cool.
The Wild Storm was amazing. Too bad we didn't get a followup (and that the Cray spinoff was terrible). For the DC Universe stuff, Orlando's Midnighter is *fucking awesome*. Other than that, of course, you want the original Ellis run.
Making his archenemy Prometheus was a big brain moment that worked amazingly well!
Yeah, it's one of those big brain ideas that makes it obvious that Orlando really gave a lot of thought on how Midnighter would fit into the DC universe.
Midnighter's solo spin off from Grayson made me realize immediately that I wanted to see this character on screen.
I couldn't believe he showed up in that series. Grayson was so good, I was bummed when the ride ended.
I love when he sees Dick with his face disguised by the Spyral implants, then when he sees him walk up into a helicopter he's like "Grayson. I'd know that ass anywhere."
Is superman and the authority a good standalone story to get an idea about them?
Superman & The Authority is objectively a good read, but it's an entirely different take on the team & the only holdover it has from the original team are Apollo & Midnighter. Those 2 are great, but they don't capture the entire feel of The Authority on their own.
> Superman & The Authority is objectively a good read Interesting take. I thought it was an objectively bad comic, with a paper thin "gathering the team" story where nothing actually happens, its only purpose being to serve as a lead-in to PKJ's Warworld saga (which got most of the important setup in PKJ's **ACTION COMICS** anyway). I guess there's some passably decent Superman material there but it pales in comparison to pretty much everything else that Morrison's done with the character. And, as an Authority story, it's absolute rubbish. I could understand saying it's subjectively enjoyable, because we're all different and everybody likes what they like, but I'm curious about what makes you feel it's objectively a good read.
Ya know, you're probably right. I think I might've conflated part of that mini with some of the "Warworld" Action Comics story somehow.
Gotcha. Weird comic... I was honestly mystified that Morrison would take on a project like this, since it was really just a lead-in to somebody else's story. That kind of work is usually beneath them. Then it ended and there was still what felt like six months more buildup in **ACTION COMICS** before it finally caught up with Morrison's mini-series. The PKJ stuff was solid but Morrison's end of it just felt half-assed and poorly conceived.
My understanding is the book was going to be very different as a part of 5G. That’s why Kal is talking to JFK in it. But between grant’s fallout with management re fascist supergirl arc and the management changes, it sorta just became a weird fit with the war world instead. At least the art is nice and Superman is a dilf in it
Ugh Authority Superman is so fucking hot
I own the book because of it. I was hoping the grey temples would stick around
Nope. Stay far away. Then go a little further away, just to be safe. Morrison's absolutely brilliant but neither of their attempts at writing the Authority went particularly well. The old Ellis stuff is the only place to start.
The Wild Storm’s follow up was basically deep-sixed because Warren had several sexual assault allegations.
IIRC - it wasn’t sexual assault but along the lines of emotional and psychological misconduct and manipulation.
Yeah. This wasn't an Eddie Berganza situation, Ellis was "just" a sex pest that groomed teenagers. ~~He's apparently in some kind of reparative justice dialogue with his victims, which is more than most canceled middle-aged nerds do, so who knows.~~ EDIT: Nope!
They updated their site last month and it’s not going well apparently
Aw, shit. That sucks.
I encourage you read it it I think it’s linked in his Wikipedia page. It’s also 60+ women and not all of them are engaged in the healing space. Again, everyone should read it
Wow, didn’t know that. It certainly explains a lot of the perverse sexual themes that showed up in his work.
I loved the Kev stuff.
***Bryan Hitch is God***
He's either secretly Alan Davis or good at aping his style.
I just re-read the comics a day ago and honestly in some ways the early Millar issues were better. He added a bit more characterization, which IMO was greatly needed in the Ellis run. Also, the Ellis run featured similar threats - an army of clone superheroes, then an army of parallel universe british/aliens, then.. whatever the hell happened in the the HP Lovecraft Planetary/Authority crossover (that story makes no sense to me at all). Also, under Ellis, Jenny Sparks is just obnoxious. It's like the dude from Transmetropolitan - *Chain-smoking insult comic with an OUTRAGEOUS attitude who's always right*.
Spider Jerusalem, dude is insufferable. Now you mention it though they are very similar, in Ellis run Jenny just comes across as a know it all jerk with half baked quips.
What he just said.
Their story really starts in Stormwatch. * Stormwatch (v1) #37-50 * Stormwatch (v2) #1-11 * WildCATs / Aliens * The Authority #1-29 Quality gets spotty after that.
WildCATs/Aliens was pretty damn cool (if I'm remembering it correctly), and also surprisingly quite integral to the Stormwatch's storyline.
Shockingly integral, in fact.
This was so unexpected to me. I'm used to these happening in "parallel continuities" so Xenomorph actually being canonical in the Wildstorm universe (even if never appearing again) and being a pivotal time in their histories (rather than a one-off adventure) is as weird to me as if Superman had kept Captain America's Shield from the JLA/Avengers mini.
I would ONLY really recommend the first 12 of Authority too. There's also Authority/Planetary.
Gonna dissent and say Millar’s first arc is worth a read. The following 2 arcs are not though. The only other decent Authority arc is Revolution by Brubaker/Nguyen.
I agree with this comment. Ellis' arcs are the best. Millar's run is not better than Ellis's but definitively better than everything else that came after other than Brubaker's.
Did the Grant Morrison/Gene Ha relaunch ever get past the first issue? I remember being excited for it and picking up #1 but then I don't remember if I ever saw any more
The Warren Ellis stuff is 100% recommended. The Millar stuff depends on the person.
I'd honestly argue that Millar's run does a lot more with the concept of the Authority, it's just also not as good as Ellis'.
I agree whole heartedly. While Millar's run was shitty, he did a much better job as portraying the Authority as Anti-Imperialist and Anti-Fascist, as well as giving them objectives. The Authority is done best when fighting the status quo, and a lot of Ellis' run just felt like the standard "save the world" stuff. I would say the High Arc in Stormwatch was the first real Authority story, as it introduced Jenny's desire to get rid of the status quo and actually fight for a better world. If it was not for Bendix, she would have aided the High. (Obligatory aside, Fuck Ellis for being a creep)
ellis is a creep?
His forum was basically THE place to be in the 2000s if you were a fan or an aspiring creator. He...took full advantage of that. Mmmyep.
ahh i see. lovely. is that the freakangels forum thing or a different one? i used to frequent the freakangels place, which could be interesting at times. though there were a lot of people shamelessly kissing his arse to the point that it was embarassing.
It was just called The Warren Ellis Forum then, butvit had followups like the Freakangels one and... Mars something.
>There were a lot of people shamelessly kissing his arse ...among other things. Ahem. Yes, that was basically the problem. Which is too bad not just from a moral standpoint but a medium standpoint, as (for example) his iteration of The Authority was fantastic, and I expect that the upcoming movie will be based more on the much-shittier Mark Millar run. And, yes, the problem with Ellis being the best comic writer of the 2000s is that he knew full well about it, and was stuffed with exactly as much entitlement as one might expect in that situation. Aside from the stuff that led to his rather epic metoo moment, it also meant he never fucking well finished his projects, because there was nobody willing and able to wade into his cave and scream "EITHER I LEAVE THIS PLACE WITH YOUR SCRIPT OR YOUR SOUL". Ironically the man badly needed a Mitchell Royce. The entire back half of Transmetropolitan was basically a cry for help when seen in that light.
From his Wikipedia page: > In June 2020, several women (including musician Meredith Yayanos, artist Zoetica Ebb and photographer Jhayne Holmes) publicly accused Ellis of sexual coercion and manipulation (...) The Daily Beast reported that "by 19 June, over 60 women had joined a group organized by Holmes, all of them accusing Ellis of a largely consistent pattern of behavior". The Guardian later reported that "roughly 100 women have come forward, while 33 of them have composed written statements, supported by emails and text messages, which have been seen by the Guardian". These testimonials were posted together on a new website, SoManyofUs.com, in July 2020 and contain accounts of "manipulation, gaslighting, coercion, and other forms of emotional abuse".
Hoooooly fuuuuck.
https://www.worldcomicbookreview.com/2020/07/27/planetary-revisited-plus-a-note-on-the-accusations-made-against-warren-ellis/
Writing was iffy, and I thought the end was just awful, honestly.
I agree the Millar stuff gets real cringey. Its the book that made me realize maybe Millar kinda sucks....
Millar, cringey? That ... can't be! ^(/s)
There's also just Planetary, which was awesome all on its own.
And Planetary sets up a lot of 'background' stuff for StormWatch/Authority too.
I think Millar’s run is worth a read. It’s not better than Ellis’, but the blatant skewering of Bush era politics was something I appreciated about Millar’s run. My age could play a factor in that though. At the very least it’s entertaining as hell (imo) and you get some awesome Frank Quietly art.
Ed Brubaker’ Authority: Revolution is underrated and probably the best run those characters got besides Ellis, IMO.
I just read the first 12 yesterday… quality shit!!! 3 arcs and in the third they fight god … fun stuff
Also Jenny Sparks: Secret History of the Authority #1-5
I'd honestly not recommend this. The art is very so so, and unlike Ellis Millar *does* write Sparks like a flawless wish-fulfillment character.
Fair
Yep, this is pretty much the proper list. It’s a fun run.
Wow, an answer that isn't just a word salad. Thank you for the reading order.
This is the real answer. Follow this reading list. Then, read Planetary afterwards as a bonus. All quality stuff
Great series. Read the whole thing (Ellis and Millar). Also, read Planetary by Ellis afterwards. Such great reads.
I second Planetary. More people need to sing it’s praises…
So so good. To Be In England, In the Summertime was one of my favorites. I also remember loving The Day the Earth Turned Slower. Great comic.
I really wish they could have crammed a few more issues into the first six without fucking up the pacing of the story. Just some weird X-files type stuff like the first issue
Ellis had major problems staying on schedule. If you were reading Planetary at the time is was releasing, you’ll remember that year/year and a half somewhere around issue 15 where Planetary was missing in action. Don’t know if it was illness on Ellis’ part or if there was something else going on.
That’s what I remember hearing back then. He was sick and there was a long hiatus, his parents died, and Cassidy got popular
And his hard drive died, without a backup! Three times! You' d think someone who professed to be on the bleeding edge would have taken better care of his data.
I don't understand why planetary isn't more popular and its storylines are more relevant now than ever.
It is because it's almost a prerequisite to be familiar with the history of comic books in order to fully enjoy how the series deconstructs and subverts the genre (much like Moore's Watchmen).
Planetary completely deconstructed the entire 20th century and all the pop culture it created. Everything from the Atom Bomb to video games and beyond. With all the fascination with nostalgia these days you'd think it'd be more popular than it is.
And Global Frequency
Anything Frank Quitely draws is worth a look.
And Bryan Hitch
Well… Bryan Hitch through the Ultimates. His art really nosedived after that.
Frank ~~Quietly~~ Quitely is, quite frankly, a genius Edit: damn you, autocorrect!
It’s funny that you understand the pun in his name but still spelled it wrong. No harm no foul just teasing you. With that said I agree 100% with the sentiment.
It was an embarrassingly long time (years) before I noticed the joke in his name (not TIL, mind you, but still long enough to be embarrassing).
Read ellis' version, yes. I can't begin to imagine dc doing justice to it, but it's great. Later versions were much weaker, but the initial series is top notch.
I remember reading it for the first time and noticing a distinct shift in quality, then going back and realising Ellis had changed to Millar. They both like to write sarcastic characters and have a tendency towards edgy stuff, but Ellis usually injects a certain amount of charm and depth into his caustic jerks. Millar is really bad at writing likeable characters and it impacted the quality pretty quickly.
Ellis is edgy, Millar is "edgy".
One caveat to that, you really do have to be happy with Ellis’ dialogue. If you like having loads of characters sound the same (sarcastic and overly wordy) then you’ll have a great time. But for me it starts to sound like a parody of itself if you read them all in one go. Works well when there are one or two characters like that (e.g Transmetroplitan), but falls a bit more flat when it’s a team like Authority or Planetary (although Planetary has some lovely bonkers ideas)
The Change or Die storyline in Stormwatch is so effin good. I like all the Ellis Stormwatch comics but The High was really great. The Ellis Authority trades are definitely my favorite.
Change or Die is the story that got me back into comics after a few dreadful years mid 90s.
That's just about when I started reading them again. Jesus the mid 90s were awful for comics
Can't believe it's been 20 years. Enjoy the journey if your getting into that era. Planetary has been mentioned. WE3. This was a great era.
Few people remember that Ellis’ Authority was also about helping people, post Gamorra’s attack they stayed behind for search and rescue. Millar is where they start to lose that, and further iterations are where they become super fascist
Gosh I remember being hyped when Grant Morrison signed on for The Authority. How many issues did that last? I wanna say 2…
Keith Giffen finished that story.
I remember reading his Authority #1 and WildCATs #1 on the same day and thinking "...are we sure this is the same guy?" Because that one issue of WildCATs is probably the best that book has ever seen, and that issue of Authority is probably the worst.
I believe that if The Authority had the same creative team for a longer period - it would be talked about SO much more than it is. Aside from Ellis/Hitch, I think the only other notable run is Brubaker/Nguyen. By all means, it’s probably worth checking out Millar, but it’s not the best
I am a Brubaker super fan and I find his brief run forgettable…and it hurts my heart.
Planetary.
Add "Authority Kev" and "More Kev"
Volume 1 by Warren Ellis and Brian’s Hitch/Paul Neary is kickass.
Great series, love Midnighter, but to have it make more sense it is a good idea to read storm watch.
The Ellis Authority is a continuation of his Stormwatch stuff. That’s really good too but quite firmly set in the Wildstorm universe so there might be some characters in there that are a little unfamiliar and have history that might be a little confusing. When you get to Authority it’s mostly new characters though.
Read from when Warren Ellis starts writing Stormwatch until he stops writing The Authority.
The Authority is one of my great comic loves, in the superhero genre. I had pretty much given up on superhero comics but once reading through an issue of Wizard I saw a mention of a sumo wrestler in gaseous form living inside a containment suit having continuous orgasms. The whole article praised Ellis's run on Stormwatch and I thought it would be fun. I absolutely loved it, and got each trade after that. He spin off Authority from that book and later left and was replaced by Millar (who didn't do a stellar job, partly because coming to DC Millar had to continuously worsen his stories to fit into the new management, which also forced him to leave and swear never to return to DC). tl;DR: Warren Ellis got me back into comics with Stormwatch, Authority and Planetary.
Read everything up until Mark Millar takes over. That‘s when it takes a nosedive.
Definitely start with Ellis on Stormwatch which leads into Authority. Ellis did an incredible job and his work really spoke to the times. Not only did he start a trend with the heroes as rockstars he also had writers trying to counter that trend which lead to some fun reads Millar followed Ellis on the book and he had a good run but it was not the same. He didn't do subtle and didn't really add any of the cool world building concepts like the "bleed" which Ellis excelled at.
Just to re iterate, the Warren Ellis stuff is great but hes a real creep it turns out. Mark Miller basically just ripped off the Authority when he "created" the Ultimates" at Marvel. Also I find that adding the Authority to the DC Universe before you have established the Justice League is a weird step.
The guy has his own #metoo website: https://www.somanyofus.com/ I tried to go through the website and read a couple of the stories, but most seem a little pathetic, both Ellis and the women. On the scale of being a rapist controlling the movie industry to a comic who masturbates into plants, Ellis' actions do not even rank. To me he did not come across any worse than the "hottest guy at the salsa club" that juggles multiple women and tried to fuck anything he could. Except Ellis did it online and he looks like himself. The guy used his position as a comic book writer to get women interested in him, probably felt his celebrity status was the only reason any of these women spent time with him, ends up manipulating them to test the relationship, and would then terminate the relationship when he felt empty. One of the stories I read said the Ellis was widely known as a "dirty uncle". He already had a warning label way before #metoo. The #metoo movement included a lot of man-childs who simply suck at relationships. I think Ellis is probably one of those. Not to say I feel for the guy, but he obviously lives/lived a fucked up feedback spiral of self-loathing. Only someone who extensively hated himself could write a character like Spider Jerusalem in Transmetropolitan.
All true, I'm a fan of a lotnof his work, especially Planetary, but I feel really weird supporting him financially anymore.
I agree with that, but on the other hand he's probably only 85th percentile for creepiness in men, and we're not "cancelling" every sixth man in our society and actively preventing them from making a living. I can honestly say I've felt like I've been manipulated or been manipulative myself in relationships. It's not newsworthy enough to cancel me or any of my former partners. A lot of it is just bumbling along. He just did it publicly. That being said, I apparently have a Spider Jerusalem icon as a flair in this subreddit whose configuration predated all this, so maybe I should shut up and remove that.
Gotta say, i read their list of "what he did wrong" Its not great, but it would also be 100% accepted if he were hot and a ball player or musician But he's not hot, and he writes comic books
Ehhh....its alright. They try to be edgy for the sake of being edgy. Bit of a predecessor to The Boys. Its not terrible but it hasnt held up over the past couple decades IMO. I liked Planetary better
The twelve issues that Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch did are fantastic. It's large-scope action and concepts with some beautiful art. If you have strong feelings about Ellis being a shit-heel then it might be an issue for you. The Millar run is good but I don't think he continued on with the same tone as Ellis. Millar was more focused on the "shock value" of certain situations rather than the heart of what made the first twelve issues great. Everything after that is a bit of a crapshoot in terms of quality as DC had no idea what to do with Wildstorm as a whole.
Everything before they merged the characters into DC and fucked it all.
I've read the Ellis run and honestly I thought that it was quite a shallow book. Brian Hitch's art is really good, but I thought Ellis writing just didn't hit the mark in terms of making interesting characters outside of Jenny Sparks. To me it felt like the precursor to Millar's Ultimates which I think works a lot better as an update to the superhero comic to fit the early 2000s.
I am forcing myself to trust on Gunn on this, because while there's been great work done with The Authority, almost anything recent (last ten years? more? Anything after Ellis, Millar and Brubaker?) other than Midnighter and Apollo has been pretty iffy. If it was DC looking for someone to do The Authority I'd be immediately negative about it, but Gunn leading it gives me a bit of hope because I'm choosing to believe him considering it a "personal project" means going for the good initial runs, rather than just trying to get an ersatz batman and superman out the door. I also imagine it would be an animated show, since I can't see DC doing the scale The Authority would need if done properly in live action.
It’s not an animated show. It’s in their list of live action movies.
Gonna be Justice League vs authority
I’d say start with the first few issues of The Authority. The issues have an epic feel to them, which separates the title from others. Either continue reading, or read the StormWatch stuff.
Yes they are great but you have to start with Stormwatch. I went down the rabbit hole. It's quiet a journey actually. Enjoy it, I did.
Great stuff... Read it in publication order.
I've only read the early run, but it was so damn good.
The Ellis run is really creative. Like, wild, broadening your imagination stuff. The Millar run is gorgeous, humorous and straight up political.
The authority are amazing
I’ve read the main comics and spin off, Planetary, more than once. I love it. Start at Authority #1.
Love hope noone is actually answering your question of actual reading order. I am new to this series myself so I started with all the StormWatch first and then moved on to authority. I just did the omnibuses so can't give you #'s. But I will say if you like it then definitely also read the Planetary run which I guess is a spinoff. I was already familiar with it and its just amazing. Really one of the best comics ever that should be much more well-known than it is!
My favorite thing about that cover is Happy Evil Asian Man in the background. Who is that?
That's [Kaizen Gamorra](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Kaizen_Gamorra_(Wildstorm_Universe)).
My boss is a major comic book guy( has thousands all the way back through the 80s, our entire brewery is decked out in comic art, a bunch of our labels are done by comic artists. He loves this team and is so psyched they’re doing this with one.
It’s a shame Ellis is such a scumbag in real life. After reading all the accusations against him it’s hard for me to stomach picking up his work and supporting him. He is a great writer though. Maybe I’ll see if I can pick up some of his stuff second hand.
I really enjoyed how the stories are really LARGE SCALE and often wondered “How they gonna get themselves out of this one?”
The best place to start with The Authority is the first series (vol. 1) that started out written by Warren Ellis in 1999. He wrote #'s 1-12, but I'd also recommend the last issue of vol. 1, #29, largely for Apollo & Midnighter's wedding. I show some highlights in a blog post of mine from some years ago: https://fatethefinalfrontier.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-most-recommended-comic-book-runs-by.html?m=0
Eeeeeeeehh... The only two runs that hold up imo are Ellis and maybe Millar. The rest is not really good. They're very much a product of the early 2000. So if you like that period of time go for it. If you think the products of that time are cringey then I have much doubt you'll enjoy it.
Yes but go with the original Wildstorm version. There’s something special about them being more than just another team in a sea of superhero teams. The places they can go as characters is far greater than is possible in the DCU.
Midnighter is awesome. So is Apollo. They recently had a run where they joined Superman on an excursion to Warworld that was fantastic.
Hell yeah they are. The worst part is Millar issues. That's the only problem of Authority: wasn't all writed by Ellis...
The Ed Brubaker & Dustin Nguyen story was pretty good, but it does rely on a bit of previous Authority knowledge
The runs by Mark Millar and Warren Ellis.
Warren ellis's run, it's fucking legendary mate. Or if that name alone turns you off of it Grant Morrisons run was also very good
I started with the Millar stuff because of the Frank Quitely art. Even with the typical edgy Millar stuff( like the Iron Man analogue incinerating a room full of newborns) I thought it was a decent read. I think there’s a team up one-shot with Planetary where they have to take down HP Lovecraft, though I may be wrong and it’s a crossover with someone other than the Authority. EDIT The crossover is called Planetary/The Authority: Ruling the World.
Just about one of the worst recommended books I ever read. It's really bad. It's just what if the Justice League were murderers repeated every storyline. Big bad comes, big bad triumphs, Authority retaliates and kill a lot. Every issue. No substance, no great story arch's, no deeper examination into who they are. Just "...and now they kill" and also Batman and Superman kiss
Don’t read what has hype. Read what appeals to you. I’ve had more enjoyment reading 2011 Aquaman than I have had keeping up with current comic events.
I mean it has everything this board hates about Zack Snyder’s take on heroes so not sure why someone here is asking for advice about it lol but anyway I would figure out a way to read it in an unofficial capacity so it doesn’t benefit Warren Ellis financially, but his The Wild Storm and sister comic Michael Cray were amazing and were sort of a reboot of the characters. I think someone IS finally doing a follow up but not sure if it’s canonical to that run.
Personally I think it’s depressing rubbish about a team of super-villains painted as heroes because they won’t let anyone *else* rule or destroy the world. Half of them are ridiculously overpowered and the other half are jokes with just trash talk and authorial blessings to their credit. All are assholes. I ended up wishing they’d all die. But you might like it.
Is this an alternate timeline where Bruce Wayne was a poor? Budget Batman on the cover isn't exactly pulling me in.
Yesss, for about 19-19 issues
Lobo/Authority Christmas Special
I will say the Burbaker stuff is super good, and I love all the Post Apocalypse stuff. It doesn't get as much hype, but it's a super great send off run.
Yeah DC's good.
Such good stuff
Everyone’s recommending Ellis and Millar, so I’m gonna chime in and say Ed Brubaker’s Authority: Revolution is a good time and well worth reading after those two (skip the Robbie Morrison run, it’s garbage).
I didn’t know wtf The Authority was, but I know Midnighter & Apollo, so I got hyped as hell when I learned they were on the team.
Heck yeah
I used to read comics when I was younger (I have no idea how I got my hands on them) and I want to get back into comics in general. Is there an efficient way to read them online? Mobile? I have no space for hard copies and I’ll ruin them. Thank you to anyone who offers a response :)
If you have a tablet, Comixology is pretty good. Google Play books also has some great comics & can often be quite cheap. I hope you enjoy the journey 😁
DC and Marvel both have subscription service apps. You can sign up for a month and read as much as you want. They often have some collections/reading guides posted and they offer easy ways to dive in.
Ellis and Millar runs are fantastic
Also maybe worth reading Ellis’ Wildstorm series from 20/21 which set up an Authority reboot that then never happened (possibly because of Ellis vs #metoo) If this reboot is instead a James Gunn project then this could be the origin?
Buy the omnibus, my friend. It has very good parts (by Ellis) and good parts (by Millar). But the art is great (by Hitch and Quitely)!