The Authority Omnibus Hardcover – 6 Aug. 2019

Received my copy of ‘The Authority Omnibus’ today. If you’re reading this you probably already know the detail: a superhero book created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch which follows the titular Authority, a team made up mostly of the characters that Ellis had previously created in Stormwatch and published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint. Originally published in 1999, the series went on to be written by Mark Millar, drawn by Frank Quitely and then others.Plot-wise it’s a turn of the 21st-century tale about a group of supes who will do anything to get the job done. Being Ellis this means mature and, at times, controversial themes.The quality of the material is unquestionable – recognised as one of the most influential titles in modern comic history. After Ellis’ initial run it attracted the likes of Mark Millar and Grant Morrison to write for it. There are clear changes in artistic style choices in the change of artists from Hitch to Quitely which may or may not be to your liking.So what of this collection?At £52 (compared to RRP of £80) you get a shade under 1,000 pages of material, collecting together the first 29 issue run, Rule the World, Jenny Sparks: Secret History (first time collected as far as I can see), Annual and Summer Special and celebration of 25 years, plus bonus material mainly featuring alt. covers/ early art and partial scripts.It’s a collection that’s been put together with care – a slipcase, solid binding which allows the book to be read easily and will, I’m assuming, last well despite the size and heft of the book. The bonus covers and art are nicely presented and while comparatively there’s not a huge amount there, I’m never too fussed about it: it’s the story that I’m interested in and with this material, there’s never any doubt you’re getting value.As an omnibus, it’s a (relatively) inexpensive way to get a whole lot of story in one collection. As someone who didn’t read the books the first time around, coming to the stories after reading some of Ellis' other works (his own and his runs on some of the more interesting DC/ Marvel runs in recent years) I'm really pleased to be able to get a collection of this size all in one place: I’m happy to re-read some of the stuff I’m familiar with and read for the first time quite a lot of material I hadn’t seen before.

Seriously - it’s huge and it’s amazing

As another reviewer states; the Ellis run is great. The Millar run is so so and doesn’t jive with the first half. I’d suggest getting them separately or just sticking to the Ellis run.Not as good as the planetary omnibus at all.

I love Planetary- I think its the perfect book, every issue worthy as a standalone issue in itself, but each woven into a wider stortelling arc. It is for this reason, and rememering at the time how highly rated the work was, that I wanted to read Stormwatch then the Authority. Stormwatch is highly rated- I remember comic magazines saying at the time that it was a must-read (surprising given that it had always been regarded as a b-list amongst the mass of mediocrity created by the artists who set up Image). Stormwatch is a decent read- sometimes a bit difficult to follow, and it is more an example of a writer stretching out and finding his feet. Authority follows the same path- some bits (the set up of the team), seem rushed. I still don't follow if the previous Engineer/Doctors that are referred to were ever in the actual comics, and found it quite difficult how we were thrown into this team with little set up, even the magical ship the team uses comes from nowhere. It does get better though- and its clear Jenny Sparks is the real focus of the book. When her story comes to an end, Millar steps in. I did originally want to abandon at that point, but did find some of the themes interesting. It is much less subtle in Millar's hands, but the themes are there. Millar seems to align with a left/liberal position at times, but writes as if he is a right-wing author! The attitude of the characters, the level of violence, the aggression, its the kind that you would expect from an author like Mike Baron. I can see one reviewer has claimed that Millar makes two of the characters gay- but this was evident from their first appearance in Stormwatch and throughout Ellis' run. Millar, as above, just lacks the subtlety- his work is more dramatic at times (it is no surprise that Hollywood has mined his works- like Hickman's, it is almost as if it is written as a screenplay for a movie). Its an interesting read, and one that is brave at times- the entire team gets replaced at one point by a bunch of villains, and the comics is so overtly anti-conservative that its refreshing in comparison to the normal Marvel/DC superhero comics. It asks difficult questions, and is very cynical at times. I do not find it perfect- there is much too much homophobia even though this comes from 'villains', and also the enslavement (and abuse) of one of the main characters seems unnecessary, but at least its a comic that is trying to push the boundaries.I've given this 4 stars- its a really great book, but its still not as perfect as Planetary. That really does deserve 5 stars, as the structure/pacing/characterisation is much more refined and Authority is essentially two separate books (Ellis/Millar runs), which is not as coherent overall despite being an enjoyable, interesting and challenging read.

Me recomendaron este comic pero no tenia muchas expectativas, y sencillamente me encantó, es una maravilla, historia, arte, desarrollo de personajes,no importa si eres fan de marvel o dc, esta historia sale de la norma , arco tras arco es increible.

A wild amazing comic...worth the money

Collecting a good chunk of The Authority issues, beginning from the ashes of Stormwatch and culminating to the rule of the world.It's a great comic book series, with lively art and witty remarks.It's everything the Justice League isn't and cranked to the max!Don't miss it!

Won't get into the details of the book, but my copy was a mess. This is the most damaged omnibus i have ever received from Amazon in my ten years of Omnibus buying. Someone clearly did not get what Ellis was writing and probably threw it at the wall or sat on it to make it disappear. I bought it from Amazing Buy for 4200. This is such a disappointment. But when it comes to premium item, disappointment is usually a free add on from Amazon. Book came in a flimsy plastic bag. No cardboardbox or anything. The best seller so far to buy premium books from is hands down Cloudtail. They have the more recent stocks or new printings. Amazing Buy usually has a stock of the out of print books for really good prices, which is a good thing sometimes but not always,case in point. Any of you poor souls end up with this copy, return it immediately no matter how cheap you get it. I have ordered for replacement.

Warren Ellis redefines the super-hero genre with The Authority, bringing Michael Bay visuals (thanks to Brian Hitch's illustrations) and big concept style of writing. This volume also collects Mark Millar's take, which is more visceral (as per his style). The writing is smart as it gets, and as for the art you cannot get better than Brian Hitch and Frank Quitely.