"They think there's no one left to save the world."

It sounds like a typical one-liner you'd find on a blockbuster action flick poster, and that's actually not far from the truth. The "sequel" to British writer Warren Ellis's popular run on Stormwatch, Wildstorm Comics' The Authority is the closest a comic book can come to a slam-bang summer action movie; it's big, it has explosions, special effects, one-liners and the like. But its a little bit madder, a great deal bigger, and it contains some crazier ideas, which aren't always found on film.

The series begins with the disbanding of StormWatch, a United Nations-sanctioned team of superhumans. Unfortunately, this leaves no one to save the world, to protect it from itself or from any outside forces that might threaten it. Three ex-Stormwatch members come to the front -- Jenny Sparks, the electrical woman and "spirit of the 20th century"; Jack Hawksmoor, alien-engineered "God of the Cities"; Shen-Li Min, a winged woman with predatory skills -- all wanting not only to protect the earth, but to leave it better than they found it. They are joined by four other recruits, also emerging from Stormwatch series -- Apollo and Midnighter, two soldiers "rebuilt" by a mad covert project; the Doctor, a shaman for the new millennium; and the Engineer, a woman whose blood has been replaced with liquid machinery.

Based on a fifty mile wide "Shiftship" called The Carrier that exists outside space and time, they are The Authority: the front line, last chance, final defense and only hope for whatever threats Earth might face.

In the book's first story arc, battalions of "superbastards" are destroying major cities and their inhabitants. The UN, without Stormwatch, is helpless against the group's leader, Kaizen Gamorra (once attacked by Stormwatch for an act of terrorism). Now that the world is defenseless, Gamorra has sent his armies to scar it with his symbol, a circle with three knots. As Gamorra's troops move towards London, the Authority arrives, determined to stop them.

All of this sounds pretty simple, and indeed it is. The Authority is built into a basic three-act structure. Some bad villains are around, they need their heads kicked in, and that's what happens. The appeal lies not in the plot but the details, which include wacky sci fi ideas and vast cosmic superhero fantasies. It's a huge and insane showcase of flying armies of supermen, chromed nanotech women, and sprawling, interdimensional alien ships. More than just plot cyphers, the characters are twisted and rearranged takes on superhero archetypes that nonetheless come across as both interesting and fun. They have distinct personalities, from tough-as-nails Jenny Sparks, who's leading the team because someone has to, the Doctor, who wonders if he really can do the job, to The Engineer, who's still in awe at all the wonderful things she's discovering since her transformation. This is trademark Ellis, whose brain I imagine as a coffee machine, with grains of ideas endlessly percolating. And there's no need to have read Stormwatch to enjoy The Authority.

It's no mean task to be up to the level of Ellis' madness, but penciller Bryan Hitch and inker Paul Neary prove more than adequate. Hitch and Neary are excellent background artists, whether the setting be Moscow, London, New York, or the Carrier itself, of which the interiors will surely wow comic readers and scifi fans alike with many slick designs. Character designs, too, are well-defined and original, with nicely realized body types and facial expressions (these are the guys Dark Horse should hire for its Star Wars adaptations). Colorist Laura Dupuy's also doing some great stuff here, from the reflections on the Engineer's metallic body to the multiple realities in which the Carrier hangs out (beautiful swirls and mixes of color) to the gray winter sky of an untouched Moscow and the fiery explosions that destroy it.

All in all, The Authority is a great deal of big superhero action fun. That's what the creative team sets out to do, and it is accomplished with much success. The plot, while mainly straightforward, is filled with mad ideas woven together with edgy characterization, all rendered in great style and color. I recommend it for those who want to see a good action/sci fi film on paper or just a fine comic with innovative ideas and terrific art.

-- Yannick Belzil

The Authority, published by DC Comics, is currently available only through comic retailers.

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