Ed Brubaker's epic story concludes.

books:

	• The Authority: Revolution, Book 2 Ed Brubaker Wildstorm, 2006 - 144 pages average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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Ed Brubaker's epic story concludes.

Ed Brubaker, best known as the man who killed Captain America over at Marvel Comics, had earlier written a twelve-issue arc on DC/Wildstorm's "The Authority", a JLA-esque superteam with fewer morals and more sex and violence. Introduced by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, and later handled by the likes of Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, Brubaker's run restores some prestige to a property that had meandered for some time. The first half of the story revolved around the Authority running the United States, with a mysterious off-panel foe manipulating events.

This volume picks up a few years in the future after the Authority's disbanding at the end of the last volume, with Jack Hawksmoor (poorly-defined powers relating to cities), Swift (basically DC's Hawkgirl, though Asian), Apollo (Superman analogue), and Midnighter (Batman analogue) (the two are also gay, which is handled as a background detail), the Doctor (an incredibly powerful magician), the Engineer (a woman with nine pints of nanotechnology in lieu of blood, which she extends over her nude body to form a metal skin and weaponry in battle), and Jenny Quantum (the spirit of the 21st century) mostly living separate lives (some, such as the family pairing of Apollo and Jenny, and the romantic Hawksmoor and the Engineer, stick together). The villain behind their disbanding is revealed as Henry Bendix, a villain from the old "Stormwatch" series, and he has a major plan in the works to finally defeat his old enemies and secure corporate dominance of America.

Brubaker is best known for street-level grit, but here he holds his own with the likes of Ellis, throwing out numerous sci-fi concepts, particularly with regard to the history of the various Jennys (the spirits of various eras), whose backstory he embellishes considerably; Jenny Quantum, a relatively minor figure in the first half of this arc, takes centre-stage here, as we see her start to assume the leadership role that Jenny Sparks played in the original incarnation of the team. Bendix is a masterfully-handled villain, and most of the heroes get some big moments that showcase their skills (Shen/Swift remains pretty superfluous, something that seems to invariably be the case no matter who is writing "The Authority"). He also makes the first alterations to the team's lineup since the introduction of Jenny Quantum many issues earlier, adding the latest incarnation of the Doctor (who gets quite an interesting origin story) (at the same time sending off the version who's been around for the series so far), and another member whose identity I'll refrain from mentioning, since it's a twist. On art is Dustin Nguyen, whose work fits the Authority absolutely perfectly; his is the best stuff the team has seen since Hitch left.

One can debate the merits of the various runs on "The Authority" (both Ellis and Millar's tenures have much to recommend in different aspects), but Brubaker's may be the best for balancing action, inventiveness, and characterization.

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Former StormWatch Weatherman Henry Bendix has returned from the dead and is busy remolding the Earth to his unique vision. But what ever happened to "Earth?s Last of Defense," the Authority? After the debacle in the nation?s capital that led to the destruction of Washington, DC, they relinquished control of the United States and all but vanished. How long can tyranny stand before heroes will rise up? Can a teenage Jenny Quantum reunite the fractured team and make them heroes again ? or has Bendix finally won the battle?