Title: The Authority: The Lost Year (Book 1)
Publisher: Wildstorm
Writers: Grant Morrison, Keith Giffen
Artists: Gene Ha, Darick Robertson, Trevor Scott, Jonathan Wayshak, Brian Stelfreeze, Joel Gomez
Rating: 
Review by: Eric Stuckart
The story behind The Authority: The Lost Year, is a colorful one. Grant Morrison wrote the first two issues, originally planned to be a bi-monthly, in the timely fashion of nearly half a year, and then promptly moved on to greener pastures, mainly those of the DC Universe. This allowed Keith Giffen to step in, fleshing out the storyline outlined by Morrison, but putting his own twist on it. What readers will get is the tale of how The Authority, a group of superheroes, get shipwrecked on a parallel Earth that’s not quite up to their technological level, encounter Cthulu, and escape, only to get stranded on yet another parallel Earth, one where America is in the midst of a massive civil war, where that Earth’s Authority are the ones leading the splintered factions. The story, while typical in Morrison’s propensity for piling on the crazy ideas without mercy, redeems itself towards the end, but it’s the mixed bag of artwork that really kills the book. Out of the seven issues that comprise this trade, there are six different artists, and while Gene Ha and Darick Robertson knock it out of the park, Jonathan Wayshak’s style makes it quite difficult to take the third chapter seriously.
Pros: Alternate reality/parallel Earth concept is done without confusing the reader too much. Diverse cast of unique, memorable characters.
Cons: Artwork is extremely hit and miss. Dialogue gets a little too technical. Some characters aren’t introduced well or at all.
For more info, http://dccomics.com/wildstorm/graphic_novels/?gn=14797
Pads and Panels received a copy of the book courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.
October 8th, 2010 at 9:48 am
The scope of the first two volumes of The Authority were like nothing I’d ever seen before. To me, this really seperated Wildstorm from the rest of the pack. So far, none of the follow ups have garnered that same reaction from me. It’s such a rich property, and it’s a shame that they’re not doing much with it.
October 8th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
I really need to check those out. I loved the characters and the potential, but they really dropped the ball with this volume. That might be because of Morrison’s lack of enthusiasm though.
October 9th, 2010 at 8:33 am
Is it just me? I thought that the masked guy in the corner was Batman xD
October 9th, 2010 at 11:37 am
A lot of people say that. I kept thinking of Nicolas Cage as Big Daddy (minus the facial hair) from Kick Ass, personally, especially with that stupid look on his face.
October 9th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
It IS Batman. In this version, he and Superman are lovers.
And yes, Morrison is swiftly sliding down my favorite author list.