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The Authority

For The Authority in the trilogy His Dark Materials, see The Authority (His Dark Materials).

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The Authority is a superhero comic book. It was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, published by Wildstorm and follows the adventures of The Authority, a superhero team comprising mainly of Ellis-created characters from Stormwatch - a similar comic.

It is notable for its intense graphic violence and visual flair, often described as "widescreen" comics, and the uncompromising attitudes of its characters (leading to them often being described as fascists).

The Ellis/Hitch run of The Authority was followed by a popular run by Mark Millar and the pseudonymous Frank Quitely, during which the comic reached the peak of its popularity and began to decline. This decline was marked by, among other things, Quitely postponing the art chores in the middle of a story arc to work on another comic book; during this hiatus a story arc written by Tom Peyer was inserted, after which the Millar/Quitely issues resumed, and the series was then cancelled.

The series was subequently restarted, and was written by Robbie Morrison. This incarnation of the series lasted for 14 issues, and prior to issue 10, the series was part of the Coup'D'Etat crossover that included The Authority, Sleeper and Wildcats v3.0. This crossover revolved around The Authority taking over the United States of America.

The series is due to be restarted in October of 2004, by the acclaimed writer Ed Brubaker.

Members of the Authority

Jenny Sparks, founder of the Authority. Had electrical powers, and was the "Spirit of the Twentieth Century". Born on January 1, 1900, she did not age once she reached her mid-20s, and died on December 31, 1999.

Jack Hawksmoor, the "King of Cities". He was repeatedly abducted and surgically modified by aliens as a child, as a result of which he is linked to whatever city he finds himself in. He is physically unable to survive outside of an urban environment for long.

Swift, aka Shen Li-Min. A character from pre-Ellis Stormwatch, Swift has the ability to grow wings at will, and consequently to be the "fastest winged mammal on the planet". She can also shed the wings, at which point they dissolve messily.

Apollo - an openly-gay Superman pastiche with explicitly solar powers, he is married to the Midnighter.

Midnighter - an openly-gay Batman pastiche whose enhancements are intended to make him the world's most dangerous fighter, he is married to Apollo.

The Doctor - the latest in a long line of shamans who protect the entire planet, the Doctor is a Dutch heroin addict who is as powerful as the sum of all preceding Doctors - each of whom was also as powerful as the sum of all preceding Doctors. The Doctor's vast magical abilities can do nearly anything, so long as he can conceive of it in poetic terms.

The Engineer, aka Angela Spica. After the first Engineer was killed in an issue of Ellis's Stormwatch, his nanotechnology transferred itself to Spica and bonded with her system, giving her vast mechanical abilities.

Jenny Quantum, the reincarnation of Jenny Sparks, she is the Spirit of the 21st Century. Jenny Quantum was born in a Singapore hospital on January 1, 2000; the hospital was subsequently destroyed, and her parents killed, by supervillains who sought to control her upbringing and thereby influence the flow of history. She has since been adopted by Apollo and the Midnighter.

The Carrier - in addition to being the Authority's headquarters, the Carrier is also an enormous living interdimensional spaceship which is able to go just about anywhere.