Featured Review: Superman and the Authority #1

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artist: Mikel Janin

Colors: Jordie Bellaire

Letters: Steve Wands

Cover: Janin

Around these parts, we have mixed feelings pertaining to Grant Morrison. Sometimes he produces genius writing like Batman Inc. Others he makes complete duds like Final Crisis. However, they both shine when Morrison’s strengths, which lie in characterization, are at the forefront. Luckily, the first issue of this miniseries leans on its characters as there is little in the way of plot.

Full Spoilers for Superman and the Authority #1.

As one would expect from the writer of what is often cited as the best Superman story ever, Morrison nails Clark. Granted, this is a much different version of the character from before. His powers are waning as he ages. He regrets not doing more to fundamentally change the world. Instead, he built a clubhouse and fought supervillains. Now he is determined to assemble a team that can help him accomplish what he promised Jack Kennedy all those years ago¹.

It is a significantly different approach to the slow death of Superman than All-Star Superman, more akin to Kingdom Come’s portrayal of the character. He is more closed off and aggressive, no longer the classic boy scout. This Clark is tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of not doing enough. But the traditional persona peeks through occasionally. He celebrates Manchester Black joining the team with glasses of mineral water and trusts that Black will return and save him from the invading robots.

Speaking of Black, he sucks. Like, properly sucks. Every time he speaks, it is insufferable. It is perfect. He is a hero at heart but is too cool to admit it, so he disguises joining the team as both a self-righteous owning of the Justice League and a wholly self-serving motivation. The purpose of the character’s inclusion is to show this Superman is willing to work with…less savory types and it does so successfully while allowing him to be himself.

Superman and the Authority #1 may lean on its characters, but the star of this show is the art team. Janin’s work is always beautiful, and he gets to have some fun with panels in this issue. Inlaid panels, panels made of several smaller panels, panels framed like film, big splash pages. Everything is here and rendered to perfection.

Perhaps more important to this issue’s success than Janin is Bellaire. The coloring here is striking. Take for example, Superman’s modern entrance in the superhero 3-point stance being completely in shadows with red eyes, communicating this is a different man than the one that called President Kennedy by his first name. Throughout the book, action scenes are cast in a stark red light and calm ones are largely blue. The two stylings clash at the comic’s climax as Superman fights the invaders in dredged in red while Black’s contemplative journey into the snow is blue, creating a gorgeous dichotomy.

I will not lie; when this comic was announced, I was skeptical. On its face, Superman leading the Authority seems like a dumb idea that completely misreads the star character. Based on this premiere and the CVs of the creative team, it seems hard to imagine this series being fumbled. It is certainly within the range of possible outcomes, though. But like Clark Kent, I believe in a finer world

1The series opens on a meeting between Superman and Kennedy just days before the latter’s assassination in which Clark promises him a finer world where we have a potential classic on our hands.