The Authority Book 4: Transfer Of Power
Writers: Mark Millar, Tom Peyer
Art: Frank Quitely, Arthur Adams, Gary Erskine, Dustin Nguyen
The fourth and final Authority book that Mark Millar had a hand in writing is undoubtedly the best so far!
After the Authority spent the previous 3 books saving the world in the manner they thought best for the Earths population, whether they liked it or not, the worlds most powerful corporate elite strike back at them for endangering their interests. In keeping with the traditions of the series so far the resulting story is gripping, gritty, ultra violent and occasionally very, very funny. I’ve come to like the characters of The Authority a lot and I’ve never been more shocked and upset by things going badly for a team of super heroes than I was when I read this. And believe me it gets bad! Some of it really has to be seen to be believed. The twists and turns in the plot kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, and the second story of the book written by Tom Peyer is every bit as fantastic as Mark Miller and Warren Ellis’ work on the series.
Despite so many different artists being involved, the artwork remains at a high standard throughout the book with crisp, clear characters and environments and fast, brutal looking action scenes.
although I’ve not read any further than this I understand that after this book the standard of the stories slips a bit as Mark Miller and Warren Ellis left the title but I’ve enjoyed the series and characters so much that I still intend to continue collecting the graphic novels so you can be sure of seeing more Authority reviews on the site if anybody wonders what their like.
If you like super hero comics but get frustrated when the heroes refuse to kill their opponents no matter how much they deserve it or how many horrible things they’ve done and just send the bad guys to jail without dishing out any kind of serious punishment then this series is for you. The first 4 books have it all. Incredible stories, dark humour, apocalyptic battles, great artwork as well as some blindingly original and unforgettable characters.
What I would say though, is start at the beginning with book 1. As trouser tremblingly good as book 4 is, it won’t mean much to you if you haven’t been following the series and getting to know the characters.
SUPER HERO COMICS DON’T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!
SCORE 10/10
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