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The Authority Reading Order, The DC/Wildstorm series

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The Authority Reading Order

Created in 1999, when Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics (After Jim Lee left Image Comics), The Authority is a dark and violent superhero comic created by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan) and illustrated by Bryan Hitch (JLA).

The Authority is a spin-off set in the StormWatch universe. Following the events of the WildC.A.T.S/Aliens one-shot that saw the deaths of multiple characters, Jenny Sparks (aka “The Spirit of the Twentieth Century”), Jack Hawksmoor (aka “The God of Cities”), and Swift (aka “The Winged Huntress”), the survivors of the StormWatch Black team, went on to form a new team: The Authority.

Jenny Sparks recruited new members including Apollo (“The Sun God”), Midnighter (aka “Night’s Bringer of War”), The Engineer (aka “The Maker”), and The Doctor (aka “The Shaman”). Together, they operate from The Carrier, a ship capable of moving through the Bleed, the red space which separates alternate universes. The team uses its capacity to open “doors” anywhere on Earth to move quickly into action.

Where Stormwatch was run by the United Nations, The Authority operates freely with the idea that without government authority, the job can be done properly.

Full of high-concept ideas and breaking from the narrative mold used by Stormwatch, The Authority mixed adventures with decompressed storytelling, satire with absurd, and action with subtext in the background. The Ellis/Hitch run lasted for 12 issues. After that, writer Mark Millar and artist Frank Quitely took over. The politics of the book complicated things in the wake of 9/11–the Brian Azzarello and Glenn Fabry relaunch had to be canceled. Robbie Morrison and Dwayne Turner took over for a while, Ed Brubaker wrote a miniseries, then Grant Morrison came on board but it was a debacle, then Keith Giffen came to the rescue. Later, Christos Gage and Darick Robertson had a run, as well as Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and more.

Through the years, the team roaster evolved, and some characters were fully integrated into the regular DC Universe, but The Authority was still a different kind of superhero story.

The Authority Reading Order:

The Authority Volume 1 (1999-2002)

The First Volume of The Authority is composed of the Warren Ellis/Bryan Hitch run, and the Mark Millar/Frank Quitely run, plus some fill-in arcs by other artists.

Here is the official synopsis: Whether they’re up against an invasion from an alternate Earth, an international terrorist who is laying waste to major cities, or a hostile alien intelligence who calls himself God, the Authority are ready for action.

The recent DC Reprints:

Also published in 2019, but hard to come by now:

  • The Authority Omnibus
    The Authority (vol. 1) #1-29, Planetary/The Authority: Rule the World #1, Jenny Sparks: The Secret History of the Authority #1-5, Authority Annual 2000 #1 and material from Wildstorm Summer Special.

The Original TPB collection of The Authority Vol. 1:

The Authority Volume 2 (2003 -2004)

 Robbie Morrison and Dwayne Turner are the new creative team behind The Authority after its failed relaunch by Brian Azzarello and Glenn Fabry. During that period of time,  the series was part of the “Coup d’état” crossover with the Wildstorm titles.

  • The Authority: Harsh Realities
    Collects The Authority (vol. 2) #0-5.
  • The Authority: Fractured Worlds
    Collects The Authority (vol. 2) #6-14.

    • Coup d’État (takes place between The Authority (vol. 2) #6 & 7)
      Collects Coup d’État: The Authority #1, Coup d’État: Sleeper #1, Coup d’État: Stormwatch: Team Achilles #1, Coup d’État: WildCATS #1, Coup d’État: Afterword #1
  • The Authority: Human on the Inside (OGN)
  • The Authority: Kev
    The Authority: Kev #1, The Authority: More Kev #1-4.

    • Created by Garth Ennis and Glenn Fabry, Kevin “Kev” Hawkins is a former SAS with permanent bad luck–and a real Garth Ennis character.

The Authority Revolution (2004-2005)

Also collected in:

The Authority Volume 3: The Lost Year (2006-2010)

After Morrison’s first two issues, Keith Giffen took over with a story that saw the team’s interdimensional ship the Carrier power down and strand The Authority on an Earth in a reality they don’t recognize. 

The Authority Volume 4 (2008-2010)

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