Nick Costanzo
Aug 13, 2004, 11:14 pm
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0804/TheAuthority14t.jpg" align=left alt="Authority # 14"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0804/TheAuthority14.jpg)Reviewer: Nick Costanzo
Quick Rating: Very Good
Story Title: Street Life
And I thought Jack was a ladies' man...
Written by: Robbie Morrison
Pencils by: Whilce Portacio
Inks by: Sal Regla
Colors by: WSFX
Letters by: Phil Balsman
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Published by: Paul Levitz
And so, Robbie Morrison ends his run on the Authority with a character study on my favorite member of the team, Jack Hawksmoor. The result? Well, the story is fairly entertaining... but mostly without any lasting impact as well.
I've never had a chance to read the original Stormwatch series, so I really don't have any idea about what kind of person Jack was like before he joined up with the Authority. But one of the things that really attracted me to the character was that despite not having a clearly-told origin story, that was never really a problem. Jack didn't dwell on the past. He was too busy shaping the way the world would be in the future. Who cares why he can communicate, command, and control any city on the planet? The why isn't important with Jack. Its how he used that power that was important, and that's what made Jack so fascinating to me, especially after he took charge as the leader of the team.
Street Life, on the other hand, seeks to shed light on the man behind the now larger-than-life superhero. And really, it's a story that needs to be told from time to time. The members of the Authority have achieved an almost god-like presence, that its easy to forget the normal men and women behind those powers. And for Jack, its a murder that would never even register on the scale with which the Authority operates that helps shed some light on his past.
Its not much, really. An old girlfriend of Jack's is found murdered, and thanks to the nature of Jack's powers, he's able to see everything that happened in graphic detail. And since we have to wrap this up all in one issue, the murderer is identified and found within a few pages. With a little bit of info from Angie, Jack manages to find, and very easily kill the offender and his posse, even taking the time he's got left over to clean and refurbish Hell's Kitchen with a motion. Its a (relatively) happy ending, leaving us with a few words of inspiration before Jack walks into his artificial sunset.
I guess if I have any complaint about this story, is that likely, nothing will come out of it. Jack gets a little satisfaction, and in fact his powers are used with great creativity throughout this issue. But it didn't really bother me too much, to be honest. After all, we've all had moments that didn't really change our lives, but they were significant nonetheless. For a big-time superhero like Jack Hawksmoor, this “little” event includes beating the hell out of gangsters (see also: killing) and single-handedly reclaiming one of the most violent areas of New York, but hell, that's small for guys like Jack. I think its kind of funny, to be honest :)
Artist Whilce Portacio returns for his first Authority work since Coupt D'Etat. I'm not familiar with the man's work outside of Wildstorm, but from what I understand he's been around for a while. In light of that, I find it difficult to forgive the fact that he still seems to be searching for his own style. Panels look quite detailed and refined at one moment, sketchy and rushed the next. Figures shift in and out of proportion, and faces just grow warped in some areas. I will say, however, that his action scenes are very well laid out, and the storytelling is effective, despite the fact that the panels themselves can be confusing on their own.
Robbie Morrison, my man, you cut your teeth on this title and all things considered, you've come a long way from your first arc. Characters have become more defined, the stories have become more interesting, and you had the courage to make your team take over the United States during a rather politically charged time in our history, to say the least. Its been an entertaining run, man, and you will be missed by me, at the very least.
That said... Vive le Brubaker!
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsnone.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsnone.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wshalf.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsnone.jpg
By this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=12266)
Quick Rating: Very Good
Story Title: Street Life
And I thought Jack was a ladies' man...
Written by: Robbie Morrison
Pencils by: Whilce Portacio
Inks by: Sal Regla
Colors by: WSFX
Letters by: Phil Balsman
Assistant Editor: Kristy Quinn
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Published by: Paul Levitz
And so, Robbie Morrison ends his run on the Authority with a character study on my favorite member of the team, Jack Hawksmoor. The result? Well, the story is fairly entertaining... but mostly without any lasting impact as well.
I've never had a chance to read the original Stormwatch series, so I really don't have any idea about what kind of person Jack was like before he joined up with the Authority. But one of the things that really attracted me to the character was that despite not having a clearly-told origin story, that was never really a problem. Jack didn't dwell on the past. He was too busy shaping the way the world would be in the future. Who cares why he can communicate, command, and control any city on the planet? The why isn't important with Jack. Its how he used that power that was important, and that's what made Jack so fascinating to me, especially after he took charge as the leader of the team.
Street Life, on the other hand, seeks to shed light on the man behind the now larger-than-life superhero. And really, it's a story that needs to be told from time to time. The members of the Authority have achieved an almost god-like presence, that its easy to forget the normal men and women behind those powers. And for Jack, its a murder that would never even register on the scale with which the Authority operates that helps shed some light on his past.
Its not much, really. An old girlfriend of Jack's is found murdered, and thanks to the nature of Jack's powers, he's able to see everything that happened in graphic detail. And since we have to wrap this up all in one issue, the murderer is identified and found within a few pages. With a little bit of info from Angie, Jack manages to find, and very easily kill the offender and his posse, even taking the time he's got left over to clean and refurbish Hell's Kitchen with a motion. Its a (relatively) happy ending, leaving us with a few words of inspiration before Jack walks into his artificial sunset.
I guess if I have any complaint about this story, is that likely, nothing will come out of it. Jack gets a little satisfaction, and in fact his powers are used with great creativity throughout this issue. But it didn't really bother me too much, to be honest. After all, we've all had moments that didn't really change our lives, but they were significant nonetheless. For a big-time superhero like Jack Hawksmoor, this “little” event includes beating the hell out of gangsters (see also: killing) and single-handedly reclaiming one of the most violent areas of New York, but hell, that's small for guys like Jack. I think its kind of funny, to be honest :)
Artist Whilce Portacio returns for his first Authority work since Coupt D'Etat. I'm not familiar with the man's work outside of Wildstorm, but from what I understand he's been around for a while. In light of that, I find it difficult to forgive the fact that he still seems to be searching for his own style. Panels look quite detailed and refined at one moment, sketchy and rushed the next. Figures shift in and out of proportion, and faces just grow warped in some areas. I will say, however, that his action scenes are very well laid out, and the storytelling is effective, despite the fact that the panels themselves can be confusing on their own.
Robbie Morrison, my man, you cut your teeth on this title and all things considered, you've come a long way from your first arc. Characters have become more defined, the stories have become more interesting, and you had the courage to make your team take over the United States during a rather politically charged time in our history, to say the least. Its been an entertaining run, man, and you will be missed by me, at the very least.
That said... Vive le Brubaker!
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsnone.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsnone.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wshalf.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/wsnone.jpg
By this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=12266)