Superman and the Authority #1 Review

 

Respect My Authority

Writer: Grant Morrison

Artist: Mikel Janin

Cover Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 20, 2021

I am not the biggest Grant Morrison fan, but I always check out any #1. But, I'll give him one thing, his books are always different, and I am a Mikel Janin fanboy through and through.  So, that is why I am here to review Superman and the Authority, the new four-issue mini-series.  So, did it kick ass right out of the gate?  Let's find out...

The issue opens with Superman in 1963, talking with President Kennedy about Superheroes, World War Two, the Space race, and more.  It has a bit of an ominous feel to it when Superman asks Kennedy if he needs protection in Dallas, and JFK turns him down but asks Superman to keep a promise instead...the promise of a better world. 

 It's a good open that shows Superman as the Boy Scout who gets to call the most powerful man in the free world by his first name, and really, I almost thought that Kennedy's future might not be set in stone with how positive things felt. But, sadly, that doesn't last.

After seeing the inevitable fate of the President, we shift to Manchester Black.  I love the way Janin draws him here and love that he eventually gets his ass kicked and more because he is a real piece of shit! Before that, though, Morrison gives a great look at his formidable powerset and attitude.

We skip ahead in the timeline where Superman is trying to recruit Black to help with Phantom Zone problems and more.  It seems Superman is losing his powers and is gathering a team that can, when combined, have the proportionate powers of good old Supes.  I would say that Superman is being a bit pompous here, but he is correct, so I can't say that!

Janin's art and Morrison's dialogue do all the heavy lifting here, and by the end, I liked the issue, but didn't have a firm grasp of what was going in, big picture-wise.  I think that's an odd thing to do in a four-issue series, but Morrison does what Morrison does.  I was pleasantly surprised and confused by this new #1, but I will also be back for #2.

Bits and Pieces:

Grant Morrison kicks off his four-issue mini with some historical feels, intrigue, and great art by Mikel Janin.  Morrison fans will eat this up, but others might want to wait for another issue or two to see what's going on.

7.5/10