Superman and The Authority #1 Review (Grant Morrison, Mikel Janin)

In a world where the Justice League has failed, an older Superman who’s losing his powers makes one last attempt at resurrecting the spirit of collective action by putting together another superteam: The Authority! But time is running out as rogue robots loose in the Phantom Zone threaten to break through and destroy our world and a mysterious villain in space plots to kill a weakened Superman, once and for all…

All Star is a modern masterpiece and his New 52 Action Comics run was really good, so Grant Morrison returning to write Superman, even for a four-issue mini on DC’s latest hare-brained venture, Infinite Frontier (a kind of Elseworlds?), is a must-read for fans like me. And, though the first ish of Superman and the Authority isn’t as great as those other titles, it’s not a bad start either.

It’s been a minute since I last read an Authority book but, of all of those characters like Jenny Sparks, Midnighter and Apollo, Manchester Black isn’t anywhere near the top of the list I’d have expected to see take the spotlight in this story. He’s essentially a less famous Constantine (magic/psychic powers - same difference). It’s an unpredictable choice at least.

I know next to nothing about Infinite Frontier, which this miniseries is a part of, so I’ve no idea what happened to the Justice League, or why Superman’s powers are disappearing, so I’m just accepting this story as a standalone book in the same vein as Red Son.

I do like the idea though that Superman is more vulnerable now. The main criticism levelled at the character by a lot of readers is that he’s too powerful, so taking that away makes for a more interesting story. And, while it’s a throwaway line, Superman’s explanation for why the Justice League “failed” - being too sure of winning and taking things for granted - feels true and believable all at once.

The best part of the book remains the way Morrison writes Superman. That calm, measured way of speaking, conveying kindness and thoughtfulness, is exactly how I imagine Superman to speak. He takes the abuse Manchester Black hurls at him in his stride, rises above it, and helps him regardless. It’s such a skill to write Superman this well and I’ve missed this - no one else who writes Superman writes him quite so perfectly as Grant Morrison.

As brilliant an artist as Mikel Janin is, he doesn’t have much to do in this issue as it’s mostly Superman and Manchester Black chatting in the Fortress of Solitude. He does get a chance to show his range though with Black’s illusions, showing us a War of the Worlds-type alien invasion on one page and a triceratops on another.

It’s not the most exciting first issue (lotta table-setting, like most first issues) and Manchester Black’s constant bile is annoying after a spell - I’m still not sold on his inclusion but we’ll see. The art is solid though and it’s a pleasure to once again make the acquaintance of Morrison’s Superman. I’m interested to see who else in the Authority shows up and where Morrison’s going to take this story (Superman’s death?). Superman and The Authority #1 is a decent opener and worth a look if you’re a fan of Morrison’s Superman.