nexus Posted April 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? Well, I think he might be making it that ridiculous on purpose. I mean, the utter nonsense of it all might be precisely what he is trying to portray. In any case, I noticed the interesting numbering of the "Heroes Don't Kill" world myself. And is it just me or does no one in that setting but the Authority seem to have, like, Defenses? Or they all have Find Weakness 25- And/or Dispel All Defensive powers At once:40d6. One hit and most of their opponents shatter like they're made of glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? I think alot of it is because the Authority don't fight many foes at or near their power level. Partly, its because the WSU tends to use damage conventions more like a Dark Champions game ( especially location-based damage ), including some form of the old "One third Body done to a single location destroys that location." And you think the seemingly low resistant defense is bad, think about how many WSU characters would qualify for Power Defense, especially non-restricted Power Defense?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? If anybody figures out how to shut down their ship's teleporter, they're probably dead meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted April 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? If anybody figures out how to shut down their ship's teleporter' date=' they're probably dead meat.[/quote'] I hate to sound like a pretensious twit, but the whole set up comes across like a power gamers ultimate dream. God like powers (The Doctor? I mean come on!), a mega ship that can teleport them instantly anywhere, apparently infinite alternate universe at their finger tip with the answer to question/problem they might have. And apparently there's almost no one that comes close to their power level so they waltz thew opposistion with such ease the killing and brutality look gratitous (Superman does not have to resort to lethal force to stop a mugging). But its like a train wreck. For some reason I keep looking back with a horrid facscination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? I hate to sound like a pretensious twit, but the whole set up comes across like a power gamers ultimate dream. God like powers (The Doctor? I mean come on!), a mega ship that can teleport them instantly anywhere, apparently infinite alternate universe at their finger tip with the answer to question/problem they might have. And apparently there's almost no one that comes close to their power level so they waltz thew opposistion with such ease the killing and brutality look gratitous (Superman does not have to resort to lethal force to stop a mugging). But its like a train wreck. For some reason I keep looking back with a horrid facscination. It's okay as a conceit for them to have vast powers, but it's problematic for them to not have much in the way of worthy opponents--how about one they can't just kill off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? The lack of recurring enemies seems to be part of the basic philosophy of the series. After all, if they had a recurring enemy, they'd be just another superhero comic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? The lack of recurring enemies seems to be part of the basic philosophy of the series. After all' date=' if they had a recurring enemy, they'd be just another superhero comic.[/quote'] Perhaps, but from a reader/writer standpoint, that conceit will get equally tiresome after a while. If they kill everyone who opposes them, wouldn't they run out of willing enemies after a while? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? Ahh, but they have The Bleed which allows for invasion from an infinite number of alternate realities! This ensures a nonstop enemy supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? Ahh' date=' but they have The Bleed which allows for invasion from an infinite number of alternate realities! This ensures a nonstop enemy supply.[/quote'] Hopefully they'll eventually have an enemy show up who's not an idiot, and actually avoids a quick death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Cross Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? True enough.Unfortunately,finding villains who could actually defeat the Authority and NOT kill them (and survive the inevitable revenge trip) must be rather difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted April 11, 2004 Report Share Posted April 11, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? True enough.Unfortunately' date='finding villains who could actually defeat the Authority and NOT kill them (and survive the inevitable revenge trip) must be rather difficult.[/quote'] This is why they stink. no really, they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? I've just finished reading Millar's run on "the Authority". Funnier than I thought it would be. I have to admit, seeing them bully China out of Tibet and the Russians out of Chechenya was satisfying in a power trip, wish fulfillment kind of way. I still think it wouldn't work in continuity-heavy universes like Marvel and DC, though. I'm not sure they portrayed the US government alone as eee-vil here. To be be exact, they portrayed ALL governments as eee-vil. I don't have much trouble with that, though I'd rather say governments, being primarily interested in self-perpetuation, are more *ammoral* than evil, in that they're highly capable of potentially evil acts to protect their interests. The only thing that irks me is that, for some unfathomable reason, the UN alone is depicted as a noble organization, since the Authority trusted them enough to gift them with highly dangerous equipment they confiscated from a supervillain. That makes the Authority seems more like deluded liberals than the sexy cynical anarchists they seem to be most of the time. Why, oh why, when you collect several eee-vil governments in a worldwide organization they suddenly become noble? Maybe because they'd act as checks and balances on each other? That'd make them more inefficient, not necessarily nobler. Oh yes, and it was fun to see how the Authority dealt with Seth in the end. The hillbilly's final fate was pretty wicked, but I'm damned if it didn't beat Batman escorting the Joker to Arkham Hotel after the clown mass murdering his monthly diet of innocents. No, I don't believe in "kill them all and let God sort them out", I just think heroes should think harder about how to deal with repeated offender mass murderers who've proven ridiculously immune to conventional incarceration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZootSoot Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? For good or for evil, I'm not sure I'd classify Mark Millar as a political propaganda agent. The guy just likes to write stories that (to his fans) pack "punch" or (to his haters) are all about cheap shock. In his "Ultimates", several of the good guys are American agents. And several of them are really good guys by my book (Cap America, Iron Man, Nick Fury...). In his "Ultimate Fantastic Four", likewise the government is involved with benign scientific research. Well, yeah. All these complaints about how awful The Authority is seem to be missing the point (OSISTM), which is, hey, superpowers don't change the moral equation. The best motives in the world are not enough to stop good people (or people who try to be good) from doing evil. Maybe it has become more extreme since the death of Jenny Sparks, but Jenny was no paladin of virtue. The Authority is at its best when it shows how they compromise themselves because of personal feelings, pursuit of power and pure expediency. Give me this any day over the simplistic perfection of The Superfriends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZootSoot Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? It must be pointed out that the main reason for superheroes not interfering in real world business is pratical (and apolitical). I think Marvel and DC just want to keep the "real" portion of their universes recognizable to avoid greater editorial work and further confusion for new readers and adaptations in other media. Furthermore, heroes interfering in real events would mess with the continuity in other ways... if the Avengers had helped the US win the Vietnam War, that would tie the Avengers to the Vietnam Era, making it harder for Marvel to keep them forever young, since you'd had to reference those old stories to explain why Marvel Universe Vietnam is "capitalistic". Left-wing writers like Warren Ellis have used (sometimes very effectively) superhero "non-interference" as a symbol of harmful apathy, egotism, hypocrisy, or even "fascist" protection of the status quo. But I would also point out that "complacent" superheroes might have nobler reasons for not interfering. You topple the old boss, you become the new boss. And most times the new boss ends up becoming not that different from the old boss, heh? Maybe superhero interference inevitably leads, in the long term, to a superhuman aristocracy ruling the world? Would it be worse than what we have now? Maybe not. Sincerely, I think I prefer to trust people who got their power in weird accidents than people who achieved power through (sometimes quite unhealthy) personal ambition. I'm not sure power corrupts, but I'm damn sure that corruption empowers, in our nice little world. People who are accidentaly powerful are less likely to be corrupt, IMO. Still, it's not a clear-cut issue, morally speaking. I no longer disdain the position of "political non-interference" of your usual superhero. Maybe they know what they're doing. The view of a monarchist. A healthy democracy is one wherein disparate interests are pitted against each other and thus the best (as in least worst) course is achieved. It ain't pretty, nor perfect but it's the best thing we've got (barring divine interventions). Now we haven't had a healthy democracy here in the US in something like seven decades, but that's another matter entirely . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZootSoot Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? Lex Luthor as president, never happen in the real world. Hes a ruthless ,under hand ,criminal , controll freak, moral vacume, power monger...... but most importantly he has no hair, that alone stops his election. And saying that if he was your evil nemisis would you allow him to be in controll of the most powerful nation on earth ( like superman ) or would your hero go "no way" and kill the Bas&*^d, swallowing all those code vs killing and law abiding disads. Or follow your moral path into Hell ( Hitler was elected democratically ), cos Lex can now change the law . The path of the hero is not to follow the current administration , but his heart and a sense of justice, and as such should always be "wild Cards" as far as the goverment is concerned. A superhero fights for truth and justice and in a dark world they are the enemy of the goverment X-men etc. this should be on the Authority post sorry for Ranting. I have said it before and I will repeat myself here. Lex Luthor should never have won the presidency, and being president he should have been quickly removed, because in entering that arena his archnemesis should no longer have been Superman but someone far more dangerous to him . . . Clark Kent. Can you imagine the information Kent could have dug up and published on Luthor? Kent should have destroyed Luthor's political career (and for that matter all of his legitimate careers) and his failure to do so is a much greater blot on his character than Superman's restraint in the use of lethal force against Luthor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? The view of a monarchist. A healthy democracy is one wherein disparate interests are pitted against each other and thus the best (as in least worst) course is achieved. It ain't pretty' date=' nor perfect but it's the best thing we've got (barring divine interventions). Now we haven't had a healthy democracy here in the US in something like seven decades, but that's another matter entirely . . .[/quote'] I've never thought of myself as monarchist, but I see from where you're coming from, since I've said I'd rather trust someone who got their power through "accident" (like the old kings) than personal ambition, this conclusion can be drawn. Actually just because I'd trust the Authority a little more than some corrupt politician who got in there through power jockeing it don't mean I'd trust the Authority a great deal. And I'd rather have someone I do NOT trust but I can get rid off in the next election relatively easily than a corrupt king that we'd have to force out of power through force of arms. So yes, I quite agree with you that a democracy is preferable. It sucks, but it's the best we've got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? The view of a monarchist. . . Another thing I just thought. A superhero also would be different from a king in that he/she starts as a ordinary person who gained powers by accident, while the other was raised from an earlier age into his role, probably resulting in a quite different mindset. Another reason why I wouldn't equate my oppinions to monarchism. Of course, if a setup like the Authority goes on for more than one generation, then we could really have hereditary superhero rulers. The opponents of the group at least can rest asured that two of them aren't likely to breed. BTW, the gay marriage of Apollo and the Midnighter was the cutest happy ending I've ever seen in comics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BishopofB&W Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? Give me this any day over the simplistic perfection of The Superfriends. Hey! Don't go dissin' Marvin, Wendy, and Wonderdog! That's my job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZootSoot Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? Another thing I just thought. A superhero also would be different from a king in that he/she starts as a ordinary person who gained powers by accident, while the other was raised from an earlier age into his role, probably resulting in a quite different mindset. Another reason why I wouldn't equate my oppinions to monarchism. Of course, if a setup like the Authority goes on for more than one generation, then we could really have hereditary superhero rulers. The opponents of the group at least can rest asured that two of them aren't likely to breed. BTW, the gay marriage of Apollo and the Midnighter was the cutest happy ending I've ever seen in comics. The means of choosing a monarch need not be hereditary . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcL63 Posted April 22, 2004 Report Share Posted April 22, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? I have already said in another thread that I still enjoy The Authority, though I will happily here add that I don't think that it is as good as it was in its early run. And that's not just a matter of the original art still being the best the comic has had. A pal of mine (he who tipped me to the comic in the first place) made the perceptive point that the Authority are so powerful, with powers not defined so that they can do essentially anything that is required of them in a given issue, that they break all the rules of comic book continuity and team development. This strikes me as what a lot of people in this thread are reacting so negativley to, apart from the political stuff. Perhaps this is why the comic is being cancelled (as I was told in my local comic shop when I finally got round to putting The Authority on a regular order). Also, to add to the list of other, less over the top attempts to use superhero comics to say something critical about the real world, I just reread Daredevil- Born Again the other day. This covers very similar terrain to The Authority, but, with Frank Miller at his best, I guess I'd agree that it is ultimately more satisfying than The Authority. Perhaps that is something to do with the fact that Daredevil operates at a much more obviously human level, especially in that story, with characters like Ben Urich playing such a central role in the narrative. Also, I found the portrayal of Cap in that comic unusually sympathetic, which is something of an achievement given the gulf between his patriotism and my own lack of same. Similar points can be made, albeit about police corruption, of Miller's other masterwork of the same period- Batman- Year One. Nostalgia, sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyendasky80 Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? I'm not surprised they're cancelling the series. It said all it had to say a long time ago. It should have been resigned to minis and one-shots after Millar's Seth arc (and Nyugen's arc with the fake Authority should never have been). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? I'm not surprised they're cancelling the series. It said all it had to say a long time ago. It should have been resigned to minis and one-shots after Millar's Seth arc (and Nyugen's arc with the fake Authority should never have been). Is it clear they're cancelling it? I think the reason there's no crossover with JLA is because either the Authority would kill the JLA, or the JLA would beat the unholy crap out of them for being so bloody-minded. It does seem like a story premise that will exhaust its possibilities after a few years at most. If the title were wholly "realistic", they'd lose members every other story arc, either due to assassination, casualties of war, or team frictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMcL63 Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? Is it clear they're cancelling it?All I have is the word of a member of staff in my comics shop. I presume they'd know because they'll've been told how much longer they can order it. I guess there might also be news in the comics industry press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyendasky80 Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? Previews is the source of most gossip, whether a book is solicited in the latest issue, I can't recall but I'll be happy to check when I get home. (Being without a comic store, I order Previews every month) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbdaury Posted April 23, 2004 Report Share Posted April 23, 2004 Re: The Authority:What the heck? I had heard that they're re-launching the series with a new #1 issue, but I don't remember if they have the same team on it or a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.