Quote:

Rob Kamphausen said:
Quote:

Prometheus said:
The Authority's influence completely altered the face of the superhero landscape as we know it.



how so?

just that it was a different take? or not-so-necessarily "good" good guys? cuz there was swearing and adult themes?

what'd you get from the title?




I wouldn't really classify it as "adult themes", per se. I think what was so revolutionary about it was its intent (especially in the Millar run) to showcase the reality of superhumans in a modern world. And, to another extent, the idea of superhumans actually tackling real issues that plague our civilizations. Anyone who read The Authority came away with different things, I'm sure. However, I don't think it's as easy to accept the normal status quo of "superhero vs supervillian" after having read the series. Forevermore the idea that fighting the spandex baddie is merely another cycle in the repetition of the status quo of superhero comics is truly exposed.

That's also what I came away with. It sort of bled some of the wonder and fun out of the standard superhero fare for me, as I had been shown something far superior. As a person gets older, their tastes, desires, and expectations evolve in all facets of their life. Comics, for me, were no exception. I wanted...no, I LOVED...seeing a superhuman team take on all the real assholes in the world that no one single real individual has the power to do so. It truly harkened back to the Golden Age Superman for me. The original, 1939 Kal-L, who went after corrupt lobbyists and dicks who slapped their wives around. He was a beacon for the common man of that day, avenging the wrongs the populace was powerless to handle. The Authority simply updated this exact same concept. That's what I adored about the title. That's what kept me coming back month after month.

It's in all of this that I think it transformed the landscape of comics. Writers had to up their game to keep up. It was obvious by the sales that the general reader was craving something fresh and new. Writers could no longer sit back and swim in the mediocrity of the standard beat-em-ups. Well, I guess they could, really. But, the obvious lack of innovation was now apparent. The Authority showed me how metahuman comics could be written. The subjects they could take on, if only the corporations that published them had the balls or will to do so...