Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Avoiding Epistemology


The Authority
Jenny Sparks

I've started re-reading The Authority, mostly to rest my eyes and ease the headache brought on by trying to understanding Wittgenstein and the difference between exotic and domestic skepticism. Blah, blah, blah. At any rate, I thought I'd bore you with my thoughts on why The Authority is the definitive super-hero comic of the twenty-first century.


When I say The Authority, first of all, I don't mean all of it. I'm only referring to Warren Ellis and Mark Millar's run on the series, not the stupidly funny The Magnificent Kev run with Garth Ennis or the just plain stupid Authority Prime bullshit, which for some reason I'm still reading. Frankly, The Authority has begun it's slide into continuity-obsessive inanity; I don't want to have to read The Majestic, Gen13, Stormwatch (which, let's face it, sucked after Eillis left), and a half-dozen other Wildstorm books to get what's going on.


Our main purpose might be defending the earth, but that doesn't mean we're going to sit back and tolerate human rights abuses taking place under our noses. We're not some comic book super-team who participate in pointless fights with super-criminals every month to preserve the status quo.

This is the crux of what makes The Authority so important in the twenty-first century. It's a book that aims to actually deal with the politics of superheroes, to deal with the ramifications of what they do. It's appropriated the themes of superheroes, the capes, the suspense-of-disbelief, the pseudo-science and the larger-than-life, and it has added on the ability to change the status quo, to properly accept the consequences of their actions.


They've even appropriated classic characters and put a twenty-first century spin on them. The Midnighter (Batman) and Apollo (Superman) are a gay couple who adopt a child, for Christ's sake.


Anyway, it's good stuff. I'm going to get to work now, or maybe watch Veronica Mars and pretend to work. Also, I just saw Cabaret in Little Theatre. They're sold out, but if you're reading this and you have tickets for this weekend, try to sit at one of the tables. Unless you mind getting felt up by scantily clad actors and actresses. I must say, I felt a little awkward and lecherous, but I'm from Minnesota and repressed.