The Authority: Human on the Inside

The basic plot revolves around yet another dastardly villain using yet another insidious method to attack the Authority, who are sort of a totalitarian super-friends. The catch here is that rather than death rays or radioactive meteorites, the villains instead exploit human nature to try and bring the team down from the inside by turning them against one another.

There are lots of nice "Mature Readers" moments in this book that will play well to long-time Authority fans, but I'm afraid it doesn't have much to offer to a new reader, as some of the plot hangs on knowledge of the original series continuity to truly make sense.

The artwork by newcomer Ben Oliver was servicable, with nuanced emotion and convincing action. His detail level is low, but his characters move with real weight and presence. I hope we'll see more from him soon.

Overall, this was a satisfying book, but I'm not sure it was deserving of the hardcover treatment. Once it is in paperback, I'm sure I'll sell quite a few to Authority trade customers, but I don't think this hardcover will be selling out soon. I give it a solid B.

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