REVIEW: Superman And The Authority #3

Superman And The Authority #3 is finally here and so far I absolutely love this series. I love this slightly different take on my favourite hero and seeing him team up with The Authority has truly been a breath of fresh air for me.

But before we get into the issue itself, let’s take a look at the covers. The standard cover is by Mikel Janin and once again he absolutely understands the assignment. I love his artwork and this cover is no exception and it perfectly captures the contents of the issue in a rather abstract and gruesome way.

The variant cover is by Bengal and it is both stunning and action packed, which can be hard to execute simulataneously. It’s great to see a well known Superman villain back in the pages of a comic – Ultra-Humanite, both he and Superman look equally intimidating to say the least. I love the colour palette for this cover too, it has a soft touch and I think that is down to the pearly pinks used for the background.

Superman And The Authority #3 opens up with a flashback of June Moon’s aka The Enchantress’ escape. We see Superman and his newly formed team try to get through to her and convince her that she’s more than she thinks she is. The issue then ups the ante as Superman acts as bait whilst he sends some of the members to retrieve the last recruit, Lightray as the rest of the members take on an emergency in Dubai.

I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of Enchantress’ story, that’s nothing to do with the way that it’s written, she’s just a character that doesn’t really appeal to me. With that said I do adore the way that Superman is able to get through to her and doesn’t give up regardless of the odds. That is what Superman is all about for me and I particularly love the line “Every moment’s a fresh opportunity to do something you can be proud of”. I love that and it’s something I want to live by myself, so thank you to Grant Morrison for adding that.

Another thing I love is the way every other member of The Authority treats Superman – with the upmost respect. It’s clear how they feel about him and that just goes to show the imprint he’s had not only on them, but also the world. It’s almost like they’re shocked and humbled that Superman wants them to work with him on this mission, with the exception of Manchester Black of course.

Once again Manchester Black has me in stitches, his cockiness and his humour is totally on point. He isn’t the only character that Morrison has nailed, this is a perfect Superman for me too. In this issue alone Morrison has acknowledged so many of the traits that I love about Superman, though I know Morrison is a legend when it comes to writing, I really hope to see them work on Superman again and not just in this restricted mini-series.

This issue has proven that the series is very much a set up series for something much bigger, with just one issue left there isn’t much room to progress this mission further, especially as it’s the mission of Superman’s career. If that is the case, I’m glad that we got this mini-series to really introduce and allow us to get to know this new lineup for The Authority. It’s allowed us time to care for the characters, find out exactly what kinds of people they are and really set up the story and stakes perfectly for the reader.

The artwork in this issue is by a plethora of creatives, we have artwork by Mikel Janin, Jordie Bellaire, Travel Foreman and Alex Sinclair. The way that the two different art styles are placed within the series is a great way to share art duties, sometimes it can create a clear shift in the issue and can be rather off-putting, but in this case it’s seamless and I can hardly tell the difference if I’m honest.

All four of them work together excellently and I love the tonal shifts in terms of backgrounds and colour palette when different characters are in the forefront. It’s very cleverly done and really showcases the different types of people involved in this make-shift team. The scale of this art teams work is epic, the action is fantastic and perfectly portrayed with realistic proportions and colours to match. This is a really great team of artists and colourists and I am seriously impressed with how seamlessly they work together.

Superman And The Authority #3 is an excellent continuation of the series which really sets up for what’s to come. With excellent character introductions and story telling, the mission of Superman’s career is really shaping up to be something colossal.

Haven’t picked up Superman And The Authority #3 yet? You can get the standard cover by Mikel Janin here (UK) and here (US).

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