REVIEW: Batman/Superman Authority Special #1

The Batman/Superman Authority Special is here and goes a long way to tie in both Action Comics and Superman & The Authority together. I’ve enjoyed both comic series and was looking forward to seeing the two crossover in this special issue.

But before we get into the issue itself, let’s take a look at the cover. The standard cover is by Rodolfo Migliari and is an excellent and realistic look at Superman and his new team. I adore the classic feel to this, specifically the fact that Superman ressembles the Christopher Reeve portrayal and the Batman suit also looks very classic too. Each character is full of detail and that gives you a real sense of what these people would look like in the real world, which I adore.

The variant cover is by Jeehyung Lee and is a truly fantastic piece. I adore it. Again we have a very classic feel to this cover and that’s thanks to Superman’s suit, but also Batman’s jet. The sense of speed is impeccable too, you can instantly see the stakes of whatever they are flying towards and the speed that they are going. The way that Lee has blurred the clouds and sky is a great detail, which goes a long way.

The Batman/Superman Authority Special opens with a new mission for Superman’s new team (The Authority) and also for the reader as they take on the Empire of Shadows in another universe.

Phillip Kennedy Johnson has perfectly captured the same personalities and traits that Grant Morrison introduced for each character and has carried them on in a seamless fashion. I particularly love the little digs that Superman made towards Batman and the rest of the Justice League when he questioned the members of his team.

I love how “up for it” this team is, despite the fact that Batman may be coming to them because he doesn’t want to risk the lives of the Justice League or the fact that they may be “expendable”, they are surprisingly willing to help… just like Superman would.

This issue and mission acted as a reasoning for both Superman and Batman. Each of them now fully know and truly understand why Batman and the Justice League cannot come with Superman to Warworld, they are needed on Earth. If this new threat is anything to go by, then they too need all the help that they can get.

I thought this issue was excellent, it was full of action whilst perfectly bringing together two separate story-arcs. It’s great to see The Authority and Batman interact and I hope there are more ‘side missions’ like this throughout the current story arc to showcase how very capable this team are. Superman was right to put his faith in them.

The artwork is great throughout and I love the use of different art teams to bring different universes and situations to life, it’s very effective and really allows you to see the differences between the two. There are a plethora of artists involved in this issue, which include: Trevor Hairsine, Jonathan Glapion, Scott Hanna, Rain Beredo and Ben Templesmith.

Each and every page is a sight to behold. So many unique and gorgeous takes on these characters, their actions and also the atmospheres. The action sequences throughout are particularly excellent, the detail in those moments are fantastic and I love how lineage is used to show the speed of their movements, it’s very effective.

Haven’t picked up the Batman/Superman Authority Special yet? You can get the standard cover by Rodolfo Migliari here (UK), or here (US). Or if you prefer the variant cover by Jeehyung Lee, you can get that here.

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