In this column I fire a broadside volley at the most recent story arc from Wildstorm's ongoing series The Authority. I also take a look at Worms of the Earth, Cross Plains Comics latest Robert E. Howard-related release. As always, spoilers abound…
The Authority #s 17-20, $2.50 US each, published by Wildstorm/DC Comics
Writer: Mark Millar; Pencils: Chris Weston & Frank Quitely; Inks: Garry Leach & Trevor Scott; Covers: Quitely & Scott
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
The long, winding road that lead me to The Authority started about a year and a half ago. I kept hearing mention on message boards and online reviews of Warren Ellis' work on Stormwatch, a title about a proactive superhero team, and how it had eventually led into The Authority, which featured a group of superhumans determined to change the world. This intrigued me.
I had been reading superhero comics for a decade at that point, and I was bored to tears. At last I had come to realize that Marvel and DC wanted, indeed needed, to keep an unchanging status quo in mainstream superhero comic books. This, of course, is due to the ongoing monthly, serial nature of the stories, as well as the importance of keeping the characters unchanged and alive so they can be viable properties to license out to appear on lunchboxes, bedsheets, and pencil cases. Unfortunately, this has often led to creative stagnation. The heroes keep facing the same villains again and again, like clockwork. And, to allow the villains to return, to be around for the next story arc, they either escape or are sent to jail for five minutes before breaking out with ease. The heroes of Marvel and DC seemed unperturbed at the prospect of batting their arch-foes for the thousandth time. Of course, the heroes never kill their foes, because if they did then the bad guys would no longer be available to make money for the licensing department. However, you cannot state that reasoning within the stories! And so, we are offered the rationalization that the heroes don't kill because they are better than the villains, that it is wrong to kill. Meanwhile, every time the supervillains come back, they rack up a double-digit body count of innocent bystanders. Which, quite frankly, makes the costumed crimefighters spouting "heroes don't kill" look naïve and completely ineffectual, since they are unwilling to take any steps to permanently end the threats of their arch-foes and prevent future deaths. (Yes, I admit, all of these complaints show that my ability to suspend disbelief is not very effective!)
Ahem! So, with all of the above churning in my mind, I decided to give Stormwatch a chance, to see if the characters really were proactive, if they did take an aggressive stance. I bought most of Warren Ellis' run on the book. And I was amazed. These indeed were heroes who were interested in permanently ending threats to humanity. Heroes who didn't take any crap. Heroes who skirted, and sometimes crossed, the line, resulting in thought-provoking, morally ambiguous stories.
Thrilled with Stormwatch, I jumped right on board The Authority. The first four issue story arc was superb. The second, while not nearly as good, was still very well done. By the third, my enthusiasm was dying down. My interest received a jumpstart when Mark Millar took over as writer as of issue #13, and the team became involved in real-world affairs, overthrowing a Southeast Asian dictatorship. But my enthusiasm quickly dissipated again when I read the latest arc, "Earth Inferno."
The Authority has frequently been referred to as the comic book equivalent of a wide-screen blockbuster action film. It's an appropriate analogy. We've gotten non-stop action, incredible fights, gigantic explosions, and world-shattering events. Unfortunately, after twenty issues and five story arcs, that's practically all we've gotten. The characterization, the complex plots, the moral ambiguity of those Stormwatch issues has been replaced by an almost-unending succession of action sequences. And on the brief occasions when things do slow down long enough for exposition and character development, it's usually just skimming the surface, not really delving into the substance of what is taking place.
The fact that each and every story arc has featured a world-threatening menace or catastrophe, one after another after another, has gotten to the point of being ridiculous. How many times can humanity be threatened by rampaging superhumans, alien invasions, cataclysmic crises, and the threat of extinction within the space of just a few months? (I did mention my suspension of disbelief is pretty weak, right?)
In "Earth Inferno," a series of catastrophic natural disasters are occurring around the world, killing hundreds of thousands of people. It appears that the Earth itself is attempting to destroy humanity. And the one member of the Authority who might be able to stop the crisis, the mystical shaman the Doctor, is out of action because he overdosed on heroin. The Authority learns that this is actually the cause of the crisis. The Doctor's overdose caused his powers to revert to his predecessor, a homicidal madman. It is the old Doctor who has "convinced" the Earth to reject humanity and attempt to eliminate it. As the Authority attempts to defeat the old Doctor, the Earth's entire population is transported to safety in hundreds of alternate realities.
Taken on their own, the four issues making up "Earth Inferno" are not bad at all. The problem is that, following directly on the heels of four previous world crises, this story's events are uninspiring. Yet again we have scenes of mass destruction and huge explosions, as the Authority swings into action to save the world. And it all seems pointless, because we know that, in the end, the Authority will overcome the evil Doctor and save humanity from extinction. And, after this latest crisis, after being shunted to multiple parallel dimensions, humanity will return to their daily routines, as nonplussed by the catastrophic events of this story as they have been by all the others that proceeded it in previous issues. Really, I was left wondering what the point of all this was, since everything yet again returns to the status quo at the end.
I would rather see this series focus on what was supposed to be the basic premise, namely a group of super-powered beings actively working to change and improve the world, rather than just preserving the status quo. We do see brief glimpses of this. In #17, there are a few pages of the Authority driving the Russian army out of Chechnya, and we are told that the Chinese have been forced from Tibet. A small group of superhumans manages to upset the political status quo in two volatile regions of the globe. Yet it all seems unreal. We don't see any of the fallout from the Authority's actions. Indeed, there isn't even time, because the aforementioned world-threatening crisis immediately rears its head and dominates the next three issues.
That writer Mark Millar shows almost no reaction from the rest of the globe to the Authority's actions in Chechnya and Tibet is definitely a missed opportunity. True, we are told that numerous world leaders are denouncing the Authority as anarchists who are thwarting the will of elected governments. But these criticisms are always framed in such a way that they appear to be the predictable rumblings of an Establishment that is afraid it is losing its power and influence, and thus they are not credible to the reader. I keep hoping to see characters in these stories who look at the Authority's actions and say, "Well, I understand and sympathize with what they're doing, but at the same time it troubles me." After all, six incredibly powerful beings are now dictating world policy. Yes, their intentions are good. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions. To use another cliché, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And it seems that the Authority are setting themselves up in a position of absolute power. In Stormwatch, we saw these characters questioning their actions, worrying about stopping villains once and for all without becoming like them. Yet here they're just chugging along, seemingly certain of their moral righteousness. This series would not only benefit from a closer look at the effects the Authority's actions are having upon the world, but also the effects on the members of the team itself. I would much rather read about that than see the Authority saving the world from the umpteenth wide-screen surround-sound apocalypse. And that makes the missed opportunities to examine the consequences of the Authority's involvement in global politics all the more regrettable.
Worms of the Earth, $9.95 US, published by Cross Plains Comics and Wandering Star
Writer: Roy Thomas (adapted from the Robert E. Howard story); Pencils: Tim Conrad & Barry-Windsor Smith; Inks: Tim Conrad; Colors: George Freeman & Laurie Smith; Cover: Mark Schultz
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Worms of the Earth is the latest release from Cross Plains Comics, a publisher that has devoted the majority of its output to publishing both reprints and new adaptations of material related to the works of author Robert E. Howard. Best known nowadays as the creator of Conan, REH also wrote tales featuring numerous other adventurers, including Solomon Kane, King Kull, and Bran Mak Morn, the later of whom is the protagonist of REH's story "Worms of the Earth."
"Worms" was originally published in comic book form in the 1970s as a back-up serial in Marvels black & white Savage Sword of Conan magazine. The story was adapted by Roy Thomas, the long-time writer of the Conan the Barbarian comic and numerous other REH-inspired comic book stories. The first chapter was penciled by Barry-Windsor Smith and inked by Tim Conrad, with Conrad handling full art for the rest of the serial. Cross Plains' publication of Worms of the Earth is the first time the serial has been collected together under one cover, and in color.
Those used to the comic book and movie adventures of Conan, replete with heroic daring-do, will no doubt be surprised by the original depictions of REH's characters by the author himself. A definite moral ambiguity characterized many of REH's protagonists. That is especially the case with Bran Mak Morn, a Pict king during the Roman occupation of Britain As the story opens, Bran witnesses the unjust crucifixion of one of his subjects by the sadistic Roman governor Titus Sulla. An enraged Bran is determined to gain revenge and slay Sulla, no matter the cost. Bran knows the governor is too well guarded to be killed by direct attack or assassination. Undeterred, Bran decides to use supernatural means to strike at Sulla. With a fanatical fervor, Bran searches out a way to awaken the sinister beings known as "The Worms of the Earth." A near-human race who originally populated Britain, the "Worms" were defeated and driven beneath the Earth by the Picts. Over the centuries, they regressed into savage subterranean monstrosities. Bran is convinced the Worms can defeat the Romans for him. He is determined to use them as his tool of vengeance, despite the warnings by his counselor that "there are weapons too foul to use, even against Rome," and that awakening the Worms will bring misery upon all. Bran forges an unholy alliance with the reptilian witch Atla, who gives him the location of the mystical Black Stone, which he unearths from an ancient tomb. Led to the Worms by Atla, Bran uses the Stone as a bargaining chip to convince the creatures to attack the Tower of Trajan and capture Titus Sulla. The Worms do just that, but the results are much more horrible than Bran had thought possible. Looking at the Worms handiwork, he comes to regret his collaboration with them, just as his counselor had warned.
Not having read REH's original story, I cannot comment upon how favorably (or not) the adaptation compares to it. Nevertheless, taking the Worms graphic novel as a work unto itself, it definitely deserves high marks. The grim, atmospheric plot and events are ably captured by Conrad and Windsor-Smith's artwork. Unfortunately, at one point Conrad all too clearly reveals what the Worms look like. It would have been best to have left them hidden in shadow and darkness, their features only hinted at. That would probably have been more effective, as Bran himself only half-glimpses the Worms.
Special consideration should be given to colorists George Freeman and Laurie Smith. I've seen many black & white stories reprinted with less-than-spectacular coloring that ended up obscuring details and muddying artwork. It's a definite challenge to color material originally intended for black & white publication, as artists are likely to utilize shading, gradations, and inking styles they won't normally use when the finished art is to be colored. I imagine that may have been the case with the original printing of Worms. Bearing that in mind, the sharp quality of Freeman & Smith's coloring is all the more impressive.
The collection sports a brand-new cover by Mark Schultz. While superbly-rendered, the cover is also somewhat inaccurate in portraying the events of the story. The creature on the cover slithering up to face Bran Mak Morn is, well, too worm-like. The appellation "Worms of the Earth" is clearly a figurative one in the actual story, unlike the monster Schultz has drawn. Additionally, who is the beautiful woman crouched at Bran's feet? Surely it cannot be the serpentine, half-human Atla? While the Schultz cover is well done, I'm left wishing he had conformed to the details of the story a bit more closely, instead of going for a literal worm monster and a typical warrior maiden look for Atla.
In addition to assembling together the complete adaptation under one cover, Worms contains several new text articles related to REH and the character of Bran Mak Morn. An interview of Tim Conrad delves into the process by which "Worms of the Earth" was adapted and published. In the article "Bran Mak Morn, Destroyer," Fred Blosser examines several aspects of the character: his debut in comics, his publishing history, and the numerous different visual interpretations of the Pict king by various artists. Blosser compares and contrasts the original REH story "Worms of the Earth" to the comic adaptation.
Next is an interview with Gary Gianni, regarding his illustrating of a deluxe edition collecting all of REH's Bran Mak Morn stories. As the edition is published by Wandering Star (who co-published this Worms special with Cross Plains Comics) the interview is at times rather vigorous in promoting, and a bit too self-congratulatory of, this upcoming release. However, it is worth reading to find Gianni's thoughts on illustrating the book, as it is clear that he put a great deal of thought and energy into the project. Gianni's rough sketches tracing the development of his art on the Bran Mak Morn book are also very interesting.
Following this is an article by Rusty Burke that examines REH's interest in, his portrayal of, and his pseudo-history for the Pict people in his stories. It's certainly an informative glimpse of REH's creative process and his thoughts on his creations. Burke also contributes a brief piece on the REH Museum in Cross Plains, Texas.
Capping the book off are "The Adventures of Two-Gun Bob" by Jim & Ruth Keegan, three comic strip-type features that relate various vignettes of REH's life and experiences. Like Rusty Burke's article, these serve to illuminate different aspects of REH's thoughts and perspectives.
While not perfect, Worms of the Earth is definitely a high-quality publication. I recommend it to both the casual reader and the dyed-in-the-wool REH fan; each will find it enjoyable and worthwhile.