MichaelDoran
11-10-2002, 01:11 PM
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/DC/RRP/AUTH2_promo.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/DC/RRP/AUTH2_promo_t.jpg" width="175" height="267" border="0" alt="Dwayne Turner's AUTHORITY - click to open a larger version" align="right"></a>The wait is finally over…
After what seemed like eons, The Authority returns to the world of living, ongoing, monthly comics this spring. Headlining Wildstorm's ‘Eye Of The Storm’ line of mature readers comics, The Authority is being resuscitated by writer Robbie Morrison (December’s Authority: Scorched Earth, 2000AD) and penciler Dwayne Turner (Curse of the Spawn, Sovereign Seven).
Newsarama recently had a chat with Morrison and series editor Ben Abernathy for a closer look at The Authority’s return to monthly status, its direction and what fans can expect from the new series.
NEWSARAMA: Robbie, Ben, no doubt you guys are aware of the funky history of this title over the lat few years and the [very] strong feelings some readers have about it. So why bring the series back, why now and why this creative team?
BEN ABERNATHY: I think one of the biggest reasons to 'bring the series back' is that there are still many epic stories to tell, unique to the perspective and scope that only this book captures. And 'why this team'? From our experience working with Robbie on the December Scorched Earth one-shot, he proved that not only did he handle the characters as though they were his own, he's also brought some unique ideas to the team that's really going to turn some heads. And what more can be said about the art of Dwayne Turner? The guy's a master storyteller and draws some of the most explosive action sequences you've ever seen! His work on this book will be spectacular!
ROBBIE MORRISON: I'm really excited about the whole thing. It's a great opportunity, not only to step onto a fairly high-profile title, but a bloody good one at that. The Authority may, as you say, have had something of a checkered history in the last couple of years, but that just makes the idea of working on it all the more exciting. I've definitely got a couple of hard acts to follow, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.
Full credit to Wildstorm for considering me, because, although I'm probably pretty well known in the UK, I must be something of a wild card in the US. Robbie Who? Isn't he a baseball player? When Scott Dunbier first emailed me to see if I was interested in some work, I joked about them probably wanting me to take over The Authority. Turned out that they did...
NRAMA: So keeping it simple, can you guys give readers an early sense of the direction you’re going in with this new series?
ABERNATHY: The format and feel of The Authority will be familiar to fans, definitely, but this book has been the standard-bearer for super hero titles in recent years - we're going to be reminding everyone why this book is bigger than anything out there.
MORRISON: I can't really go into too much detail about the direction of the series right now, because some of the shocks we've got planned are going to influence that direction in a big way. It's a sort of Catch-22 situation. I can't say too much about one, without ruining the other, and vice versa.
The basic structure of the series - explosive four-issue story arcs - will remain the same. We'd like to build on the fantastic foundations of the original series and try to raise the concept of the superhero to new heights. We want to use the full potential of the monthly comic book to tell stories beyond anything that most other mediums - films, television, games - could ever hope to produce. The only “budgetary limitations" we have are our own imaginations.
One thing I'd like to is explore a little more within that structure is the characters and their relationships with one another. Sometimes, there's a danger of the characters getting lost amidst the epic scale and the mind-blowing concepts, and I want to try and avoid that. The more you care about the characters - love them or hate them - the more dramatic and exciting the whole thing will be.
They're brilliant characters, and there's a lot of untapped potential amongst them, for example, there's Apollo and the Midnighter's marriage and their attempts at parenthood with little Jenny Quantum, there's the fact that the Engineer has slept with both Jack Hawksmoor and the Doctor, and possibly still is sleeping with both of them, there's the repercussions of Swift's transformation from pacifist to pragmatist.
[at this weekend’s retailer event, DC revealed infant Jenny Quantum is transmuted into the team's young adult leader]
NRAMA: Will you be sticking with the same main cast from the from the Warren Ellis/Mark Millar runs, or will there be any additions and/or subtractions there?
MORRISON: The line-up will initially be pretty much the same as in the Ellis/Millar run. We figured it'd be best to re-establish the characters and the concept in this way to begin with, following the wayward scheduling of the last few issues of the previous series, and the gap between it and the relaunch. We will be leading up to some interesting changes and character developments, but they won't - hopefully - be the sort of things people will be expecting to see.
ABERNATHY: The original cast remains intact, but we're going to start seeing more of the young Jenny Quantum. She's obviously going to have a large impact on the group in the future, perhaps even assuming leadership, so she's going to start playing a larger role on the group's affairs...
NRAMA: Is the purpose/premise of the team going to change under your direction at all Robbie? Will readers notice any immediate changes, or will it be pretty familiar?
MORRISON: The team's purpose or motivation, as I see it, is to build a better world, which is a pretty admirable aim, so they're probably not going to stray too far from that. Speaking as the writer, it's also a great premise; building a better world is an epic undertaking, and offers the potential for any number of storylines.
Of course, what exactly constitutes a better world is open to interpretation. There have been a great many atrocities committed over the centuries by individuals who thought they were building a better world. Humanity in general - not just the lesser authorities - may come to resent the fact that The Authority stands in judgment over them. Y'know, people don't like to be told how to live their lives.
It also might not be enough to simply build a better world, because it's a dangerous universe out there. It's a dangerous multiverse! The Authority may have to set their sights a little further than just their own world...
NRAMA: If you had to Robbie … had to …would you say you are more influenced by Ellis' work or Millar's?
MORRISON: I read all the trade paperbacks together, and they seemed to flow into one another pretty seamlessly. Warren started the ball rolling in groundbreaking style, and Mark continued by kicking it into an even bigger park. I'm sure I'll shamelessly use elements from both their runs as well putting my own unique perspective onto it - whatever that might be. I just hope I can match the high standards they've already set.
NRAMA: Speaking of “bigger parks”, the threats/conflicts facing the team have always been BIG, do you think you can maintain that approach before you run out of threats of the same scale to pit them against?
MORRISON: Who says size doesn't matter, eh? The Authority is one of those titles where it's definitely a case of the bigger the better. It works best when it's bigger and bolder and more bombastic than anything else out there. Far as I'm concerned, when it comes to The Authority, that's the only approach. As for maintaining that approach - creating up earth-shattering menace after earth-shattering menace - yeah, I think I'm up to it. And if my brain explodes with the effort, at least I was thinking big.
NRAMA: The series will of course be a mature readers title, do you plan to take full advantage of that opportunity?
MORRISON: Full advantage…To the point of gratuitousness, if I can get away with it.
I've already got the all-naked issue planned - and as for the lap-dancing pole Apollo and the Midnighter have installed in their bedroom... What? You think I'm kidding? I'm the guy who had one of his characters [Nikolai Dante in 2000AD] sleep with a bearded lady, not to mention snog her equally hairy butler by mistake. I know what sells comics...
NRAMA: Okay Robbie, lastly, here’s the part where we ask to give readers a <small>little</small>, early preview of your first story arc?
MORRISON: I really don't like revealing plot details this far ahead - partly because I'm still working some of them out - so all I'm going to say is that reality sometimes comes with a heavier price than any of us could ever have imagined. Oh, and the world'll probably be in a bit of danger too...
Look for more information
Alex Segura Jr. contributed to this interview…
<a href=http://classic.newsarama.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000039>CLICK HERE</a> to return to the main menu to read about more of DC’s upcoming projects.
Got something to say about this? <a href=http://classic.newsarama.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=agree>CLICK HERE</a> to register and join one of comics' most active online communities. Registration is fast and easy. </font>
After what seemed like eons, The Authority returns to the world of living, ongoing, monthly comics this spring. Headlining Wildstorm's ‘Eye Of The Storm’ line of mature readers comics, The Authority is being resuscitated by writer Robbie Morrison (December’s Authority: Scorched Earth, 2000AD) and penciler Dwayne Turner (Curse of the Spawn, Sovereign Seven).
Newsarama recently had a chat with Morrison and series editor Ben Abernathy for a closer look at The Authority’s return to monthly status, its direction and what fans can expect from the new series.
NEWSARAMA: Robbie, Ben, no doubt you guys are aware of the funky history of this title over the lat few years and the [very] strong feelings some readers have about it. So why bring the series back, why now and why this creative team?
BEN ABERNATHY: I think one of the biggest reasons to 'bring the series back' is that there are still many epic stories to tell, unique to the perspective and scope that only this book captures. And 'why this team'? From our experience working with Robbie on the December Scorched Earth one-shot, he proved that not only did he handle the characters as though they were his own, he's also brought some unique ideas to the team that's really going to turn some heads. And what more can be said about the art of Dwayne Turner? The guy's a master storyteller and draws some of the most explosive action sequences you've ever seen! His work on this book will be spectacular!
ROBBIE MORRISON: I'm really excited about the whole thing. It's a great opportunity, not only to step onto a fairly high-profile title, but a bloody good one at that. The Authority may, as you say, have had something of a checkered history in the last couple of years, but that just makes the idea of working on it all the more exciting. I've definitely got a couple of hard acts to follow, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.
Full credit to Wildstorm for considering me, because, although I'm probably pretty well known in the UK, I must be something of a wild card in the US. Robbie Who? Isn't he a baseball player? When Scott Dunbier first emailed me to see if I was interested in some work, I joked about them probably wanting me to take over The Authority. Turned out that they did...
NRAMA: So keeping it simple, can you guys give readers an early sense of the direction you’re going in with this new series?
ABERNATHY: The format and feel of The Authority will be familiar to fans, definitely, but this book has been the standard-bearer for super hero titles in recent years - we're going to be reminding everyone why this book is bigger than anything out there.
MORRISON: I can't really go into too much detail about the direction of the series right now, because some of the shocks we've got planned are going to influence that direction in a big way. It's a sort of Catch-22 situation. I can't say too much about one, without ruining the other, and vice versa.
The basic structure of the series - explosive four-issue story arcs - will remain the same. We'd like to build on the fantastic foundations of the original series and try to raise the concept of the superhero to new heights. We want to use the full potential of the monthly comic book to tell stories beyond anything that most other mediums - films, television, games - could ever hope to produce. The only “budgetary limitations" we have are our own imaginations.
One thing I'd like to is explore a little more within that structure is the characters and their relationships with one another. Sometimes, there's a danger of the characters getting lost amidst the epic scale and the mind-blowing concepts, and I want to try and avoid that. The more you care about the characters - love them or hate them - the more dramatic and exciting the whole thing will be.
They're brilliant characters, and there's a lot of untapped potential amongst them, for example, there's Apollo and the Midnighter's marriage and their attempts at parenthood with little Jenny Quantum, there's the fact that the Engineer has slept with both Jack Hawksmoor and the Doctor, and possibly still is sleeping with both of them, there's the repercussions of Swift's transformation from pacifist to pragmatist.
[at this weekend’s retailer event, DC revealed infant Jenny Quantum is transmuted into the team's young adult leader]
NRAMA: Will you be sticking with the same main cast from the from the Warren Ellis/Mark Millar runs, or will there be any additions and/or subtractions there?
MORRISON: The line-up will initially be pretty much the same as in the Ellis/Millar run. We figured it'd be best to re-establish the characters and the concept in this way to begin with, following the wayward scheduling of the last few issues of the previous series, and the gap between it and the relaunch. We will be leading up to some interesting changes and character developments, but they won't - hopefully - be the sort of things people will be expecting to see.
ABERNATHY: The original cast remains intact, but we're going to start seeing more of the young Jenny Quantum. She's obviously going to have a large impact on the group in the future, perhaps even assuming leadership, so she's going to start playing a larger role on the group's affairs...
NRAMA: Is the purpose/premise of the team going to change under your direction at all Robbie? Will readers notice any immediate changes, or will it be pretty familiar?
MORRISON: The team's purpose or motivation, as I see it, is to build a better world, which is a pretty admirable aim, so they're probably not going to stray too far from that. Speaking as the writer, it's also a great premise; building a better world is an epic undertaking, and offers the potential for any number of storylines.
Of course, what exactly constitutes a better world is open to interpretation. There have been a great many atrocities committed over the centuries by individuals who thought they were building a better world. Humanity in general - not just the lesser authorities - may come to resent the fact that The Authority stands in judgment over them. Y'know, people don't like to be told how to live their lives.
It also might not be enough to simply build a better world, because it's a dangerous universe out there. It's a dangerous multiverse! The Authority may have to set their sights a little further than just their own world...
NRAMA: If you had to Robbie … had to …would you say you are more influenced by Ellis' work or Millar's?
MORRISON: I read all the trade paperbacks together, and they seemed to flow into one another pretty seamlessly. Warren started the ball rolling in groundbreaking style, and Mark continued by kicking it into an even bigger park. I'm sure I'll shamelessly use elements from both their runs as well putting my own unique perspective onto it - whatever that might be. I just hope I can match the high standards they've already set.
NRAMA: Speaking of “bigger parks”, the threats/conflicts facing the team have always been BIG, do you think you can maintain that approach before you run out of threats of the same scale to pit them against?
MORRISON: Who says size doesn't matter, eh? The Authority is one of those titles where it's definitely a case of the bigger the better. It works best when it's bigger and bolder and more bombastic than anything else out there. Far as I'm concerned, when it comes to The Authority, that's the only approach. As for maintaining that approach - creating up earth-shattering menace after earth-shattering menace - yeah, I think I'm up to it. And if my brain explodes with the effort, at least I was thinking big.
NRAMA: The series will of course be a mature readers title, do you plan to take full advantage of that opportunity?
MORRISON: Full advantage…To the point of gratuitousness, if I can get away with it.
I've already got the all-naked issue planned - and as for the lap-dancing pole Apollo and the Midnighter have installed in their bedroom... What? You think I'm kidding? I'm the guy who had one of his characters [Nikolai Dante in 2000AD] sleep with a bearded lady, not to mention snog her equally hairy butler by mistake. I know what sells comics...
NRAMA: Okay Robbie, lastly, here’s the part where we ask to give readers a <small>little</small>, early preview of your first story arc?
MORRISON: I really don't like revealing plot details this far ahead - partly because I'm still working some of them out - so all I'm going to say is that reality sometimes comes with a heavier price than any of us could ever have imagined. Oh, and the world'll probably be in a bit of danger too...
Look for more information
Alex Segura Jr. contributed to this interview…
<a href=http://classic.newsarama.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000039>CLICK HERE</a> to return to the main menu to read about more of DC’s upcoming projects.
Got something to say about this? <a href=http://classic.newsarama.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=agree>CLICK HERE</a> to register and join one of comics' most active online communities. Registration is fast and easy. </font>