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THE AUTHORITY: KEV
Recommended (7/10)
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DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Glenn Fabry
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Bill O'Neil
Editor: John Layman
Price: $4.95 US/$8.25 CAN |
Ennis offers up an inconsequential but nevertheless fun Authority story that taps into the property's over-the-top appeal, but it also has its feet planted firmly on the ground. Ennis pokes some fun at the super-hero genre here, and it makes for an entertaining read. Mind you, the story's a little light, given the length and price of the book. Still, this one-shot serves as a nice fix for us Authority fans still lamenting the inexplicable end of the regular series.
Kev Hawkins is a far S.A.S. soldier now working for British Military Intelligence as an assassin, and his boss has a new mission for him: kill the members of the Authority. She provides him with a gun but nary a clue as to why the mission is necessary. Not that he cares, mind you; he's got a job to do. If only he appreciated the consequences. Oh, and Kev has an interesting conversation with the Carrier, the Authority's other-dimensional ship and home.
Fabry's pencil and ink artwork may not be as textured as his painted work, but it's just as richly detailed and grim in tone. It works quite well with the tone of the story. Fabry captures Kev's bemused and confused expressions perfectly, and that brings out the humor that's inherent to this extreme story. The artist also taps into the larger-than-life atmosphere that's an integral part of Authority stories.
Kev's encounter with the rather angry super-heroes of the Wildstorm universe is a load of laughs, as is his reaction to the fact that those he's been assigned to eliminate are necessary to the world's survival. There's an interesting contrast in Kev. He possesses some remarkable skills, able to take on just about any foe. But he's also a major screw-up; he really doesn't think things through beyond the next few minutes. Therein lies the character's appeal: his failings are what make him likeable and more like one of us.
While this is an Authority story, make no mistake: Kev is definitely the star. The best scenes in the book are those that have nothing to do with super-heroes, dimensional jump-ships and alien invasions. Rather, those featuring Kev indulging the baser human needs and urges and being interrupted in the process are the most entertaining. The humor is like what one would find in a Warner Bros. cartoon... if written and directed by Sam Peckinpah.
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