Low-brow humor abounds in the latest revival of the Authority spinoff character. Garth Ennis is the right man for this job, given his proclivity for blending ultra-violence with dick jokes in the past. What's different about this project is that artist Glenn Fabry provides only the covers for the series. Interior art is by Carlos Ezquerra, whose style is better suited for the material. Furthermore, he and Ennis are frequent collaborators, and that familiarity shines through. Ultimately, the base nature of the humor gets a bit old after a while, and I honestly don't care a wit for any of these characters (or incarnations of these characters, if you will). Clearly, there's an audience for these Authority/Kev stories, but I don't think I'm among that crowd.
Various rebel factions continue to kill S.A.S. operative Kevin Hawkins unsuccessfully (but each other successfully), but what's really got the reluctant black-ops officer worried is the suicide of a comrade in arms. He and some other war chums gather to toast his memory and consider the crap they've witnessed and done over the years. Meanwhile, in the other-dimensional limbo known as the Bleed, a malevolent, pie-throwing creature has infiltrated the Carrier and sets out to decimate the ranks of the Authority.
Ezquerra seems more at home with the absurdity of the material than Fabry's oddly realistic style ever did. Though the cover shows that Fabry could handle some nice emotional reactions to gags, Ezquerra's simpler vision of an evil djinn-like villain just works better. The artist's style is more exaggerated in tone, but it's also meticulously detailed in its own way. Just check out the background detail throughout the book.
One element that hinders the book somewhat is that in order to fully appreciate the plot, one really needs to know the ins and outs of Kev Hawkins's previous encounters with the Authority. In other words, this isn't the most accessible of scripts, but then again, the plot doesn't hinge on that history either. The villain of the series reminds me of a weird cross between Mr. Mxyzptlk and the monstrous baddie from Alien. I think Ennis is riffing on the former, and to be honest, I'm honestly curious about the surreal motives and origins of the character.
The Authority certainly lends itself to parody, given the property's over-the-top violence and characterization, but there's really not much here that holds my interest. I do find it intriguing that Ennis plays it straight a bit when it comes to the post-traumatic stress to which Hawkins and his buddies are susceptible, given their jobs. Ennis's admiration for the men and women of the armed forces and his disdain for the bureaucrats who give them their marching orders shines through here. I'm just not sure if it contributes anything to this zany, morbid story. 6/10
