Writer: Mark Millar Artists: Chris Weston (p), Garry Leach (i), David Baron (c) Published by DC/Wildstorm
The plot: Unnatural disasters plague the planet, the Authority continues to force the world's governments to behave, and the Doctor ODs.
There's a lot going on in the issue, which suffers for the absence of regular penciler Frank Quitely. Weston and Leach do an okay job filling in, but overall the feel is symptomatic of the vibe I am getting on the ""Authority Franchise" now--it's getting spread a little too thin, and it doesn't feel as special as it once did.
The second issue of Jenny Sparks: The Secret History of the Authority had some nice moments, for example, but came off feeling a little unspectacular in comparison with the first 15 issues of this title. Issue 16's surprise ending struck me as utterly out of character for Jack Hawksmoor and the rest, and while many of the events in this issue are interesting (I loved the look at the Midnighter out of uniform--especially the way the reader doesn't even know who he is for most of the appearance), they're not big in the way, say, God coming back to wipe out humanity was in the arc from issues 9-12.
As I say, I really missed Quitely this issue, although he turns in a wonderful cover that takes on added significance once you get to the cliffhanger ending. I expect next issue we'll learn the cause of this issue's strange events, and the issue after that Quitely is scheduled to return, so I am hopeful this title will soon turn around. DC/Wildstorm is in serious danger of watering down this concept, given various spin-offs, mini-series and annuals that are on the racks now and in the works for the near future. I strongly recommend that Millar and Quitely buckle down and focus on continuing the tradition of storytelling set in the series' first 15 issues.
I'm not looking for a title that never changes, I'm just looking for the high standard to be kept up. This issue and other recent events have me nervous about those prospects.
