DC Comics
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Mikel Janín, Fico Ossio, Evan Cagle, Travel Foreman (Artists)
Colorists: Jordie Bellaire, Sebastian Cheng, Dave Stewart, Alex Sinclair (Colorists)
A slow but steady build up continues as the Authority starts to takes shape in Grant Morrison’s Superman and the Authority #2.
Picking up immediately from the end of issue 1, Superman and the Authority #2 begins with Superman and the recently recruited Manchester Black taking their first steps toward assembling their new team. In sharp contrast to issue 1, which took a linear approach to its story, this issue’s structure takes the form of discrete vignettes focusing on the individual members of Superman’s team immediately before their recruitment. For those unfamiliar with these characters, it’s helpful for them to have their own segments to showcase their personalities and abilities. Of these scenes, Midnighter and Apollo’s arguably works best in establishing their relevance to the team and tying them back to Superman’s adjusted morals and mission, as the segment highlights Midnighter’s willingness to cross certain moral lines as Superman now seems open to doing, while Apollo embodies Superman’s more classic idealism and echoes his desire to build a better world.
As a result of the shift in structure, Superman and Manchester Black take a back seat for these parts, appearing only in connecting interludes, which are probably my favorite parts of the issue because of how well Superman and Black play off each other. Again, Black serves as comedic relief to Superman’s straight man, with both characters taking thinly veiled shots at the other, and the dynamic works well.
Mikel Janín and Jordie Bellaire split art duty this time, with 8 total artists and colorists handling this issue, each on their own sections. Janín and Bellaire handle the Superman/Manchester scenes, and while there’s less action for them to work on here, the art maintains the clean look it had in the previous issue, maintaining a degree of consistency. It’s a bit jarring to switch between art styles every five pages or so, but each artist’s work at least has its own merits that help keep things unique and appealing. I still prefer Janín’s work most, especially for the Superman training scene early in the issue, but Steel’s and Enchantress’s sections, for instance, use some vibrant and distinct colors, while the Midnighter/Apollo segment features environmental detail for things like sand clouds and trails of wind, and the two heroes’ heavily contrasting costume textures feels appropriate for their personalities.
Despite the frequent changes in art style throughout this issue, the overall quality of Superman and the Authority remains high for now. Grant Morrison’s writing is still strong, as they take a significant amount of time to establish each member of the Authority, with Midnighter and Apollo as highlights. Superman and Manchester Black’s interactions are as entertaining as ever, and I’m interested in seeing if and how their dynamic shifts once the team is fully assembled. Mikel Janín and Jordie Bellaire deliver fantastic art again in their parts of the issue, while the rest of the art is strong in its own right.
