Secret History of the Authority: Jenny Sparks (GN)
By Mark Millar
Art by John McCrea and James Hodgkins
Rating: 8/10
Though this book is not critical to the timeline of the Authority, it provides and interesting look into the (wonderful) character of Jenny Sparks. It follows Jenny through her first meeting with each member of the Authority and her life through the twentieth century.
The best issues were the Engineer, #4 (an extremely interesting a nuanced look at Hitler) and Jack Hwksmoor by far. Hawksmoor is a character we never learn much of, and this provided much needed background.
The Engineer's issue had an extremely thought provoking plot, but ultimately #4 stood above all the rest, which is sad since it didn't deal with a single other member of the Authority. This brings me to by greatest criticism, which is none of the other characters were given enough attention to feel like anything more than props next to Jenny. The Doctor's issue was mediocre, with only one good scene. Apollo and Midnighter's was flat out boring, and fell prey to the trap of portraying the pair without any personality other than their relationship.
The art, overall, held up the story well. It was the type to stand back and let the plot take over, which worked well in my opinion. Very clean, but not showy. I hadn't encountered either of the artists before this book, and it reminded me a lot of Chris Sprouse's work on The Return of Bruce Wayne.
Overall, a nice book if you're interested in the Authority, but not exceptional.
~Caro
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