Posts Tagged ‘Deathblow’

Authority #28… The Second-last Authority.

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Tomorrow sees the release of The Authority #28, my second last issue and The Authority’s second last issue.  This is where it all goes boom, as I try to fit about 3 issues of ideas into one issue of comic.  Hopefully it works… I’m gonna miss these guys.

Written by TOM TAYLOR ; Art by AL BARRIONUEVO; Cover by TIM SEELEY & ALLEN MARTINEZ

Trapped by bloodthirsty aliens in a distant galaxy with billions of lives on the line, The Authority face impossible odds. Sarah Rainmaker will astonish, The Engineer will kick butt, Grifter will probably blow something up, Jack Hawksmoor will have to make a terrible decision, and Flint will put her fist through some squishy bits!

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Posted in The Authority, Tom Taylor | 2 Comments »

The End of Wildstorm…

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

To all of the friends, colleagues and fans who’ve made contact today,

I’ve read messages of shock, anger, resignation, understanding and sadness.

Wildstorm is ending.  It is a sad day.  There’s no doubt about it.

The Authority #29 - The last Authority... for now.

Spending more than a year with these characters, characters that I was a massive fan of long before I got to play with them, has been a dream.  Finding out quite late on that my last issue of The Authority would be THE last issue of The Authority (at least for the foreseeable future) was a real blow. Yes, I’ve known about some of this for a while, and it’s killed me not being able to talk about it.

Friend and Wildcats writer, Adam Beechen has talked about his experience over here and it’s one very close to my own.  Like him, I’ve tried very hard to tie up a lot in the last issue and I hope fans will understand and appreciate what Adam and I have tried to do.

Adam has been great to chat to in the lead up to this and I want to thank him along with our editor, Jim Chadwick.

Jim’s been a dream to work with.  Dedicated to the story, dedicated to the characters, encouraging, and always going the extra mile to make the best book possible (even when it means more work for him).  I sincerely hope we get to work together again in the future.

I want to thank a few more people too.  Thanks to the guys that came before me, Adam Freeman, Marc Bernardin and Shannon Eric Denton – all of you contributed more to my issues than the fans realize and set up a fantastic story for me to follow, cheers guys.

Thanks to Mike S Miller, who was the perfect guy to imagine Mondregon and illustrated the most breathtaking image of The Carrier I’ve ever seen (when it turned transparent) and nailed all of the action and humour in the early issues.

Thanks to Al Barrionuevo, who has had one of the hardest gigs in comics in the last few months, as he’s had to bring to life my ridiculously-detailed descriptions for an entire alien race and world for them to live in.  What he’s done so far is incredible, what’s coming from him in the future will blow people away. You belong on a book like this, Al.  You are epic.

Thanks also to Warren Ellis for creating The Authority.  It has been one of my favourite books since before it was The Authority, back in the Stormwatch days, and it was a real honour to write the characters you created.

Thanks to Hank Kanalz and Jim Lee and, again, a huge thanks to Ben Abernathy for bringing me in… and for the free books and flowers.

Last, one great big thank you to all of the fans.  Having so much support from the podcasters, forum posters (yes, I troll), reviewers, people I’ve signed for and chatted to at conventions and the great guys that Adam, Jim and I met and had beers with in San Diego, has been amazing.

I know some of the fans will be feeling pretty flat today (I know because I am a fan), but heroes never die.

Did Superman stay dead?  Did Green Lantern?  Did Batman stay broken?

Heroes never die.

And Wildstorm is full of heroes… not all of them fictional.

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Posted in Al Barrionuevo, The Authority, Tom Taylor, Wildstorm | Comments Off

The Authority #26 Out Today – Preview – Jack Hawksmoor’s World is Turned Upside-Down.

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

The excitement for Star Wars: Blood Ties still hasn’t died down, with even more great reviews appearing.  But it’s time for something else to get excited about, The Authority #26 is in stores tomorrow!

The Carrier has reached its destination. A mystery begins surrounding Swift.  There is more blood and terror and gore than you can poke a fibula at.  And Wildstorm have posted a bunch of previews.  What are you waiting for?  Click the pic!  Check the pages!

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Posted in Al Barrionuevo, The Authority, Tom Taylor | Comments Off

Reviews – The Authority #25, The Will of Darth Vader, Star Wars Invasion: Rescues #3

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

A whole lot of good reviews have been appearing recently, including some great words for Will of Darth Vader (Dark Horse’s top-selling trade for July).  Here’s a ‘best of’ to check out…

Star Wars Adventures:  The Will of Darth Vader AND Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes

“…offering two thought provoking, yet action-filled stories. Luke Skywalker and the Treasure of the Dragonsnakes takes place during Luke’s training on Dagobah with Master Yoda. Taylor allows himself to have fun with Yoda as Yoda in turn has fun with Luke in the name of training. (Teachers who can get this volume away from their students will completely sympathize with Yoda’s desire to gently torment his disciple.) When Yoda sends Luke on a journey to rescue treasure from a ferocious beast, Luke at first cannot understand why his monastic mentor would suddenly be making a selfish request. But, as with all of Yoda’s teachings, there is a deeper meaning. Daxiong’s art is vivid and perfect for action scenes, though he seems unable to draw any facial expressions which would allow his characters to show emotion. Luckily Taylor’s writing is strong enough to carry the story through to a full-circle finish that is not preachy or overly pat.

From there, Taylor turns his focus onto Darth Vader, crafting a story which shows off the massive power Vader commands, while also clearly pointing out the flaws in his philosophy of servitude to the Dark Side. Vader uses a captured smuggler named Luca to get to a Rebel base hidden deep within an asteroid field, but Luca is a wisecracking man who does not lightly given into authority. The brilliance in Taylor’s story is that Luca is not a stand-in for Han Solo. He is very much his own person, a theme which is central to the point Taylor aims to make. The ending of the tale is shocking, powerful, and will force readers to think about the nature of free will.” - Graphic Novel Reporter

The Authority #25 – “This is Gonna Suck”

“Don’t let the title of the issue fool you. It does everything BUT suck! But rest assured, Tom Taylor finds a clever way to present the title too. I personally thought it was hilarious how he did it.  But the creative team’s not done with us yet. As the solicits reads ‘The Carrier appears to finally be approaching its ultimate destination’. Taylor not only gives us a cool little twist at the end but also leaves us with a great cliffhanger!” - Wildstorm Addiction

Star Wars Invasion: Rescues #3

“Probably one of the best issues in terms of action and moving the story along.”

“I definitely will say I liked this issue. The action was there and the story didn’t drag out but thrust us to the next level.
Overall the issue was solid and action intense. Taylor and Wilson delivered.” - NJOE.com

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Posted in Rescues, Reviews, Star Wars Adventures, Star Wars: Invasion, The Authority | Comments Off

The Authority #23 Reviews And Exclusive Preview Page Of #24.

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

They like us.  They really like us.

Authority #23 is getting some high praise on internet forums and I’ve also had a number of emails and facebook messages from people singing the praises of the issue.

A couple of good reviews have surfaced already.  And the first one, from Comic Vine, really put a smile on my face.  See an extract below.

“OMG! Ok stand back just a little, I’ve got to get this out of my system.

You didn’t experience what happened in the two minutes between the previous line and this one, but trust me, I needed it. I liked this issue. A lot. I’ve liked what’s been going on with The Authority since they’ve taken off, but this issue was great.”

“That scene with Grifter at the beginning was not only very funny, but also really worked to add an element of continuity by connecting it to the last issue in a fun way. It’s not just random stuff happening on the Carrier. The Grifter/Flint…encounter also shows that a network of relationships (not just sexual) is building and by the end Taylor has used this joke to add a strong element of community. There are natural friendships, but the lives of the people on the ship are going to be crisscrossing more and more.”

“This issue really shows that these characters have character, and I’m glad to see it. And even better is that the character development doesn’t get in the way of telling a story that draws you in and is exciting. I’m so pumped for the next issue.” – Comic Vine.

And from Comic Addiction…

“One thing I appreciate about Taylor’s writing is his insertion of humor.  There’s a great moment at the beginning between Grifter, Flint, The Engineer, and Swift.  Even though he can do good humor, Taylor is also good at giving the story scope.  The Carrier as a ship is massive in its own right.  But there are two times in this issue that we see that out here in space, The Carrier seems real small real quick.  Add that to the fact that Taylor introduces TWO threats for the heroes in this issue and you’ve got a great set-up for conflict.”

“If you like your superheroes with a dash of sci-fi, this book is the place to be right now. Rating: 8 out of 10 (On Its Way to Greatness!)“ – Comic Addiction.

Issue #23 sadly marks the end of Mike S. Miller’s short run as the artist.  Mike captured these guys fantastically and, as well as showing some incredible action and scope, he really helped inject the humour that I was after at this stage of my run.

Issue #24 sees the return of regular series artist, Al Barrionuevo.  I’m a lucky guy to get to work with two incredible artists on this book.  An exclusive preview page of Al’s pencils from The Authority #24  can be seen right here at the official Wildstorm Blog.

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Posted in Al Barrionuevo, DC Wildstorm, Reviews, The Authority | Comments Off

The Authority #25 Solicited – August Is Looking Huge

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

A new solicit for The Authority in August means a new split cover for The Authority and WildCATS – by Howard Porter (The Flash, JLA), Allen Martinez and Wes Hartman.

THE AUTHORITY #25
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art by AL BARRIONUEVO
Cover by HOWARD PORTER, ALLEN MARTINEZ & WES HARTMAN
In the aftermath of the twin battles with the Aegean and Mondregon, the team assesses the damage and Hawksmoor is forced to explain the origin of his strange, secret weapon. Deathblow is down for the count, and Swift is unconscious with no one able to figure out why she can’t be revived. But there’s not much time to lick their wounds or ease over internal tensions as The Carrier appears to finally be approaching its ultimate destination. Who or what they are about to meet could alter the course of the Wildstorm Universe forever.
On sale AUGUST 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

August will be a huge month.  The Authority, Blood Ties and Will of Darth Vader are all coming out and it’s possible more may still be announced for the month… no wonder I’m falling asleep on the couch as I write this.

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The Authority Run Begins Today With Issue #22…

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Today my run on The Authority begins with issue #22.  And, this morning, I woke up to a good luck message from the man himself, Warren Ellis – Hell. Yes.

Acclaimed writer Tom Taylor (Star Wars: Invasion) takes the helm for a 4-issue arc. The Authority’s journey through space on The Carrier’s unknown mission continues. Their mysterious voyage takes an even more terrifying twist than anything they’ve experienced so far when they discover stowaways of the worst possible kind. Facing a hideous mutiny by overwhelming odds, only one person can possibly save them. But will this reluctant hero break his own vow and return to action?

Note: It isn’t just a four issue arc… and, apparently, I’m ‘acclaimed’.

Here is a preview of the first page by Mike S Miller, featuring Flint, Deathblow and Grifter… and vampires… in space.

I’ve read it.  It’s good, seriously.  Buy it.  you won’t be disappointed.

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Posted in DC comics, The Authority, Tom Taylor, Wildstorm | 1 Comment »