The Authority

A bold, 11-issue run from Semic S.A. that redefined the super-team concept for the 2000s, The Authority follows a group of powerful, proactive heroes who decide to fix the world by any means necessary—often with brutal, world-shaking force. Spearheaded by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch, with later contributions from Mark Millar, Frank Quitely, and Phil Jimenez, this series pushed the boundaries of scale and violence in mainstream comics. Its matter-of-fact embrace of global intervention and cinematic, widescreen action made it a landmark for the "New Age of Heroes" and a key influence on the decade's storytelling.