Jenny Sparks: The Secret History of the Authority

A very interesting look at the history of the Spirit of the 20th century, a very complex heroine. Jenny Sparks is writing in her diary, knowing that her story is about to come to a close, with Swift keeping her company. We learn that Angie, the Engineer, goes back in time to tell her to start it in the first place. Very sneaky.

What events transpired in the time between StormWatch's disbandment and the formation of the Authority? Jenny Sparks: The Secret History Of The Authority answers that question and shed some light on the untold tales of the superhero team formally known as StormWatch. As he did so well on the The Authority series, Mark Millar's sarcastic dialogue is hilariously dark and witty. John McCrea's artwork was a pleasant surprise. His equivocal and caricature-esque style on Hitman has kept me away from that series but he demonstrates with this book that he can also pencil in a realistic and polished manner. In the end, this collected edition is a must for Authority fans and represents a great starting point for new readers who are unfamiliar with The Authority. Check it out. Review by Brian Grindrod

This edition collects the mini-series of the same name. Jenny Sparks who guided the Authority has her life and the lives of the Authority examined in detail. A lot of blanks are filled with some left open. Jenny is the spirit of the twentieth century and we see her life in various stages. She suffers from the "Forrest Gump Syndrome" she is one of those figures who interacts and acts upon the famous and infamous and shaped the twentieth century. Out of all the stories I found the story of the Doctor and the Engineer the most interesting (which is not to say the others are bad just amongst a field of gems I am choosing the best). Well worth the read while we wait for DC to reboot the Authority again.

A self-contained jaunt into the details of the history of Jenny Sparks. While it racks up an amazing number of improbable scenes, this is merely the clever exploitation of her characterization as the "Spirit of the 20th Century."Fun, but not crucial to understanding The Authority.

This volume is a collection of issues from a comic book miniseries that details some of the background of Jenny Sparks, founder of the superhero group The Authority, and how she recruited its original members. It is not necessary to have read any of the issues from the core series itself (or from its predecessor, Stormwatch), but it is certainly helpful. The first few issues of The Authority are collected in the volumes "Under New Management" and "Relentless".In any case, the individual tales show Jenny Sparks, who wields the power of electricity, encountering certain critical superheroes (Apollo, the Midnighter, the Engineer, and so forth) and convincing them in her unique way to join her group. Because the ageless Ms. Sparks is the literal Spirit of the 20th Century, she was born on January 1 of 1900 and knows she will die at the approach of the new millenium. Her long lifespan and her key role in world history means that she has been present at practically every critical event over the past few decades and that she wields enormous power in the secret government of the world. (She arranges the election defeat of Gerald Ford because she's angered at the Nixon pardon and makes sure that Reagan "will be taken care of".) There's a whole hidden history of which we, the plebeian masses, remain unaware, complete with thwarted alien invasions, secret bases, and contacts with parallel worlds, such as Sliding Albion. Thankfully, swashbuckling heroes such as Hemingway and Einstein are around to pitch in to help the lusty Ms. Sparks.This is a glorious full-color world that's chock full of gadgets, byzantine plots, improbable encounters, thoroughly evil villains, buckets of blood, cigarettes, whisky, and sex. The tales span several decades, and include an encounter with the occult-obsessed Nazis (and a shoutout to a certain Indiana Jones) and a time-travelling sentient city from the future that's come back to our era to destroy humanity for religious reasons.The irreverent and sloppily-dressed Ms. Sparks hates practically all governments, and since the secret cabals that rule the world are in some cases shown to engage in human sacrifice, it's easy to see why. Primarily, she's out to have a good time, and to kick a lot of butt.Good stories and great fun, and excellent artwork. A must-have for those who enjoy The Authority or Planetary!