The Authority: The Lost Year.

The Authority: The Lost Year is a 12 issue maxi-series that came out between 2006 to 2010. Story by Grant Morrison and Keith Giffen and written by Keith with art by various artists.

The series begins with The Authority slipping through the bleed into an alternate earth where they some how end up losing the 'baby universe' that powers the Carrier. And so they are stuck until they can find a way to get back home. But they realise that a parasite like creature is using the people of this alternate earth as what can only be described as the humans caught in the Matrix. Well you can accept that explanation or that its a Cthulhu like creature feeding on the emotions of the people, who have no idea that its feeding off them. I think the Matrix is less gross.

 

Aalok deciphers DC - Bwa-ha-ha!

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL VOL 1

Writers: Keith Giffen & J. M. DeMatteis Artists: Kevin Maguire & Terry Austin Collects: Justice League 1-6, Justice League International 7

They are the World's Greatest Heroes brought together by a mutual need to protect the Earth....is pure crap.

Let me explain. Brought together in LEGENDS (here), editor Andy Helfer had a team which was definitely not what you'd call the greatest super heroes- He was denied Superman, Wonder Woman as they were under drastic makeovers by Messrs Byrne & Wolfman (here and here) & George Perez . So was Hal Jordan. Dennis O'Neil, group editor on Batman offered Batman out of pity. The other unlikely team members were Guy Gardner, Doctor Fate, Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle, Black Canary, Mister Miracle & Oberon, Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), Captain Marvel & later Rocket Red VII & Booster Gold.

Just so that they didn't have a powerhouse team, they decided to make this a team clubhouse book-you know, a comedy book. And they had the ingredients...Guy, Ted, Billy, Scott, Dinah and even the Creeper (aka Jack Ryder) make humongous humour. Batman is the straight man of the team. It was something new at that time, but it worked.