Coup D’Etat: Sleeper

    (WildStorm, 2004)
™ and © WildStorm, and imprint of DC Comics

Readers have seen this before. Humans manage to bollix things up beyond all recognition, so “altruistic” super-humans decide to take over and put things right. Of course, no one says that possessing diamond-hard skin or the power of flight gives a person better-than-average judgment or makes them impervious to corruption, but…

The Authority has taken over, and the rest of the world’s not too crazy about that, so WildStorm’s other super-teams react, albeit impotently. (In other words, they fight The Authority; The Authority always wins.) If the series reads like something that was written by committee, that’s because it apparently was.

The comics presuppose a familiarity with WildStorm characters, so it’s not terribly new-reader-friendly. Spartan, for example, is never named. When he finally appears in costume, it’s supposed to be iconic, like a big red “S” or something. It’s not. Come on, it’s Spartan!

The series is also for “mature readers,” but apparently that’s just so the characters can curse. Aside from one character getting his brains blown out, nothing else warrants the label.

It’s always interesting watching The Authority battle cosmic threats. In this series, it takes on WildStorm’s equivalent of Watchers. But the main story is redundant. If you ever read Squadron Supreme or similar comics, you’ve read this. However, it may be required reading for upcoming WildStorm books.

— Jack Abramowitz
Jump to issue:
  NotesWriterArtist
#1 (Regular Cover by Jim Lee)

April, 2004
Cover Price: $2.95
6 copies available from $0.50 		Ed BrubakerJim Lee
#1 Variation A (Cover A by Lee Bermejo)

April, 2004
Cover Price: $2.95
4 copies available from $0.50 		Ed BrubakerJim Lee