The Authority

A bold, bombastic reinvention of the superhero team concept, The Authority (2001–2005) from DC's WildStorm imprint pushed the genre toward geopolitical and cosmic-scale action. Under the frequent pencils of Bryan Hitch, the series followed a group of superhumans who decided that simply saving the world wasn't enough—they would take control of it, using overwhelming force to enforce their own vision of justice. This run is essential for its unapologetic escalation of stakes and its influential, widescreen cinematic storytelling, which reshaped how blockbuster comics were drawn and conceived.