The Authority #13

The Authority #13, released in the summer of 2000, marked a significant pivot for the Wildstorm series created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch. Published during a period when the title was gaining critical acclaim for its deconstruction of the superhero genre and its cinematic, widescreen aesthetic, this issue signaled the transition of writing duties from Ellis to Mark Millar, with Frank Quitely taking over as the primary artist. The shift was intended to maintain the book's reputation for subversive storytelling and high-stakes political commentary while introducing a distinct, gritty visual flair that departed from Hitch's original style.

Frank Quitely's contribution to the issue was defined by his highly detailed, expressive anatomy and unconventional page layouts, which stood in stark contrast to the standard superhero house style of the era. The issue is historically noted for its involvement in a notable editorial clash between the creative team and DC Comics management regarding content censorship. This dispute underscored the series' position as an edgy, creator-driven outlier within a larger corporate publishing framework, solidifying its reputation among collectors as a pivotal artifact of the early 2000s independent-minded mainstream comics movement.