Warning! This article contains spoilers for Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1!
In Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1, Superman is asked by Batman to go on a mission that the Justice League could never be a part of. DC's new special ties directly into the current "Warworld Rising" story arc, along with its conclusion, simply titled "Warworld." By the time that this special arrives, Mongul will have attacked Earth with all of his forces. However, this isn't the only reason why Earth has been turned upside down.
War still rages between Atlantis and the U.S. due to their squabbling. It seems that Superman's attempt at intervention did nothing to break up their conflict. Additionally, it seems that some of Superman's new Kryptonian ally Thao-La's fellow refugees have been murdered. As if that wasn't enough chaos for the DC Universe, topping things off, Superman has also been expelled from the Justice League.
In Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Trevor Hairsine, Jonathan Glapion, and Ben Templesmith, Earth is in absolute chaos after Mongul's sudden attack. Having been exiled from the Justice League, Superman re-forms the Authority with the help of Manchester Black. His goal with the Authority is to liberate Warworld and free all of the other prisoners like Thao-La. Now that Superman is no longer part of the Justice League, Batman takes his chances to recruit him on an unorthodox mission. Take a look at the preview art and solicitation info below:
- BATMAN/SUPERMAN: AUTHORITY SPECIAL #1
- Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
- Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE, JONATHAN GLAPION and BEN TEMPLESMITH
- Cover by RODOLFO MIGLIARI
- $5.99 US | 48 PAGES
- Variant cover by JEEHYUNG LEE
- $6.99 US (Card stock)
- ON SALE 11/2/21
- Following Mongul's brazen attack on Earth, Superman's world has been turned upside down: conflict between Atlantis and the surface world, the discovery of an immensely powerful new element, dead refugees with mysterious ties to Krypton, and expulsion from the Justice League! When Superman re-forms the experimental, antiestablishment Authority to join him in liberating Warworld, Batman comes to them with a request: join him for one unorthodox, off-the-books mission first, one he could never ask the Justice League to be a part of…and one he doesn't expect everyone to come back from.
What the mission turns out to be remains a mystery, however, it's clearly extremely dangerous and antithetical to the Justice League's code of conduct. Considering that Superman will be taking along the Authority with him, Batman is probably in need of some of their specific skills. The solicitation also mentions that Batman "doesn't expect everyone to come back" from this mission. In perhaps a dark interpretation of coming events, it's likely that Batman is still a Justice League member, so he wouldn't want to risk his teammates' lives when a more expendable team like the Authority is available.
When Superman asked Batman and the Justice League for help in a recent issue of Action Comics, they showed a complete lack of interest. For Batman, his interest will always lie with Earth's problems first. Despite Superman being in big trouble with Mongul, this new, risky mission has more than likely got not much to do with the Warworld attack. Batman/Superman: Authority Special #1 will be available on November 2 in comic book stores and on digital platforms.