MidNighter #9 - WildStorm

First of all a great story by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. These two have turned in to a really nice writing team. I guess Jimmy had to find a new partner since Joe Quesada is so involved with all things Marvel-ous right now. But they really have been doing a great job. All over the DC Universe. We finally get some interior artwork by Brian Stelfreeze this issue. Brian does a lot of cover work. A lot! But occasionally we get graced by a book with his interiors. This just happens to be one of them. Thanks Brian! Anyways, this story, MidNighter is recruited for what he does best . . . cleaning up a perfectly mucked up situation. He's been recruited by a Jennifer Norton. He's been told that there's a virus, Hercules, that has broken out on a research station in space. So he supposed to go look for survivors, allow the virus to enter his system so he can bring it back with him, and stop the space station from crashing to earth. If that happens, the virus would be let loose, and the population would be destroyed in less that 3 days. Well . . . this is the MidNighter we're dealing with. He doesn't trust anybody, and nobody trusts him. So the whole story he's been fed is a lie. Well . . . most of it. There is a virus. And the surviving scientist was supposed to inject him with it so that his nanite immune system would develop an antidote. Once that was done, it could be used as a WMD. But the scientist has experienced a dose of remorse. Even though she developed it, she can't in good conscious, release it on the Earth. And even though she has repented, MidNighter can't forgive her for her original involvement. So he injects her with it, so she can feel the torture, before he kills her. He also finds out that it can only be transmitted through injection . . or maybe sex. It's not airborne. So his final part of the mission is to bring the station back to Earth, and down on Agent Norton's head. Literally. It's the best way he can think of to get some justice for the way he's been used. Since we don't have a regular Authority title right now, it's nice to see these characters someplace. Apollo pops up this issue, as we would expect with this being his lover. And some of the other's have shown up in other issues. I just really wish we could somehow get the regular title back on track. I was really getting excited when I saw that Gene Ha was going to be the illustrator. But now that we haven't seen 2 issues in the last 9 months, my hopes are diminishing rapidly.