I’m thinking about reading Grant Morrison’s Zenith, one of his early forays into superhero comics. I’m wondering if anyone here has read it and if it’s any good for fans of Morrison like myself, specifically. I don’t have a ton of time to read comics so I do my research before diving into a larger run like this. Thanks for all of your feedback in advance!
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@Batwing52, thanks for posting this. I’m a huge Morrison fan and have been wondering about this series, so I’m seconding your request for Zenith info.
I’ve read the first collection, or “Phase One”. I am also a huge Morrison fan, however, this one is largely for completionists. Not that there isn’t anything interesting about it. The premise is a rock star superhero, which is fairly interesting. There’s also a lot of what seem to be “beta-version Morrison ideas”. Like things that you see in later series more fleshed out. It’s one of those early works where you can really see what’s to come, but isn’t fully formed yet. The 2000 AD format also feels a bit stifling. Getting seven pages every magazine, gotta make 'em count. But collected all in a book, it comes off as much denser than any of Grant’s other work.
There are three more volumes I haven’t read, but they just haven’t topped the priority list yet. Someday I might finish it out, but not soon.
@DeadmanBrand
Thanks for the info! I’ve decided to at least give the first book a look. I understand what you mean by the 2000 AD format, but I’d also kind of like to look at Morrison working within it and see the difference between that and his later work. I don’t expect it to be his best but I think (or at least hope) it’ll be pretty good.
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It’s great stuff. When he gets to Phase III it helps if you have some knowledge of classic British comic characters. Like, erm, Billy Whizz.
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@BillyWhizz
Thanks for the warning. I guess I’ll look up some 2000 AD characters before I read.
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