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Zenith #Complete
Zenith: Phase Three
Zenith Phase 3, Grant Morrison's comics masterpeice with unforgetable art by Steve Yeowell, has been unavailable to trade for twenty years, but part three is published again here in a stunning new hardback edition.
After saving London from the supernazi Masterman and a nuclear missile strike, the shallow superhuman popstar Zenith has found that his fifteen minutes of fame are almost up. With his career on the downturn, he agrees to go to Alternative 23 where another version of the WWII superhero, Maximan, is gathering an army of superhuman beings from alternate Earths to take part in a multidimensional battle for survival. With the fate of all reality in the balance, will Zenith be able to drop the sarcasm and take things seriously for once? It’s doubtful...
After saving London from the supernazi Masterman and a nuclear missile strike, the shallow superhuman popstar Zenith has found that his fifteen minutes of fame are almost up. With his career on the downturn, he agrees to go to Alternative 23 where another version of the WWII superhero, Maximan, is gathering an army of superhuman beings from alternate Earths to take part in a multidimensional battle for survival. With the fate of all reality in the balance, will Zenith be able to drop the sarcasm and take things seriously for once? It’s doubtful...
144 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Grant Morrison
1,791 books4,564 followersGrant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 23, 2021
The third act in Grant Morrison's Zenith saga reads like a preview of his later Final Crisis, one that offers considerable insight into a work that garnered a frustrated response from fans.
This is all about a crisis across multiple realities. In the days before Infinite Crisis, before DC had begun dipping frequently into the rich creative well left behind by Crisis On Infinite Earths, the idea of superhero "event" stories didn't, as a rule, dwell on such ideas. The defining '80s comics were instead Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns, still-famous stories that sought to humanize costumed adventurers far more than had ever been done before. And Alan Moore and Frank Miller to this day remain the cornerstones of a movement that saw superheroes being taken seriously for the first time. Grant Morrison rose to prominence a half-step behind Moore and Miller, and he's long waited to be viewed in the same revolutionary light. Where Moore, Miller, and Neil Gaiman have become acknowledged voices in the mainstream, Morrison's has been strangled.
This is incredibly unfair. Unlike the rest of this generation, instead of drifting away from the traditional realm of superheroes, Morrison worked his way toward it. But he'd already laid the foundations of everything he hoped to accomplish, and that's Zenith and that's essentially what Phase Three is. The previous two acts establish Zenith himself, who is more or less a supporting player in this one, taking a backseat to an odyssey that steamrolls most of the way to its conclusion, following a prototypical Morrison interior logic that eventually turns on a similar twist that Moore used to find his villain in Watchmen, although this time the conclusion is reached using an element established at the very beginning. So: no trickery.
One of the biggest complaints about Final Crisis was how Wonder Woman was quickly sidelined, converted into the legions of heroes working for for the villain. And perhaps Morrison didn't adequately express why that happened, but it's ultimately for the same reason the bad guys in Zenith: Phase Three quickly converted the most powerful superheroes in this story: because that's the smartest possible move. And in a story where all the characters are completely controlled by Morrison, and as a result no overly emotional attachment to them on the part of the reader, casualties are exactly how every "event" story always tries to demonstrate (always with minor characters with no significant immediate past and as such no significant immediate future), with Morrison being able to do what he wants. This story was literally never going to be easier for him to write.
Zenith was for years lost to history, caught in publishing limbo, and as such was both Morrison's best shot at establishing his reputation and a lost opportunity. Now that it's finally being reprinted, his accomplishments with it can be viewed, analyzed, and appreciated all over again. And perhaps his status in the hallowed halls of comic book creators as well. Above all else, Morrison has made a career out of showing how superheroes don't need apologies. In Zenith: Phase Three, he took his own creation on a journey that is completely emblematic of what superheroes do all the time, and showed it in a new light. This is to say, this act is the equivalent of Robin Hood taking on the Sheriff of Nottingham, King Arthur's pursuit of the Holy Grail.
That is to say, the culmination of an epic journey. And yes, there's one act yet to come...
This is all about a crisis across multiple realities. In the days before Infinite Crisis, before DC had begun dipping frequently into the rich creative well left behind by Crisis On Infinite Earths, the idea of superhero "event" stories didn't, as a rule, dwell on such ideas. The defining '80s comics were instead Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns, still-famous stories that sought to humanize costumed adventurers far more than had ever been done before. And Alan Moore and Frank Miller to this day remain the cornerstones of a movement that saw superheroes being taken seriously for the first time. Grant Morrison rose to prominence a half-step behind Moore and Miller, and he's long waited to be viewed in the same revolutionary light. Where Moore, Miller, and Neil Gaiman have become acknowledged voices in the mainstream, Morrison's has been strangled.
This is incredibly unfair. Unlike the rest of this generation, instead of drifting away from the traditional realm of superheroes, Morrison worked his way toward it. But he'd already laid the foundations of everything he hoped to accomplish, and that's Zenith and that's essentially what Phase Three is. The previous two acts establish Zenith himself, who is more or less a supporting player in this one, taking a backseat to an odyssey that steamrolls most of the way to its conclusion, following a prototypical Morrison interior logic that eventually turns on a similar twist that Moore used to find his villain in Watchmen, although this time the conclusion is reached using an element established at the very beginning. So: no trickery.
One of the biggest complaints about Final Crisis was how Wonder Woman was quickly sidelined, converted into the legions of heroes working for for the villain. And perhaps Morrison didn't adequately express why that happened, but it's ultimately for the same reason the bad guys in Zenith: Phase Three quickly converted the most powerful superheroes in this story: because that's the smartest possible move. And in a story where all the characters are completely controlled by Morrison, and as a result no overly emotional attachment to them on the part of the reader, casualties are exactly how every "event" story always tries to demonstrate (always with minor characters with no significant immediate past and as such no significant immediate future), with Morrison being able to do what he wants. This story was literally never going to be easier for him to write.
Zenith was for years lost to history, caught in publishing limbo, and as such was both Morrison's best shot at establishing his reputation and a lost opportunity. Now that it's finally being reprinted, his accomplishments with it can be viewed, analyzed, and appreciated all over again. And perhaps his status in the hallowed halls of comic book creators as well. Above all else, Morrison has made a career out of showing how superheroes don't need apologies. In Zenith: Phase Three, he took his own creation on a journey that is completely emblematic of what superheroes do all the time, and showed it in a new light. This is to say, this act is the equivalent of Robin Hood taking on the Sheriff of Nottingham, King Arthur's pursuit of the Holy Grail.
That is to say, the culmination of an epic journey. And yes, there's one act yet to come...
December 12, 2016
Grant Morrison's best work to date. Some great cameos from old school British characters and before Alan Moore first did it.
June 13, 2024
Phase Three increases the scope and ambition hugely, with an extended cast and an enormous existential threat. The story is straining against the confines of the five-pages-a-week format, but most important scenes are given enough space to breathe. By now Zenith himself is becoming the weakest part of the story, his arrogance and apathy really grating in every scene. The twist with him at the end is fun but does underscore what a prick he is in a fairly amusing way. The art by Yeowell is still terrific, too.
June 3, 2022
Intensely good, Morrison's writing gets very entertaining and Yeowell seems like he got injected with art steroids between phases. It was hard to put down, I kept being strung along by the flow of the story. Really, really great.
January 31, 2021
I really like this series a lot. It's a unique and interesting twist on normal superhero books. It's a good deal darker than a lot of other stuff without being edgy or gross or anything like that.
I think the single biggest problem with this book and with the previous two is that some of the artwork is hard to read. I love Yeowell's black and white artwork here, but every now and then (usually when someone's using their powers or doing something world shattering) the color scheme (or lack thereof) obfuscates what's going on. Still, I'm really loving this stuff and I'm kind of surprised that more people don't talk about this since it's by Grant Morrison. Definitely one of the most consistent things he has done.
I think the single biggest problem with this book and with the previous two is that some of the artwork is hard to read. I love Yeowell's black and white artwork here, but every now and then (usually when someone's using their powers or doing something world shattering) the color scheme (or lack thereof) obfuscates what's going on. Still, I'm really loving this stuff and I'm kind of surprised that more people don't talk about this since it's by Grant Morrison. Definitely one of the most consistent things he has done.
June 10, 2015
I'd forgotten just how good this is. I first read it about 25 years ago in 2000AD and it remains one of the best comics I've read.
Head-bending, parallel-universe stuff with superheroes, it was 'way ahead of its time in terms of plotting and tone, and casting the protagonist as an amoral superhero. The cast of characters is vast and the stylish, monochrome art makes it a bit difficult to work out who's who and what's happening sometimes.
But it's still a must-read for superhero fans.
Head-bending, parallel-universe stuff with superheroes, it was 'way ahead of its time in terms of plotting and tone, and casting the protagonist as an amoral superhero. The cast of characters is vast and the stylish, monochrome art makes it a bit difficult to work out who's who and what's happening sometimes.
But it's still a must-read for superhero fans.
June 27, 2016
I thought this was a lot of fun even if it was sullied by a joke about transgender people at the end. In particular, Vertex was a great character.
There's something a little problematic about the art and pacing. It feels like things are missing. On the other hand, it's a little bold and refreshing.
There's something a little problematic about the art and pacing. It feels like things are missing. On the other hand, it's a little bold and refreshing.
March 4, 2021
Forget “Crisis of Infinite Earths”. Spit on “The Infinity Gauntlet”. For a real epic universe-ending superhero series, one can’t get any better (or creepier) than Grant Morrison’s lesser-known 2000 “Zenith” series, featured in the British comic book 2000 A.D.
It’s perhaps a misnomer to say that this is a superhero comic. The fact that there are superheroes featured in the series is quite beside the point. This is, in actuality, an H.P. Lovecraft-inspired horror story, with superheroes.
“Zenith: Phase Three” continues (and concludes?) the series featuring a thoroughly unlikable douchebag of a superhero named Zenith. Actually, to call him a superhero is a serious insult to real superheroes. He is a pop-rock star with superpowers who spends more time getting laid and getting piss-drunk than actually helping people.
In this third volume, a series of superheroes from an alternative universe recruit him to stop the LLoigor—-malevolent gods bent on entering our plane of existence in order to wipe out humanity—-from taking over more worlds in the multiverse. They have already taken over and destroyed several. An alternative-world Maximan (who died years ago in Zenith’s world) has compiled all of the superheroes from as many alternative worlds as possible.
The violence and gore is at a minimum in this, thanks to Steve Yeowell’s minimalist and black-and-white artwork, but it still manages to be creepy. Yeowell is masterful at creating very horrific images with light and shadow.
Then, of course, there is Morrison’s weirdness. His writing tells the real story, cleverly combining Lovecraftian horror tropes, parodying the familiar “crisis” series of DC and Marvel, and throwing in a fair amount of Monty Python-esque humor just for shits and giggles.
I’m not sure how well-known a series “Zenith” is, but compared to some of the crappy “crisis” series I have tried to slog through in recent years, it is one of the best comic book series I have read. One can also see the roots of some of Morrison’s subsequent hits and misses, such as “Nameless” (a hit) and DC’s “Final Crisis” (a huge miss).
It’s perhaps a misnomer to say that this is a superhero comic. The fact that there are superheroes featured in the series is quite beside the point. This is, in actuality, an H.P. Lovecraft-inspired horror story, with superheroes.
“Zenith: Phase Three” continues (and concludes?) the series featuring a thoroughly unlikable douchebag of a superhero named Zenith. Actually, to call him a superhero is a serious insult to real superheroes. He is a pop-rock star with superpowers who spends more time getting laid and getting piss-drunk than actually helping people.
In this third volume, a series of superheroes from an alternative universe recruit him to stop the LLoigor—-malevolent gods bent on entering our plane of existence in order to wipe out humanity—-from taking over more worlds in the multiverse. They have already taken over and destroyed several. An alternative-world Maximan (who died years ago in Zenith’s world) has compiled all of the superheroes from as many alternative worlds as possible.
The violence and gore is at a minimum in this, thanks to Steve Yeowell’s minimalist and black-and-white artwork, but it still manages to be creepy. Yeowell is masterful at creating very horrific images with light and shadow.
Then, of course, there is Morrison’s weirdness. His writing tells the real story, cleverly combining Lovecraftian horror tropes, parodying the familiar “crisis” series of DC and Marvel, and throwing in a fair amount of Monty Python-esque humor just for shits and giggles.
I’m not sure how well-known a series “Zenith” is, but compared to some of the crappy “crisis” series I have tried to slog through in recent years, it is one of the best comic book series I have read. One can also see the roots of some of Morrison’s subsequent hits and misses, such as “Nameless” (a hit) and DC’s “Final Crisis” (a huge miss).
July 2, 2020
As a child this one knocked me for six. The first two Phases had been clever and mindbending and knowing, but nothing prepared me for Phase Three. Yeowell as an artist has somehow stepped down from his peak in these issues, returning to a simple - if elegant - line for his work. But this is scratchy and nightmarish and bewildering and the perfect art for the story held within. And as calling cards for stories go, nothing beats Archie the android turning up as an Acid House freak. As a thirteen year old I knew exactly who Archie was, far more than I did Acid House music, so there was a real frisson of danger and, may I add, sheer deranged chutzpah as to what Morrison was planning
The first time we see a world decimated by the Lloigor it feels almost like Morrison’s own response to Moore’s Marvelman stories but - whisper it - better because there’s a real horror and shock here, created by using rubbish Fleetway and IPV characters in this world. It really gives the villains a sense of dread. Much as the Marvelman stuff is brilliant, the infamous Kid Miracleman sequence (complete with early Moore using rape as a plot point, that weird obsession he has again and again) just feels nihilistic - while this is bleak and, to my teenage self and as an adult, terrifying. It’s genuinely heartbreaking to see these childhood icons - and the characters inspired by them - suffer, but again this isn’t for cheap nihilistic effect. Even as a kid alarm bells were ringing about some of the so called heroes and their attitudes, and it’s to Morrison’s credit that these are not overstated moments but instead have an air of awful inevitability about them
It’s still a brilliant move on Morrison’s part to have Peter St John as our most responsible character, because we again know that he’s... got skeletons, to put it mildly. And Vertex is a wonderful character. Even I was taken in by *that* cliffhanger as a kid. The Metamaid punchline is a bit cheap but I like to think it influenced Morrison to create Lord Fanny in the Invisibles and correct some of that laziness
The first time we see a world decimated by the Lloigor it feels almost like Morrison’s own response to Moore’s Marvelman stories but - whisper it - better because there’s a real horror and shock here, created by using rubbish Fleetway and IPV characters in this world. It really gives the villains a sense of dread. Much as the Marvelman stuff is brilliant, the infamous Kid Miracleman sequence (complete with early Moore using rape as a plot point, that weird obsession he has again and again) just feels nihilistic - while this is bleak and, to my teenage self and as an adult, terrifying. It’s genuinely heartbreaking to see these childhood icons - and the characters inspired by them - suffer, but again this isn’t for cheap nihilistic effect. Even as a kid alarm bells were ringing about some of the so called heroes and their attitudes, and it’s to Morrison’s credit that these are not overstated moments but instead have an air of awful inevitability about them
It’s still a brilliant move on Morrison’s part to have Peter St John as our most responsible character, because we again know that he’s... got skeletons, to put it mildly. And Vertex is a wonderful character. Even I was taken in by *that* cliffhanger as a kid. The Metamaid punchline is a bit cheap but I like to think it influenced Morrison to create Lord Fanny in the Invisibles and correct some of that laziness
December 1, 2018
I read this back in the day when it was serialised in 2000AD, having no familiarity with superheroes or crossovers so I had no way of knowing it was a kind of Crisis On Infinite British Comics, drawing as it does on a host of forgotten stalwarts from the pages of forgotten weeklies to get slaughtered in the war with the Lloigor as Zenith and Co try to prevent the alignment that will allow them to take over the multiverse. Exciting stuff, and atmospheric as all get-out, and it paid off plot points and character points and set-ups and foreshadowing from across the previous two books that had been so thrilling and tantalising. There's more than a touch of Miracleman in the dark vision of worlds ravaged by superhumans. The story moves fast and the pieces fit together like clockwork, even the betrayal, but it ends on a nasty little transphobic note that when I first read it I was at least able to attribute to Zenith being such a dick, but now, bad form, Morrisson.
July 19, 2020
I have very mixed feelings about this volume. While I liked the idea of putting Zenith in with a bunch of other superheroes and seeing his snarky dynamic interacting with them, it didn't really give us that. That seemed like such a natural progression but the character moments just weren't there and Zenith is hardly in it. I liked how they handled the alternate dimensions but it wasn't really anything new or interesting. My favorite part was the Maximan, I just thought the idea of a big powerhouse superhero being super socially awkward because he spent so much time in isolation was funny. Also there was a completely needless page of transphobia for no reason at all and that was very dumb.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2025
Rereading all four phases of Zenith prior to the new spin-off series.
Steve Yeowell’s art on this book was a further evolution of his style from phase two. He subsequently abandoned this approach and worked in a more polished version of his phase one art style. One which he has iterated on and refined for the last thirty years.
Perhaps there is an alternate universe where he improved on this gritty, angular style for three decades. Wouldn’t that be something to see?
Steve Yeowell’s art on this book was a further evolution of his style from phase two. He subsequently abandoned this approach and worked in a more polished version of his phase one art style. One which he has iterated on and refined for the last thirty years.
Perhaps there is an alternate universe where he improved on this gritty, angular style for three decades. Wouldn’t that be something to see?
January 9, 2019
Probably my favorite phase of Zenith. It's like a if the cynicism/postmodernism/deconstruction of Watchmen was applied to Crisis on Infinite Earths.
This is Morrison shining early in his career, even if this run is forgotten. It's hot notes that eventually reach into Multiversity and Final Crisis.
This is Morrison shining early in his career, even if this run is forgotten. It's hot notes that eventually reach into Multiversity and Final Crisis.
May 12, 2020
Whilst still being a thrilling example of Grant Morrison’s energetic and imaginative multi-dimensional storytelling, Phase Three does become a bit incoherent in the middle. It ends tightly though, and the series remains engaging
December 31, 2020
The world of Zenith unfolds and expands in the multiverse spanning epic that is this volume. The story's pace speeds and scales up to climax the story. Many characters are introduced, and the story gets a bit sprawly, but Morrison saves the narrative cohesion somehow.
December 15, 2021
I got major Spider-Verse vibes from a story preceding it by over two decades. Impressive in its ingeniuty!
More Cthulu references!
A very obvious twist ending, though. But there is always phase four to look forward to.
More Cthulu references!
A very obvious twist ending, though. But there is always phase four to look forward to.
February 2, 2019
The action picks up again in this phase, and the battle with the llogior is planet-hopping madness. Early Morrison using all his as-yet unhoned tricks here to his fullest abilities.
February 21, 2019
Loving the Order of the Black Sun and Lovecraftian stuff. On to phase 4!
June 25, 2019
Really good story and wonderful artwork. Looking forward to rounding out the story with Phase Four
November 22, 2019
So long I have overlooked Zenith because my dislike to Yeowell's art. But the story is so good it make me forget it.
February 27, 2021
This is some really dark stuff but par for the course if you've read Invisibles, Final Crisis and so on.
April 2, 2021
Ett par snäpp under de första två samlingarna. Rörig berättelse och röriga bilder som gjorde att det alltför ofta var svårt att förstå vem som gjorde vad.
November 1, 2022
I had absolutely no idea what was going on or why
September 15, 2023
Phase Three becomes typical Grant Morrison and you can even see fragments that influenced his later superhero works.
Read
September 18, 2019This was pretty epic. Maximan gathers heroes from various Earths to stop the Lloigor, sending them from Earth to Earth for a cross-dimensional, time-ticking battle where twists and turns abound. Volume three is the most action-heavy so far, with several insane and mind-bending sequences. Saying that, the fight scenes are sometimes hard to follow. I’ve enjoyed Steve Yeowell’s art, but some chapters here feel a bit rushed. The story is still great, though. I like how each phase feels different, while clearly building towards the whole. And the more I think about it, this series is a nice representation of Morrison as a writer; it contains so many concepts that he would go on to incorporate in later books.
October 20, 2017
This book starts off where Zenith: Phase Two ended.
And since it's not spoiling anything that isn't already available to anyone who has read the preview, this book is all about alternate earths and a battle for their survival. If this all sounds familiar, it might be due to the fact that these type of stories have been told also in both of the big publishers' superhero comics.
And while I'm not saying that you couldn't make an interesting multiverse story without the familiar characters of Marvel and DC, it's much harder, because of the time it would take to tell enough of back story for all the characters to make the reader feel vested in them, or even recognize them (Steve Yeowell's black-and-white illustrations doesn't really help here).
I know I'm repeating myself here, but this book was as interesting to read as it is to see Picasso's early paintings. They show promise, but if they weren't by the masters they became later, I'm sure that not as many people would be interested.
And since it's not spoiling anything that isn't already available to anyone who has read the preview, this book is all about alternate earths and a battle for their survival. If this all sounds familiar, it might be due to the fact that these type of stories have been told also in both of the big publishers' superhero comics.
And while I'm not saying that you couldn't make an interesting multiverse story without the familiar characters of Marvel and DC, it's much harder, because of the time it would take to tell enough of back story for all the characters to make the reader feel vested in them, or even recognize them (Steve Yeowell's black-and-white illustrations doesn't really help here).
I know I'm repeating myself here, but this book was as interesting to read as it is to see Picasso's early paintings. They show promise, but if they weren't by the masters they became later, I'm sure that not as many people would be interested.
September 25, 2015
This chapter has gotten even better in the light of Morrison's later work. This is the very first time he tries to deal with a "Crisis on Infinite Earths" directly, and man is it grand. It didn't make much sense to me the first time I read it, back in the 1990s, but boy does it make sense now.
You can see the beginnings of Yeowell getting tired with creating environments. Everything happens in two places: this crumpled nowhere of smoke where people fight a lot, and this giant conference room the size of an airplane hangar. The storytelling is just plain unreadable sometimes. I suppose it all comes from trying to draw 4-color comic book characters in a black and white comic.
You can see the beginnings of Yeowell getting tired with creating environments. Everything happens in two places: this crumpled nowhere of smoke where people fight a lot, and this giant conference room the size of an airplane hangar. The storytelling is just plain unreadable sometimes. I suppose it all comes from trying to draw 4-color comic book characters in a black and white comic.
May 11, 2015
The story's pretty good, but the art really lets it down. The cast of characters grows exponentially in this volume (what with various alternatives to travel to), and it's really hard to keep everyone straight (though the less-than-stellar art may have actually helped sell the ending a bit). I hope the final phase has less characters for Yeowell to draw.
June 12, 2015
An awesome series of novels, waiting for Phase 4 to arrive in the mail. If you like graphic novels and can appreciate excellent quality duoton artwork, you'll love this alternate history of humanity in the1980's.
October 20, 2016
A major crossover-style story in which Zenith and his multidimensional allies face a foe of unimaginable - and terrifying - proportions. Morrison kicks up the cosmic ante and turns in a story that is surprisingly moving until the main character reveals he hasn't actually changed all that much!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews