One of the trends in the comics industry that I truly appreciate is the reprinting of excellent, even “classic” stories and books. Just today, in fact, I came across two perfect examples of this!
‘ZENITH’ IN COLOR
The very first time I ever read Grant Morrison’s writing was in a black-and-white British collection of Zenith on the recommendation of my brother. I was stunned by the story and the art! Every time they have released another edition this book, I have added it to my collection.
Now, word from the recent MCM London Con has come that a new omnibus edition of this series will be coming from 2000AD that, for the first time, will be in full color! Oh, boy!
Here’s the book’s description per the Internet:
>>Zenith: Full Colour Omnibus Edition
GRANT MORRISON (W) STEVE YEOWELL (A) JP JORDAN (C)
HARDBACK, 432 PAGES – £49.99
ON SALE DECEMBER 1ST
By legendary, bestselling writer Grant Morrison (Batman: Arkham Asylum, All Star Superman, Batman & Robin).
The entire Zenith saga presented for the first time in full colour. Perfect for longtime fans, this edition is fully coloured to also make it more accessible for new readers.
Co-creator and artist Steve Yeowell (Batman, Fantastic Four, The Invisibles) is a beloved and iconic UK artist.
Featuring colours by rising star of comics – JP Jordan (Power Rangers, Star Trek).<<
Needless to say, the first thing I did when I saw this was contact my LCS and ask them to be on the lookout for it! I want this! And I’m sure it will hit the U.S. sometime around the release date!
I’m excited about this book because it was the first time I read a post-heroic character in a post-heroic world. Poor Zenith has to fight the baddest of the baddies while his level of power is pretty low comparatively. I felt for him!
‘EMPIRE’ COLLECTED
This book Empire from two powerhouse comic creators – Mark Waid and Barry Kitson – initially came out from a smaller press company, so it didn’t get the love it deserved at the time! I scrambled to find copies! Here’s the description: “A Doctor Doom-like supervillain named Golgoth has defeated all superheroes and conquered the world but must now contend with internal power struggles.”
It has shocks galore, including where Golgoth gets his power from! I have already backed it, of course. If they should ever make new stories in this universe, I’ll be there!
This book is being crowdfunded at zoop.gg at this link. This campaign should conclude about to end soon. Highly recommended!
‘HOT STUFF, BABY, THIS EVENING’
The good news is that the industry continues to release new, probably future “classic” comics stories that make me look forward to their weekly releases!
Probably the biggest deal in the industry right now (and likely will be for at least some time) is DC’s Absolute Universe. I keep hearing amazing stories about Absolute Batman, including an article that said the new head of Marvel Comics, when asked who his favorite comics character was, actually said Absolute Batman! What???!! The Universe continues to grow and grow while the quality of storytelling remains extremely high. Just look at the recent release of Absolute Green Arrow #1, for instance! I was blown away by it and am anxiously awaiting more issues! Hey, Absolute Batman is now the “gold standard” by which all other comics are measured! The recent sales success of Ben 10 #1 was compared to the sales of the latest Absolute Batman issue! I wonder if, one day, we’ll see Scott Snyder as the editor-in-chief of DC if Jim Lee wants to devote himself to his art again!
Also, Jeff Lemire, always one of my favorite scripters, has literally been “on fire” recently with his Absolute Flash as well as the new Fury of Firestorm. They both have smoke pouring out of my ears as I read them! Jeff is back to the level of excellence that he had way back in his Animal Man days. But I always buy and read everything he writes, so I’m not surprised!
Marvel has also been making some great moves recently! Their new “Midnight” horror imprint has my attention, including the recent exclusive signing of Philip Kennedy Johnson, who I will seriously miss writing on Superman for DC. His Infernal Hulk has really captured my imagination ever since he started writing the character a few years back! Making the Hulk a horror character just seemed to be “low hanging fruit” that I’m glad he took on! I’m seriously looking forward to his horror take on Spider-Man, among others!
While the comics industry continues to work on re-inventing itself and improving its access to fans new and established, it’s encouraging to see wonderful books like the ones I’ve mentioned here coming out and getting the attention they deserve! I’m more optimistic than ever that the best days for buying and reading comics are still ahead of us!
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