Zenith (comic)
Zenith, a comic book title, was created by Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell first appearing in 2000 AD in 1988. It was notable as the first proper superhero to appear in the comic but is clearly influenced by Alan Moore with a self aware take on the reluctant superhero character similar to Miracleman and Watchmen as well as eliptic references to literary sources, especially the Cthulhu Mythos developed by H.P. Lovecraft and his successors. Zenith's parents were also superpowered and part of a British 1960s psychedelic super team allegorical to the Fantastic Four. However now in the 1980s Zenith has rejected their values and is happy to use the celebrity and ability he has been gifted to advance a career as a pop performer. This situation aggravates the people around Zenith who acts for most of the time as a spoilt celebrity and when he does use his powers it is usually for a minor personal gain. However this is balanced with the revelation that the other superpowered figures from the 1960s group still active have used their powers for personal advantage, one (Peter St John, formerly known as Mandala) having become a high ranking government minister. Meanwhile an ancient chaos force has been released. At the end of the first series Zenith teams up with surviving members of the 1960s squad to destroy the chaos force even though this proves fatal to a member of the team. The second series details the efforts of a media tycoon modeled on Richard Branson to use Zenith as breeding stock for a new group of superpowered slaves that he will use for world domination. The third series involved a multidimensional war utilizing comic-book characters from other British comics from the 50's, 60's and 70's. The fourth and final series brought the story full circle as the Lovecraftian horrors from the first series were revealed as originating much closer to home than previously realized. Zenith has since returned twice to the pages of 2000AD. Once in zzzenith.com, a one-off which featured in Prog 2001 which took place years after the end of the previous series, and in 1 Night 2 Remember produced for the 25th anniversary issue. Attempts to republish the original series in recent years following a copyright dispute.
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