This is definately going to be one of the strips most talked about- so you owe it to yourself to find out why… – Bolt – 01
Now this story I really enjoyed – Richard Fox, Everything comes back to 2000AD
A preliminary sketch of Zenith.
I am very pleased to announce that Zarjaz Issue 12 has been published and is now out to buy (please head over to http://www.futurequake.co.uk/shop.php to order your copy). Zarjaz is a 2000AD anthology fanzine, published by FutureQuake Press. Within this wonderful publication you can read a story called Zenith/ Invasion, written by Chris ‘Massacre for Boys‘ Denton and illustrated by myself.
Zenith and Invasion are two classic comic stories which were originally featured in the ‘Galaxy’s greatest comic’, 2000AD. Both of these strips were written by two well known writers, Grant Morrison and Pat Mills (look out for their cameo appearance in my artwork) and were originally drawn by two artists I have high regard for, Steve Yeowell and the Spanish artist, Jesus Blasco. It was a wonderful experience to step into their shoes and continue their story in my own style, yet remaining true to their unique visions.
Zenith/Invasion is a clever crossover, creating a new angle without taking anything away from the original stories (I don’t wish to say too much about the story as it will spoil the experience for you). Illustrating Chris’s wonderful script was a fantastic opportunity for me; I am a huge fan of both of the stories, so when the script came my way, I was over the moon and I hope my enthusiasm is reflected in my artwork. Chris is a fantastic writer; he has created what could have been a very complicated script into a sophisticated, yet clear cut, piece of exciting story telling which pulls you in right from the start. Even if you’re not familar with the original 2000ad stories you will easily be able to pick up and enjoy the strip. If you would like some background knowledge of the two stories before (or even after) reading Zenith/ Invasion, please have a look at these two pages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenith_(comics) and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion!_(2000_AD)
To whet your appetites, here’s a preliminary sketch/study of Zenith (see image above). I drew this just before I started to work on the script. It started off as being a sketch but as usual, I became quite involved with it. While I was drawing this piece, I can remember trying to capture Zenith’s immature, sarcastic, flippant and shallow nature. It was also a slight pun on the Marvel/DC angle when they unmask their heroes (“Shock! Horror! It was NEVER him? Really?”- to be said in a sarcastic, Zenith-like tone). I will post some of the artwork from Zenith/Invasion strip at a later date.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the FutureQuake team (Dave Evans and Richmond Clements) for their support and for providing me with this great opportunity and to Chris Denton for his fantastic script – thanks for your time and camaraderie. It was a blast!
To read Chris’s own view on Zenith/ Invasion please click here
To read what the Forbidden Planet blog have to say, again, please click here
Enjoy!
Zarjaz Issue 12. Featuring Zenith/ Invasion. (Fantastic) Cover by Alex Ronald.