Villordsutch reviews Zenith: Phase 4…
With the Lloigor defeated nothing can stand in the way of the superhumans and universal domination! The remaining members of the original British super-team Cloud 9 with some additional powered affiliates (including Zenith’s infant son) have destroyed America in retaliation for an attempt on their lives. Now they plan to incubate in the sun and evolve to the next level of existence, destroying the Earth as they do so. Once again Zenith and St. John must make a stand for humanity and this time it’s personal!
When you follow an author’s – let’s take for example Philip K. Dick – earlier pieces of work to the later pieces of work in a compressed format, and not separated by years and decades for which they were originally created, you will be surprised how shockingly different those pieces are. You will start with The Gun, Minority Report and Second Variety and these are enjoyable pulp science-fiction reading. But as you make your way along the chronological order of books you find yourself slowly walking into The Man in the High Castle, then Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Flow My Tears the Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly and then you find VALIS and you’re no longer at The Gun, you’re at something much bigger and if you are not ready for this change you’ll not enjoy it at all; but if you are ready, if you have seen the change coming, then you’ll relish what is given to you.
With this we start with Zenith: Phase 4, though we’re certainly not at a Horselover Fat stage we have certainly hit a new level of maturity. You’ll notice an instant change for Steve Yeowell’s rather brilliant artwork has been given a coat of colour throughout the book from Gina Hart. Before you instantly decry this book as heresy due to this technicoloured addition, I advise you to pause and breathe as I too did. Yeowell’s artwork is fantastic I completely agree, but the inclusion of Hart’s palette in Zenith: Phase 4 is an excellent complement to this story as a whole. This step into the 1990’s needs this splash of colour! We’ve left behind the previous decades and we’ve entered a new era of Acid House music and Britain itself is attempting to lift itself out of the 1980’s strike bleakness.
On top of this we are also seeing the evolution of Grant Morrison appearing within the covers of Zenith: Phase 4; though it is certainly no VALIS mind ache of a read, it is however is an emotionally charged book and it really is melancholy like A Scanner Darkly or Flow My Tears. Zenith’s quips and jokes -plus panel-time – are limited within the pages of this issue, as we get to witness what happens when the remaining members of Cloud 9 – the remaining few Superhumans –decide to become the Gods they believe to be; starting with the instant eradication of America and then turning their attention upon the rest of the known world. With only Zenith and Peter St. John remaining on the side for good, this all seems like a very one-sided battle.
Brutal, vicious and truly engrossing in its story Zenith: Phase 4 will have you hearing a pin drop as you turn the pages. After my initial disappointment with Zenith: Phase 3 I was unsure what to expect with this book, however it’s clear that Phase 3 was a mere blip and Grant Morrison has gone full guns on this chapter in Zenith’s life.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=rTcdL3-dh2c
Originally published July 16, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
