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Famous People as Zenith Superhumans

Started by Mister Punch, 26 November, 2013, 11:01:26 AM

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Mister Punch

Zenith is probably my all-time favourite strip in 2000ad and one of the things I love about it is the wealth of unanswered questions and lack of backstory for the myriad of superhumans seen in Phase II and beyond.

One aspect of this is that a number of superhumans in the story seem to have the likeness of famous people, mostly musicians, some of whom are really obvious - Miss Wonderstarr - whilst others are quite ambiguous due to Yeowell's sparse, stylish, stylised art and only seeing some characters briefly. I think a few of these have been admitted to by the creators and a few spotted by readers but I've no idea if it was Morrisson or Yeowell's idea to put them in and how many of the superhumans are actually meant to look like musical celebrities. I met Yeowell once and forgot to ask - D'oh!

Here is a list of the ones I've spotted, and my suspicions about others:

Zenith: Possibly Morrissey from the Smiths or even Rick Astley
Peter St John: Michael Hesseltine, Tory MP, real-life Defence Secretary
Red Dragon: Macho, Welsh - Tom Jones?
Dr Beat: (Zenith's Father) the beret and glasses suggest Captain Sensible (a drummer, get it?)
White Heat: (Zenith's Mother): Another 60's star? Dusty Springfield?
Lux: clearly Jim Morrison
Spook: Unknown
Voltage: Unknown
Miss Wonderstarr: Obviously Souxie Sioux
Unnamed Villain (ally of Miss Wonderstarr): Unknown, but distinctive features and big nose suggest he's based on a real person
Prince Mamba: David Bowie
Hotspur: John Lydon (Johnny Rotten)
Scott Wallace: (the non-superhuman entrepreneur in Phase II) Richard Branson
Domino: Unknown, but possibly a punk. Sid Vicious? Shane McGowan?
DJ Chill: The Reverend Run (Run DMC)
93 Mantra: Unknown
Smiley Sun: Unknown
Jimmy Quick: Jimmy Sommerville / the comic character Billy Whizz
Red Star Robinson: (not named in story): Ian Brown (Stone Roses) see link below
Black Hawk: (not named in story): Clint Boon (Inspiral Carpets) see link below

Some of the superhumans are seemingly based on British comic characters:
Big Ben: Desperate Dan from the Dandy (his home town is Caucusville against Dan's Cactusville, and he is absurdly strong although he is Russian rather than American)
Johnny Quick: Billy Whizz from the Beano

There are plenty more, most of which I didn't spot. Extensive detail here: Mhttp://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/scorcard.htm

What do you think and anyone got any more?

Link Prime

A great 1st post- welcome to The Punch.

Dunno why, but I always saw Ruby / Voltage as Diana Rigg after she was de-aged!

TordelBack

#2
Great first post, The Punch.  Have you seen this fine resource created by one of the brighter lights of this parish: Seizing the Fire: Phase III Superhumans?  Might help you with the older comics characters.  For example, Prince Mamba, while he may well be Bowie, is also King Cobra.  Just don't tell the lawyers.

Lobo Baggins

Isn't the unnamed Lloigor Rat Scabies from The Damned?

That's what I've always thought, anyway...
The wages of sin are death, but the hours are good and the perks are fantastic.

Proudhuff

DDT did a job on me

Mister Punch

I think Ruby Fox (Voltage) is possibly Sigourney Weaver. I'll try to post some pics to back up my tenuous theories.

QuickQuag

Sorry for the thread necromancy, I came here looking for King Cobra! I believe Domini was supposed to be Nicky Wire, wasn't he? Hence the Manics tshirt?
The views above are entirely my own. And there's the problem.

Dog Deever

Hmmm, don't think Captain Sensible has ever played drums. IIRC, he started out as bassist for The Damned, moved over to guitar and has played a bit of keyboards, so the 'Dr Beat/ Captain Sensible/ because he's a drummer' doesn't fit, though Dr Beat's look may well still be based on the Captain.
Just a little rough and tumble, Judge man.

TordelBack

Quote from: Dog Deever on 27 March, 2017, 06:56:07 PM
Hmmm, don't think Captain Sensible has ever played drums. IIRC, he started out as bassist for The Damned, moved over to guitar and has played a bit of keyboards, so the 'Dr Beat/ Captain Sensible/ because he's a drummer' doesn't fit, though Dr Beat's look may well still be based on the Captain.

I always thought Dr Beat was just the archetypal Beatnik-with-bongos, with maybe a hint of Lennon if anything.

Dog Deever

yeah, looking at that seizing the fire site, the pic there doesn't look much like Captain Sensible at all- other than shades 'n' beret. Way too serious looking. Can't remember seeing many pics of Sensible being all grim, quite the reverse. Kind of looks a bit like Warhol in a beret.
Just a little rough and tumble, Judge man.

JayzusB.Christ

#10
Yep, great first post.
Odd that Eddie is on the phone to Richard Branson in Phase 1, then Scott Wallace is introduced in Phase 2. They both exist in that parallel.  Reminds me of when Lisa Simpson points out that the character Lucius Sweet is "exactly as rich and famous as Don King and looks just like him too."

As far as I remember, Domino was based on either Nicky Wire or Richey Edwards from the Manic Street Preachers, though there's clearly a bit of Sid Vicious there too.

I'd imagine Zenith's look was based partly on Morrissey's, but I doubt if his character was.  He's a different type of obnoxious little prat.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

JayzusB.Christ

Just clocked that this was a necropost, and that Quickquag got there before me with the Nicky Wire thing.  Which means Mr Punch is long gone (or has a new name).
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 28 March, 2017, 01:31:16 PM
I'd imagine Zenith's look was based partly on Morrissey's, but I doubt if his character was.  He's a different type of obnoxious little prat.

ISTR Morrison's original description of Zenith was "Nick Kamen, if he could fly and flatten ball bearings between his fingers."

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Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

TordelBack

Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 28 March, 2017, 03:57:04 PM
ISTR Morrison's original description of Zenith was "Nick Kamen, if he could fly and flatten ball bearings between his fingers."

Did you hear that through the grapevine?