Storming Heaven

[2000AD Online]

That Storming Heaven sort of sucks.  The art is trippy but there`s no focus for the story.  It may redeem itself later, but I doubt it.

[Thread Zero]

I love constructed criticism too!:O)

Gordon's mum.





Ok it's me really, scojo

[Thread Zero]

Actually that should have been constructive crit.... oh what the hell am I talking about.

Everyone please ignore me.

scojo off to learn english

[Wood]

But scojo, you're a screenwriter.

You don't _have_ to know English... :p

[Mangamax]

It just feels like a watered down rip-off of Zenith.
Give me the original any day.

[Thread Zero]

Well I am an aspiring one.

That means I ain't sold a page let alone a whole screenplay.
Sob!

For what it's worth, I prefer Storming Heaven to Shakara.
I like them both, but so far I feel Storming Heaven has the greater potential. It just has more in it to chew over.

Shakara just does his Shakara routine and that's er..it. So far anyway.

But Storming H has oblique drug references, questions the very metaphysical nature of existence, redefines the timeless mythic story notion that is good versus evil and has lovely flowers and men with unfashionably long facial hair.

As for what the story is actually about, I haven't a clue!

scojo still on Rennie tablets.

[nathan]

I only read book 1 of Zenith, and that was a long time ago. I don't remember much about it so can you remind me where the similarity is with Storming Heaven?

N

[Thread Zero]

Mangamax,

Zenith was:
People with obsessive personality disorder yet blessed with superhuman ability, seeking the need to either A) save the world or B) destroy it.

Storming Heaven is:

People with obsessive personality disorder yet blessed with superhuman ability, seeking the need to either A) save the world or B) destroy it.

Can't see the similarity myself.

scojo now running out of rennie tablets

[Matt]

You can't criticise Stormin Heaven on that sole basis. It's about superheroes. What superhero comic isn't about saving the world or destroying it? When you boil it down to its basic premise that's the genre of the superhero.

[nathan]

Scojo I'm none the wiser, I'm afraid.

What do you mean by "bbsessive personality disorder", isn't that when people have to keep checking they've turned the cooker off? Who has the disorder in Zenith and who has it in Storming Heaven?

What does "seeking the need" mean?

I'm not being picky, I really want to understand, because as far as I can tell the only similarity between the two strips is they have superheroes in them.

N

[Thread Zero]

I agree Matt. I like S H so far.
I was just giving a reason why some people are comparing it to Zenith. 99% of 2k is superhero free!

Balls Brothers!!!!!!!
What a load of balls you could say.

scojo

[Thread Zero]

Oh dear,

I was being flippant.

(Some people!:O)

Zenith was about a reluctant superhero of the 1980's who was forced to battle a (sort of) reanimated evil superhero from the 1940's.

Further books introduced more backstory, superheroes, Zenith's family etc.

I recommend you purchase Books 1-4 of Mr Z. It was one of 2k's best sagas.

Well I liked it!

scojo

[Tu-plang]

"and men with unfashionably long facial hair."

just don't say that around half the 2000ad creators.

in storming heaven's defence:

for a superhero storyline, the backstory is much more impressive than the usual DC/Marvel:

"man from planet ZX9-KRAPPY:228 comes to earth with his amazing powers and dresses in bondage gear."

but didn't zenith have a cool backstory too?  i can't remember.

one thing that could be done better in SH is the characterization. from the first 2 parts i've read, i can't really see any memorable characters.  this has been lacking in toothy a lot lately.  stuff like killer and carver hale could have been good if they'd een fleshed out a bit so the characters could develop.  they seemed to be all over in 7 episodes or so, tharg should let the normal length for something like that be about 15 episodes.

[W. R. Logan]

>Everyone please ignore me.

Always do.

La PLaca Rifa,
W. R, Logan.

Link: The Class Of '79

[paulvonscott]

I think the similarity to Zenith lies in the sixties Zenith timeline and the superhero group Cloud Nine, with Mandala et al.  That was basically a psychadelic superhero group.  As there have only been two superhero strips in 2000AD and both have featured some similar ideas, comparison is going to happen.

The story could very easily have been a Zenith 60's story with very little effort.  With the psychadelic heroes opening doors to dimensions and letting bad things through and encountering a Charles Mansion style superhero.

That isn't to say anything has been stolen, borrowed or cadged, I don't believe it has, but the similarity is there.

My main problem with Storming Heaven is that there are no characters in it.  You don't have any contact with it, it just sort of passes you by.  I don't dislike it at all I'm just not very involved with it.

Well, there will always be people who like somthing and don't like somthing.  I've noticed a lot of the strips seem to settle out at around 7 in the votes, either just above or below.