The Complete Zenith now exists in hardback

matty_ae · 27 June, 2008, 03:51:30 PM

Alright I got all the back issues including the specials, annuals, pin-ups and covers and got a bookbinder to make it for me,
It's about 400 pages and in black leather.

I've got a spare earlier version as well. I'd really advise anyone else to to it as 2000ad issues in bulk are really cheap on eBay and frankly there's no other way its going to come out.

Small probalem was the annual story and zzzzzenith.com being on a4 size paper (ie thinner than the rest of the book) but you can solve this.

Also included that bizarre spanish artist recap. Seriously go and make your own books if they don't exist. Don't know what's next - The Best of John Smith? tempting. Did think of the Summer Offensive as a book but it didn't stand-up too well on second reading!

COMMANDO FORCES · 27 June, 2008, 03:54:26 PM

How about a few pics of this mighty tomb so we can all marvel at it's magnificence?

matty_ae · 27 June, 2008, 04:02:31 PM

Yes I'll get some on-line.

Also included Mark millar's zenith text story - it was a close call...

COMMANDO FORCES · 27 June, 2008, 04:13:13 PM

I look forward to seeing those pictures.

IndigoPrime · 27 June, 2008, 04:21:38 PM

I was actually pretty tempted to do something like this through Lulu, but it's an obvious breach of Ts & Cs and I didn't want to get hit with the naughty stick. Plus, frankly, it would have taken ages to scan/clean up/convert everything to black and white (I don't really want the 'special' story in colour, nor Phase 4). I'll have to put my covers online this weekend. I also wanted to do the Complete Zoids, like that Action Force book that's been done, but I never got around to that either (for similar reasons—too much work to clean everything up).

ukdane · 27 June, 2008, 04:33:20 PM

I put together some of my own trades together. Unfortunately it was during the 90's so I've never read my "Wireheads" collection :oops:

I have the issues ready to do the last book of Zenith, but haven't got around to it yet (ever in the hope of the real thing).

matty_ae · 27 June, 2008, 04:39:27 PM

Complete Zoids would be good. It doesn't infringe t&c's or copyright unless you tried to sell it as that indicia on the inside of most books tell you.

I actually think it's just a damn positive thing to do to go and make the books you want and turn all those old progs covering dust into something cool. Unintentionally hilarious is during the middle of Zenith phase 3 gloom and doom, a colour page of chopper baring his bum to the Supersurf 14 baddies has to slip in by virtue of being on the opposite side.!!!

Frankly you'd be mad to try to make a pre-existing book, it just costs too much!

2000ad are great because of their size - you always loose the 'gutter' around the spine with binding - they are big enough to cope. As a returning reader I've got to say the Rebellion collections are damn impressive and varied.

IndigoPrime · 27 June, 2008, 10:47:40 PM

I very much doubt you're right about rights issues, even if compiling books for personal use. That said, I can't see anyone suing about Zoids! It's still too much work to do right now, though, at least in the way I want it, and the sizes that are available aren't good for British comics. (Basically, the 'trade' size is too tall or too narrow, depending on your viewpoint.)

Anyway, as promised, below are the covers I made for the volumes, clearly nicked style-wise from Rebellion's wonderful chunky trades.

COMMANDO FORCES · 27 June, 2008, 11:35:37 PM

They look excellent and so professional.

Grant Goggans · 28 June, 2008, 02:51:34 AM

I would pay a good deal of money for Zenith books like that.

pauljholden · 28 June, 2008, 08:56:23 AM

Yes, yes, yes. But what do the SPINES look like?

- pj

IndigoPrime · 28 June, 2008, 11:54:25 AM

Quote from: "pjholden"Yes, yes, yes. But what do the SPINES look like?

Heh! Well, I didn't get that far, to be honest. All I did was figure out what I wanted to do, did the covers, experimented with a load of the colour pages, made a Photoshop action for reworking b+w pages, realised how long the project would take me, and then thought 'sod it'. If I win the lottery tonight, I might have a change of heart, but otherwise I think I'll just hope Grant and Rebellion can work out their differences.

Mangamax · 28 June, 2008, 11:58:47 AM

Its a nice idea, and if its for your personal use, can't see anyone having a problem with it.
If i was going to do such a thing, it'd be nice to have all my Black Max's together.

ukdane · 28 June, 2008, 03:51:29 PM

The Zenith covers wouldn't use those images.
Book 1 would probably be a Zenith stock pose, and the 2nd book would be the Zenith's Back cover

IndigoPrime · 29 June, 2008, 01:20:39 PM

Quote from: "ukdane"The Zenith covers wouldn't use those images.
Book 1 would probably be a Zenith stock pose, and the 2nd book would be the Zenith's Back cover

Sadly, that's probably true. However, any Zenith trade not using the image of a robot riding a dinosaur and yelling "MAD MENTAL CRAZY" is seriously missing a trick.