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Forum’s Favourite Thrill - Button Man vs. Zenith Round 3 Heat 14

Started by Colin YNWA, 18 May, 2022, 06:19:23 AM

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Magnetica

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 18 May, 2022, 08:44:35 AM
That first Button Man is a classic – one of the best things that ever ran in the Prog. I'm sure in hindsight the reveal is obvious, but it threw me at the time. Every moment of that first volume felt perfectly plotted, and Toxic were absolutely bonkers for rejecting it. (I mean, come on – the comic that had that ridiculous murdery trucker strip didn't want Button Man?) After that point, mind, it felt like slight diminishing returns. I never did care for the follow-ups as much as the original – even though they were very, very good. it for me.

Yes that is absolutely spot on. Especially with regard to the reveal in series 1. Having reread it last month it seemed blinding obvious. At the time it was a mystery. And subsequent series, as good as they were, were reruns. I think they got as much mileage out of it as they could.


CalHab


Timothy

The toughest choice so far. Both are classics, but Zenith is the one I keep going back to so it gets my vote.

Barrington Boots

This is just an awful choice but I can't vote against Zenith.
You're a dark horse, Boots.

Funt Solo

Desert Island Thrills - would I rather have the entire Button Man or the entire Zenith?

Zenith
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

SmallBlueThing(Reborn)

I've never understood the swooning over Zenith, but I've made my feelings clear before. Button Man gets this vote.

SBT

Funt Solo

Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 18 May, 2022, 08:06:34 PM
I've never understood the swooning over Zenith...

Pretty sure it's the hair.




Reminds me of Morten Harket.




Frankly, what's not to swoon over?
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

Aaron A Aardvark

Zenith

Button Man is a great thriller but Zenith is unique.


Rogue Judge

Button Man.

When getting into 2000AD I heard lots about these series; Button Man exceeded my expectations, but Zenith didn't live upto the hype

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: Funt Solo on 18 May, 2022, 08:54:16 PM
Reminds me of Morten Harket.

ISTR Morrison describing Zenith as specifically as "Nick Kamen with the ability to punch through walls".

(I only discovered just now that Kamen, of the Levi's launderette ad fame, died last year, aged 59.)
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Funt Solo

Only because people are expressing some surprise at the love for Zenith - I think it's interesting - because obviously there's a time and place aspect to our enjoyment of things. I would preface this by saying that Button Man is a great piece of work, and is really up there - it's not as if I can say that Zenith is necessarily better than it, as a piece of work.

Having said that - Zenith just hit me at the right time - and there's a magical glow in my nostalgia circuits when I hold a prog from that period ('87), that, five years later, didn't exist anymore. Steve Dillon's cover just grabbed me, for a start:



The texture of the prog's cover paper had recently changed, as well - so my memory can *feel* the comic's slight tackiness compared to the pre-520 progs.

The idea of alternate earths (apart from Sideways Scuttleton) wasn't part of my zeitgeist, I'd never read Miracle Man (which people cite as an obvious inspiration for Zenith) and hadn't got into the Cthulhu Mythos, so thought that all the dark gods stuff was terribly original. That, and doing something where superheroes were flawed still felt very new, and something to be proud of in British comics.

And then this story - the hero wasn't one, the heart-felt montage where Red Dragon recuperates ended in brutal tragedy, the person who really saved the day was a once-hippy Alan B'stard. It was just so brutal, and had this weird depth of history thing going on - it didn't pander to the reader by explaining everything for them.

And then Phase II didn't go where I thought it would go, then Phase III mostly ignored the title character, then Phase IV let the dark gods win (despite all the sacrifices of the previous parts) - even if there is a magical Usual Suspects teacup moment. Weirdly, it impressed me by continually upsetting my expectations of what it would become.

So, because of the time and place - Zenith has a magical nostalgia for me that I don't think anything printed in the prog since has any hope of touching - however good it might be. I would say it's Yeowell at the top of his game, as well.

++ A-Z ++  coma ++

Rogue Judge

Fair points Funt. Nostalgia will likely impact all of our votes to one degree or another!

Colin YNWA

The tension on this one is killing me. I want to do a count, but from a quick (well ish I was a little more studied in my flick through the votes) the vote appears to be going only one way. Its close but I think the current leader might be too far ahead to catch with final day votes (?). Get um in and I'll count them up in the morning.

broodblik

Colin the problem is that somehow somebody reverted the votes from the alternative reality where all answers are Zenith although they voted for Button Man. So you have to reverse count them Zenith=Button Man and button Man=Button Man
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Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.