Yes, you read that last bit — it’s plural.
After a rather expensive limited edition release of Zenith from 2000 AD that was reasonably non-affordable for those living in the states, many US fans feared that they would never be able to read Morrison’s first major superhero opus with Steve Yeowell unless they put a mortgage on the house.
But today, over at CBR, it was revealed that yes, Virginia, there is a Comic Clause, because Rebellion will indeed be releasing Zenith in its original phases over the course of four hardcover volumes. Originally appearing from 1987 to 1992, Zenith was released in four phasses, the last of which had never been collected before, these four phases will be released in indivudal hardcover collections by Rebellion starting in October 2014 for $25 or £20, depending which side of the Atlantic you reside on. There will also be a special design running across the spines of all four hardcovers, with the plan being to eventually wrap them all up in a nice slipcase for a complete set.
Of course, there is still the issue of Morrison’s blessing, which for all intents and purposes has not been given as Rebellion has chosen “not to comment” on Morrison or his lack of involvement. It also appears that Steve Yeowell, who signed off on the first hardcover, has not officially signed off on the new one, though they “hope he will contribute.”
It’s an interesting move, publishing a book without the creator’s consent, but it’s certainly not an aberration. Heck, it’s not like Rebellion or 2000 AD have released some kind of prequel to Zenith or something, using the title to make a quick buck and put readers into a moral/ethical frenzy of whether or not it’s OK to read books that the creator so clearly wishes didn’t exist, right?
Still. It’ll be interesting to see how Morrison reacts to the new publishing of this work, especially since he’s already been quoted as having tried to do something about it in August before the hardcover came out:
We, uh, we spent five grand on lawyers’ fees. They sent [Rebellion] letters. We were very keen to discuss it and we’ve never heard back from them. All I can say is that we tried to get into a discussion with them and they just didn’t reply. I don’t know what to do at this stage.
