Book picks similar to
Zenith: Phase One by Grant Morrison


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Identity Crisis


Brad Meltzer - 2004
    The most talked-about and successful miniseries of 2004 the story that has created ripple effects throughout the DC Universe for many years to come is now available in a stunning hardcover volume! New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer (GREEN ARROW) teams with artists Rags Morales & Michael Bair (WONDER WOMAN) and cover artist Michael Turner (SUPERMAN/BATMAN) to deliver an all-too-human look into the lives of super-heroes, and the terrible price they pay for doing good.When the spouse of a JLA member is brutally murdered, the entire super-hero community searches for the killer, fearing their own loved ones may be the next targets! But before the mystery is fully solved, a number of long-buried secrets rise to the surface, threatening to tear apart and divide the heroes before they can bring the mysterious killer to justice.Bonus features include extended commentary by Meltzer and Morales, the rest of the creative team talking about their favorite moments, a look at Morales's sketchbook and more!

Deadpool: Dead Head Redemption


Jason AaronRick Remender - 2011
    Thrill as the Merc with a Mouth squares off against probe-happy aliens, trigger-happy mimes and one seriously unhappy fanman.Collecting: Deadpool 900, 1000

Batman: R.I.P.


Grant MorrisonJared K. Fletcher - 2008
    Soon Bruce Wayne drops out completely, having seemingly become the victim of mental illness and abandoning his Batman identity for a life on the streets of Gotham City. Capitalizing on the fall of their greatest foe, the Club of Villains begin a crime spree through the streets of Gotham that threatens to bring the city to its knees.Collecting: Batman 676-683

X-Men, Volume 1: Primer


Brian Wood - 2013
    Meanwhile, Jubilee has come home, and she's brought with her an orphaned baby who might hold the key to the earth's survival...or its destruction. Against a backdrop of what seems like an alien invasion and an eons-spanning war between brother and sister, Storm steps up and puts together a team to protect the child and stop a new threat that could destroy all life on earth! Collecting: X-Men 1-4, Uncanny X-Men 244

Truth: Red, White & Black


Robert Morales - 2004
    Now, writer Morales pursues this idea and also draws inspiration from U.S. government experiments in the 1930s that left unwitting African-Americans infected with syphilis, leading to many deaths. Beginning his story in 1940, Morales incisively depicts the racism his various African-American characters confront both in civilian life and in the military. These black soldiers are compelled to act as test subjects for the super-soldier serum; some die, while others become deformed. Ultimately only one survives, Isaiah Bradley. Substituting for Captain America on a mission, Bradley discovers Jewish concentration camp inmates subjected to experiments. Ranging from heroic figures to pointed caricatures, artist Baker makes his varied styles gel. Drawing on copious research, Morales dramatizes how racism corrupted American history, yet verges close to asserting moral equivalency between America and Nazi Germany. Roosevelt was ultimately in charge of the super-soldier program: would he have approved these human experiments? Besides, how can one talk about "truth" regarding a fictional creation? Simon and Kirby devised a fable about an American everyman tapping his inner strength to combat genocidal fascism; Kirby helped pioneer positive depictions of blacks in comics. By adding Morales's backstory to Captain America's origin, Marvel has turned the character into a white superman who owes his powers to the deaths and exploitation of African-Americans.

Silk, Volume 1: Sinister


Robbie Thompson - 2016
    But Silk's quest has taken her down a darker path than expected, and now she's in cahoots with the most ferocious feline in the Marvel Universe: the Black Cat! But not everyone in the Cat's criminal crew is happy about the arrangement. Nor is a certain friendly neighborhood CEO of Parker Industries, and that will bring Cindy into conflict with Spider-Man and the Goblin King! What could have led her to this? Who is Espectro? And will Cindy go so far there's no redeeming the Sinister Silk? Collecting: Silk (2016) 1-6 & material from Amazing Spider-Man 1

Avengers vs. X-Men


Brian Michael BendisAdam Kubert - 2012
    Magneto! Spider-Man vs. Colossus! Captain America vs. Gambit! And more! Plus: For the first time ever in print, Marvel's groundbreaking Infinite Comics are collected, revealing key events through the eyes of Marvel's major players. It's Marvel's biggest event ever - but will the Avengers or the X-Men emerge triumphant?COLLECTING: AVENGERS VS. X-MEN 0-12, POINT ONE (AVX story)

Archer & Armstrong, Volume 1: The Michelangelo Code


Fred Van Lente - 2013
    And Archer & Armstrong will have to work together if the future is to stand any chance of surviving the past's greatest threat!From the New York Times best-selling creative team of writer Fred Van Lente (Marvel Zombies) and Clayton Henry (Incredible Herc)!Collecting: Archer & Armstrong 1-4

DREDD: Urban Warfare


Matthew Smith - 2015
    In Underbelly Ma-Ma’s death has led to a power vacuum and now other criminal gangs in Mega-City One are trying to fill the gap. When a number of corpses are discovered in a rad-pit, the bodies are all revealed to be mutants. Could the dead be connected with an outfit smuggling illegal refugees into the city from the Cursed Earth? Judge Dredd once again teams up with Psi-Judge Anderson as they scour the underworld for the perps responsible!

Legendary Star-Lord, Vol. 1: Face It, I Rule


Sam Humphries - 2014
    But Star-Lord soon encounters the all-powerful Titan responsible for so much mayhem in his life: Thanos! It's the battle to end all battles! Unless Star-Lord somehow survives--and if he does, the vicious Mister Knife and the ancient cosmic artifact known as the Black Vortex are waiting! Collecting: Legendary Star-Lord 1-5

Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vol. 1: Winter in America


Ta-Nehisi Coates - 2019
    But in the aftermath of Hydra's takeover of the nation, Cap is a figure of controversy, carrying a tarnished shield...and a new enemy is rising! Who are they? And how do they intend to co-opt and corrupt the symbol that is Captain America? Distrusted by a nation that seems to have lost faith in him, Steve Rogers is a man out of time - and out of options! Where can a now-unsanctioned Captain America turn for aid and assistance in order to stem the rise of the cabal of influence brokers known as the Power Elite? Join acclaimed BLACK PANTHER scribe Ta-Nehisi Coates for the next chapter of Captain America's life!COLLECTING: CAPTAIN AMERICA 1-6, FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2018 (AVENGERS/CAPTAIN AMERICA) 1 (CAPTAIN AMERICA STORY)

Shadowman, Volume 1: Birth Rites


Justin Jordan - 2013
    But now its worst nightmare is about to come true. As the forces of darkness prepare to claim New Orleans as their own, Jack Boniface must embrace the legacy he was born to uphold. As Shadowman, Jack is about to become the only thing that stands between his city and an army of unspeakable monstrosities from beyond the night. But is the mantle of Shadowman a blessing, or a curse? And what is the true cost of his otherworldly power? From rising star Justin Jordan (The Strange Talent of Luther Strode) and comics superstar Patrick Zircher (Captain America, Hulk).Collecting: Shadowman 1-4

The Boys Omnibus Vol. 1


Garth Ennis - 2006
    And someone will! Billy Butcher, Wee Hughie, Mother's Milk, The Frenchman, and The Female are The Boys: A CIA-backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle against the most dangerous force on Earth - superpower! Some superheroes have to be watched. Some have to be controlled. And some of them - sometimes - need to be taken out of the picture. That's when you call in The Boys! After the opening story arc introducing Hughie to the team (issues 1-6), Dark avenger Tek-Knight and his ex-partner Swingwing are in trouble (issues 7-14). Big trouble. One has lost control of his terrifyingly overactive sex-drive, and the other might just be a murderer. It's up to Hughie and Butcher to work out which is which, in Get Some. Then, in Glorious Five-Year Plan, The Boys travel to Russia - where their corporate opponents are working with the mob, in a super-conspiracy that threatens to spiral lethally out of control. Good thing our heroes have Love Sausage on their side. Featuring some ever-so-slight tweaks the creators have meticulously restored, The Boys Omniobus Volume 1 also features bonus art materials, the script to issue #1 by Garth Ennis, a complete cover gallery, and more!

Miracleman, Book One: A Dream of Flying


Alan MooreAlan Davis - 1990
    After nearly two decades away, Miracleman uncovers his origins and their connection to the British military's "Project Zarathustra" - while his alter ego, Michael Moran, must reconcile his life as the lesser half of a god.

Invincible: Compendium One


Robert Kirkman - 2011
    Introducing the first nine volumes of the greatest superhero comic in the universe, collected into one massive paperback edition.Collects #1–47, #0, Invincible story from the Image Comics Summer Special, The Pact #4