GN Review -- Legends of Zita the Spacegirl / Ben Hatke

Anyone who thinks there are no good children's comics out there clearly hasn't read this blog.  My latest entry in support of the case for such comics is a sequel, Ben Hatke's forthcoming graphic novel Legends of Zita the Spacegirl.  He proves that the success of his first outing, Zita the Spacegirl, was no fluke, and continues the story of his intrepid young heroine with the same aplomb displayed in the first book.

A little bit of time has passed since Zita's adventure on the planet Scriptorius, long enough for her to become famous for the event and hailed as a hero wherever she goes.  All the attention and adoration begins to wear on her, making it easy for her to agree to switch places with a robot that has taken on her appearance.  When the robot decides it wants to replace her, Zita is suddenly thrust into a sudden case of identity theft on a cosmic scale, becoming a criminal and needing the help of a mysterious woman named Madrigal, who has a connection to her traveling companion, Piper.

I don't know what it is Hatke does, but he's never failed to elicit a significant emotional response from me when I read these stories.  It's very easy to connect with his characters and root for them, to the point that you're laughing at some of the humorous situations they're in even as you're fighting the urge to tear up as they endure their current travails and hardships.  He does a great job of making his characters not only likable, but believable.  Zita, for all her bravery and charm, is at her simplest, a girl struggling to get home, trapped in a situation that is consistently unfamiliar and frightening.

Artistically, Hatke proves as adept at visually depicting his characters as he is at writing them.  Employing a simple, clean cartoon style, he depicts a wide range of characters, imbuing them with emotion and depth, no matter if they're human, robot, alien, or over-large animal.  His settings and scenery also vary in scale, from wide-ranging planetscapes to the relatively cramped quarters of a spaceship.  It's all believable and it's all good, making an ideal backdrop for the characters to play in.

Overall, this is an excellent work, for children and adults alike.  The characters are likable, the artwork is simple yet visually appealing, and the story is a well-told tale of separation from and return to your extended family.  It leaves the door wide open for more books, and I for one already can't wait for them. Highly recommended.

This review of Legends of Zita the Spacegirl is written from an advance reader copy (ARC).  It is scheduled to be released on September 4, 2012.

GN Review -- Zita the Spacegirl / Ben Hatke

Zita the Spacegirl is one of those titles that I’ll probably refer to if anyone ever makes a disparaging comment about children’s comics. It’s good storytelling that strikes an emotional chord in places, and in my opinion shows that stories with child protagonists are not necessarily juvenile in scope.

Zita and her friend Joseph are playing around in a field when they discover a crater containing a mysterious device. On a whim, Zita activates the device, triggering a freak surge of energy that grabs Joseph and pulls him through before quickly closing. Initially horrified at what’s happened, Zita resolves to activate the device again and go after Joseph, who wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for her.

Stepping through, she finds herself transported to a faraway planet, with a plethora of alien beings on it and no immediate way back home. After helping a man called Piper, he agrees to help her find Joseph, and soon begins her quest. Encountering hardships and obstacles on her way to the castle where her friend is being held, Zita also finds allies and friends who help her as she helps them.

I have to applaud Hatke’s writing in this story. Zita is a likable character, whose impetuous act of pushing a button sets into motion a chain of events that require her to face up to what she did and rescue her friend Joseph. The characters she encounters eventually form a ragtag group of underdogs whose attachment to the heroine, while brief, still packs an emotional resonance that creates some key moments near the end of the story. The relationships grow and evolve through the narrative, and the quest itself is both harrowing and entertaining.

Zita’s adventure is an entertaining caper that reminded me very strongly of the movie Labyrinth in terms of its structure and overall plot. There’s a girl rescuing someone who was taken away to a distant realm by her actions, she encounters people along the way who form a small but determined band of friends to help her, and there are several character types in this story who closely resemble the characters from Labyrinth. Zita is Sarah, Piper resembles Hoggle in his initial cowardice and eventual courageous redemption, Strong-Strong is like Ludo in his strength and simple gentleness, while One is much like Didymus in his bravado and hilarious general ineffectiveness at combat.

Hatke’s art is a cartoon style that is ostensibly simple, yet surprisingly detailed and imaginative when applied to various characters. It leaves a lot of room for expressiveness and tone, effectively making some scenes very cute and amusing, and others more sinister and intense. He also displays great versatility in designing humans, aliens, and beings of all types to take the reader far away from Earth along with his heroine.

Overall, I found this to be a very charming work, full of action, adventure, and heart. It’s an excellent story for children, but I think anyone of any age who gives this story a try will find it surprisingly transcendent of its intended market. Highly recommended.