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 -- Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity / Dave Roman

So, I think I just read my first children's comic that I just wasn't very crazy about.  It's a shame, too, because it's a work by an artist I've met and admire personally.  Dave Roman has had a hand in quite a few comics I've enjoyed, but one of his more recent works, the first installment of the Astronaut Academy series, Zero Gravity, just didn't work very well for me.

There really isn't a main plot to Zero Gravity so much is there are a multitude of episodic, interconnected vignettes featuring the various characters, the sum of which forms a kind of composite of a plot.  You have a boy, Hakata Soy, who's come to Astronaut Academy in an attempt to put his super-hero past behind him, but who has his own adjustment issues, including a robotic duplicate trying to kill him.  You have the various veteran students, including, among others, Hakata's jock roommate who's secretly a sentimental sap, two girls who were once friends, but are now enemies, and a boy who simply likes to float out in space in his spacesuit.  Together along with the other students' tales, a year at Astronaut Academy is chronicled, through madcap classes headed by insane teachers, contests and grudge matches between students, and an incident with the school's gravity system and Hakata's robot assassin, Cybert, finally trying to get the drop on him.

I hate to begin a review on a sour note, but this was one title that I put down and picked up several times before I finally found the strength to muscle through it.  I had serious issues with the jokes, which fly out ad nauseum and are clearly not intended for my age range.  Much of the language ends up being repetitious or unnecessarily lengthy, which I believe intended as a poke at manga and anime conventions, but it quickly wears thin, and was one major factor in my initial distaste for the book.  Again, I imagine much of the visual and dialog humor works well for a children's work, but it simply didn't translate into an enjoyable experience for me.

Still, as I pressed on, I did occasionally find myself surprised by how involved I could get in some of these kids' perspectives and problems.  One boy sees Hakata immediately as a lost soul, and identifies with him due to his own hard experiences.  Doug Hiro, the boy who would prefer to float out in the silent endlessness of space, harbors a secret passion for a lady who works in the principal's office.  And Marion Mellonbelly, who was once friends with but now dislikes Miyumi San, shows surprising depth of character when she recalls how Miyumi San fell away from her circle of friends.

Art-wise, I can see how this work would appeal to children.  The tone is light and cheerful, and the simple line work and pleasing expressiveness of the characters will easily grab the attention of young readers.  For my part, it's not terribly impressive, but again, this story is clearly not aimed at audiences like me.  While I doubt its ability to transcend its intended demographic, Roman nonetheless puts together a work that will visually captivate its intended audience.

Overall, I would recommend this work for kids.  The art, the story, and the humor clearly lend themselves to a younger audience.  I doubt many adults readers will care for this work, and again, I had to put this work down several times before finally pushing through to the end with it.  Recommended, with some reservations.

GN Review -- Amelia Rules! The Meaning of Life... and Other Stuff / Jimmy Gownley

It's very easy for me to remember how scary life could be when I was a kid.  Just when you think you've started to figure things out, something would happen to cause you to question what you've learned.  One of the most daunting realizations was the idea that nothing lasts forever: not life, not friends, not buildings, not even the planet Earth.  This is the main throughline in the latest entry in the Amelia Rules! series of books by Jimmy Gownley, The Meaning of Life... and Other Stuff, which continues to delight readers of all ages with the escapades, wry observations, and witty humor of Amelia McBride and her friends.

Amelia seems to be overwhelmed with the idea that nothing in life seems to last.  Her relationships with her friends are changing in ways she doesn't always realize, her Aunt Tanner has been unavailable due to her touring, and she always seems to be in the crosshairs of various authority figures, singling her out for one reason or another.  Everyone seems to be growing up, as Reggie comments about Rhonda looking cute, Amelia makes amends with a friend she'd hurt some time in the past, and Joan endures an upsetting episode involving her father, an Army captain who's been deployed to fight elsewhere in the world.  Amelia uses her experiences, her aunt's old diaries, and her adventures with her friends to try to figure out the elusive meaning of life, but as with so many such quests, she may have to settle for just part of the answer.

While I'll continue to say that Gownley's Amelia seems at times a little too witty and intelligent for her age, there is no denying her charm and likability.  She's not without her flaws and occasional hardheadedness, but she does try to be a better person, something to which most people can readily relate.  This is a young girl, on the cusp of adolescence, who's trying to make sense of a life that sometimes seems anything but, and it's effortless for readers to get behind her and her friends and root for them.  Whether they're dealing with snarky cheerleaders, disapproving adults, or just putting up with each other, it's easy to see them for who they are and experience their joys, struggles, and dramas alongside them.

Artistically, Gownley continues to shine.  His cartoony, colorful style is easy on the eyes, allowing him to employ a variety of visual tricks and expressions to show off his characters' range.  His renderings of his characters when they're mad or defiant are particularly striking in this volume, especially when paired with what they're thinking or saying at the time.

Overall, I continue to have an overwhelmingly positive view of this series.  It's cute, amusing, and full of heart.  Jimmy Gownley does an excellent job of making his young heroine both likable, imperfect, and overall, easy to relate to.  The artwork is wonderful and expressive, and easily appeals to its intended audience, while also remaining charming and pleasing to adult readers.  Highly recommended.

GN Review -- Amelia Rules! The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular / Jimmy Gownley

I remember uncertainty being a huge part of my life when I was approaching the years leading into middle school.  Life tends to be that way, often juxtaposing what we'd like to have or be with the reality that we're almost always a far cry from attaining it.  When you factor in the additional realization that you're far from adulthood, and therefore even less in control of things than they are, that uncertainty can be a daunting thing indeed.  It translates into a quest for the ever-elusive thing called popularity in this chapter of Jimmy Gownley's Amelia Rules! series, The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular.

Beginning with a scene in which Amelia and her friend Rhonda are on the run, wearing space suits and caught up in a tree by an angry mob of their classmates, the story tells of Amelia and her group of friends' various and frequent attempts to navigate the uncertainties and fleeting nature of image and popularity at their elementary school.  In trying to simply stay off the radar and not become unpopular, however, a series of makeovers, tryouts, and various social triumphs and faux pas raise many questions about the importance of popularity.  Some of these exploits are referred to in The Tweenage Guide to Not Being Unpopular, a fictitious book Rhonda reads and distributes to Amelia in the hopes of keeping their heads above water, socially.  Readers will encounter snooty cheerleaders, judgmental principals, and some all too memorable social outcasts of all stripes, whether they knew them or were them.

In typically amusing and poignant fashion, Jimmy Gownley has crafted an enjoyable about a girl who is, at the end of the day, simply trying to figure out life since her parents' divorce and her subsequent relocation to small-town Pennsylvania from city life in Manhattan.  She's a charming, tomboyish, almost unbelievably witty character, with hopes, dreams, flaws and fears that make her very relatable to younger readers.  Her directness and smart-aleck nature make her an alternately enduring and hard-to-take girl whose appeal will be undeniable to her readers.

Her friends and supporting cast are an amusing and likable collection of pals, each with their own quirks and memorable personalities, who enhance and complicate Amelia's life in various ways.  Her Aunt Tanner is a former rock and roll star, whose youth and rebelliousness belie her wisdom and make her a close confidante for Amelia.  Reggie is your typical boy at that age, likable and well-meaning, but a little oblivious and often given to flights of fancy (particularly if they involve superhero costumes).  These and other well written characters will amuse and delight readers as they wend their way through a plot that will cause laugh out loud moments as well as points of genuine emotion, even if it doesn't exactly flow chronologically.

Gownley's art style is simple and cartoonish, but thoroughly pleasant to behold.  His line work is clean, and he uses the expressive possibilities of his style to their full extent, which, combined with his witty scripting and plotting, makes for some memorable visuals.  He can jump from playful to serious in a single panel, with just a few simple alterations of his line work, and make it look easy.  This kind of versatility is just one of several factors that makes these stories so enjoyable, and undoubtedly helps make this series so successful.

Overall, I think this series is thoroughly enjoyable.  The characters, anchored by a charming lead, are memorable and likeable, the plots are realistic and easy to relate too even as they amuse, and the artwork is simple and pleasing, particularly to younger readers.  Highly recommended.

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.

GN Review -- Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword / Barry Deutsch

Okay, the tagline on this cover really sold me: "Yet another troll-fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl."  Yeah, because there are a million of those in comics.  Or storytelling in general.

So we know the protagonist, at least, is a refreshing change of pace.

The rest of the story, it turns out, offers a diverse array of refreshing characters, situations, and themes, making Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword both entertaining in its execution and instructive in its assertion that imagination, bravery, and a willingness to follow your own path despite what others think are qualities that will serve a young girl well.

Mirka is an 11-year-old girl in Hereville, an isolated, Orthodox Jewish rural community, whose spunkiness and disregard for her village's norms make her instantly likable and worries her friends and family.  When she discovers a tall, strange-looking house in the forest, she and her friends encounter a large, mean-spirited pig who becomes a minor bane on Mirka after he sees her stealing a grape from his garden.  In outwitting the magical animal, she is presented with a quest from the pig's owner and is granted the option of pursuing a troll to win her own sword with which to fight evil.  Mirka must decide if the risk is worth the reward, and weigh it against her personal safety, the perceptions of her own strict community, and the memory of her deceased mother.

There's really no arguing that Hereville is a charming, unique and overall very heartwarming story.  The character is both engaging and an ideal target for conflict because of her unconventional nature in an Orthodox Jewish community, and her magical encounters add a generous dash of fantasy to a home life for which she otherwise exhibits little enthusiasm.  I had slight problems with some of the choices made in the story, particularly Mirka's decision to beat up her brother Zindel and threaten him when he tried to keep her from searching for the troll.  But this is overshadowed by the overall upbeat tone of the narrative, where her quest for self-discovery--and a sword--become her all-encompassing goal.

Barry Deutsch has also written some very amusing and memorable characters for this story.  My personal favorite was Fruma, Mirka's argumentative and wise stepmother, whose penchant for verbal sparring and discussion is notorious among the children.  The talking pig with whom Mirka gets into a sustained feud is also highly entertaining, as he is not only gruff and grumpy, but emerges as the major test of Mirka's willpower and grit.  Finally, there's the troll with whom Mirka duels, who is unconventional not only in appearance but also in speech and manner.  I won't spoil much about him, but I think he was a delight to read in this story as well.

As for the art, I was actually pleasantly surprised at how it struck me in some places.  It's mostly simple and cartoony in places, but at particular moments of strong emotion or surprise, the style changes, becoming more detailed and really making the reader take notice.  Of particular note are the moments when Mirka first sees the large house, and the fight between her and Zindel, when you can clearly see how intensely and viciously angry the siblings are at one another in the heat of the argument.  All in all, very good work here.

Overall, I found this to be a worthwhile and entertaining read, with a strong message about following your own path in the face of opposition from others.  Raina Telgemeier says that comics need more positive girl characters, and I not only agree with her, but also believe like her that this book is a prime example of that assertion.  Children of all ages should enjoy this, as well as those who like fantasy and folklore, strong girl characters, and stories about family.  Highly recommended.

GN Review -- Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken: Troublems With Frenemies / Ray Friesen

As amusing fare for very young comic book fans goes, you can’t get much more promising than Ray Friesen’s creation of Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken: Troublems With Frenemies.  If the title sounds silly and the illustrations seem wild and cartoony, just wait til you open up the book.

Essentially a collection of many very small strips (1-3 pages apiece on average) and one much larger story, Troublems With Frenemies is about the constant shenanigans of its title characters, who are ostensibly the worst of enemies, but in actuality behave like the best of friends.  Together they fight, tussle, tease, scam, and even help out one another.  In the larger story, Ninja Chicken goes off to a ninja convention while Pirate Penguin stays behind at home, eventually hanging out with Astronaut Armadillo and coming to aid Ninja Chicken when the convention is attacked by a giant monster summoned by Kung-Fu Koala, who despises ninjas.

Quirky, silly, and occasionally clever, this perky pair of crazy characters display a fairly constant schtick, even if their antics may change from strip to strip.  There’s plenty of fun as they fight for often very little reason, prank each other, question each other’s dress and hound one another for favors, and try to obtain goodies like ice cream, gum, and shiny swords.  A short assortment of supporting characters, like Astronaut Armadillo, Kung-Fu Koala, and a pesky pair of pernicious pigeons, add some flavor and occasionally create obstacles for the main characters, always in good fun.

Art-wise, Friesen employs a simple, colorful style with bold lines and distinctive shapes that should easily intrigue young readers.  His animal characters look distinctive from one another, with the possible exception of Ninja Chicken when he’s among his other chicken ninja cousins.  He does a good job of conveying facial expressions with just a couple of lines or well placed shapes, lending his characters moods that support their dialog and keep the action and the hilarity coming.

Overall, this was a highly amusing read that targets its young intended market quite masterfully.  There’s a lot of action and interaction going on for the main characters, and it’s always on the silly side.  I’d recommend this for kids who enjoy humor, pranks, and mischief that isn’t very serious or risque.  Recommended.

GN Review -- Gabby & Gator / James Burks

James Burks puts forth a heartwarming story in Gabby & Gator, about two very different outsiders who come to be friends and must work together to help each other overcome their problems.  Along the way, lessons of loneliness and unconditional acceptance lend a strong moral to an otherwise cute and entertaining read.

We see an early glimpse into Gator’s life, where he is purchased by an impulsive boy whose mother makes him get rid of his new pet.  Ten years later, Gator spends the rest of his days in a sewer, feeding on small animals (including pets!) when he gets hungry.  He doesn’t like who he is or what he does, but with his day to day survival at stake, he has no choice but to live with himself.

Gabby, on the other hand, is an environmentally aware, shy girl who barely speaks.  She likes alternative energy, vegetarianism, and keeping out of direct sunlight.  This of course makes her a tempting target for the other kids, including an oafish bully, who continually taunts her.  When Gator sees him tormenting her, he intercedes, starting a friendship that will change them both by giving them what they crave: someone who accepts them for who they are.

This story is an extremely quick read--you’ll burn through the 192 pages in half an hour, tops--but its charm is undeniable, making for a memorable read for the young audience for which it’s intended.  Gabby is a character many readers will readily relate to, with her shy, bonnet-wearing exterior masking an intelligent, surprisingly well-spoken young lady.  Gator is no different, at least in the fact that he doesn’t understand or approve of some of his own natural urges.  They are in many ways very different people, but their ability to see each other as simply needing a friend sets up some amusing adventures for the unlikely duo.

Burks also keeps the pace going quickly, even as he explores the friendship between his two characters, making amusing quirks, situations, and dialog that will keep young readers interested in seeing what happens next.  There’s a sand castle contest, a daring rescue, an exploration of Gator’s fears about water and the toilet, and a memorable comeuppance as Gabby finally finds her voice at a critical moment.  It’s all done in a fun vein, and the action will endear the reader as much as the characters’ charming personalities.

Art-wise, Burks employs an appropriately simple style that is meant to grab the reader’s attention and reinforce that this is a story intended for children.  He uses vibrant colors, big poses and gestures, and expressive faces to accent the liveliness of his characters and their escapades.  It works well for the story he’s telling, and ensures a satisfied audience.

Overall, I’d say this is a fun, quick read for kids of all ages.  The story is simple for readers of traditional comic book, but there’s no arguing its simple appeal and strong theme of friendship.  Highly recommended.

A Word About Children's Comics

I write this post in front of a review I'll be posting tomorrow, done for a title that is clearly a children's comic.  This may come as a bit of a surprise to those of you who read this blog, as up to now I've done material that has been arguably targeted at a teen audience at the youngest.  I figured I'd therefore preface the upcoming review with a defense of my actions, on the off chance that I somehow offend my readers who may be expecting a particular kind of fare.

I've been a huge fan of comics and comic books in particular for well over half my life.  I consider my first readings of the X-Men and Spider-Man titles as an initiation into a world that has come to have a very important place in my life.  But if I dig further back, I know my fascination with sequential art and comics goes back to my childhood.  I remember reading comics in the newspapers that made me laugh out loud, and even got me interested in the lives of the characters involved.


It varied from comic to comic.  Garfield, for instance was hilarious, simply and enticingly drawn, and made me want to read the Garfield paperback collections that pervade library and bookstore shelves.  Calvin and Hobbes, in addition, was episodic, and helped along my appreciation for serialized narrative.  Not that there was a requirement for knowing the back-story, but Bill Watterson's strip was among the first to make me realize that many of the boy and his tiger's stories were told in unified story arcs over several strips.  These and other titles helped get me reading, drawing, and thinking about writing, story structure, and characterization, however minimally at my very young age.

And it is for reasons like those that I read, review, and enjoy children's comics.  There are many more sources of sequential art for young readers these days, and I couldn't be happier about it.  They are, in many ways, direct precursors to the more popular comics made for adults both young and old, but they are also a wonderful outlet for encouraging reading, literacy, and believe it or not, critical thought in children.  Like the materials you and I like to read routinely, well-written and illustrated children's comics can inspire creativity, teach them about life and the world, and at the very least, entertain and amuse.

Kids deserve all of that and more, and are arguably a harder audience to keep the attention of than teens and adults.  So while these comics may seem outwardly silly and crudely drawn on the surface, remember that it might not be a bad idea to give them a chance anyway.  A crazy pair of fighting birds who act like silly enemies may have a few profound things to say about the nature of friendship.  A tree that gives completely of itself to help the boy it loves may influence a child's perception of giving and taking in unforeseen ways.

And again, at the very least, it might just be silly and amusing entertainment that you can read through in an hour.  And really, what's so bad about that?

Check for my first such review tomorrow. ;-)

GN Review -- Bone, v. 1 / Jeff Smith

In a fictitious land known as the Valley, the Bone cousins, white, bald cartoon characters, have just been run out of their hometown of Boneville when one of the cousins' get-rich-quick schemes got the townspeople riled. Now on their own, the cousins are quickly separated by a swarm of locusts, and the main character, Fone Bone, finds himself in a nearby valley, where he befriends several of the natives, including a young girl by the name of Thorn. After a period of months, he is gradually reunited with his cousins, who have also found the valley on their own, and together they plan to leave the valley and return to Boneville. But even before their reunion, it seems dark forces have been working against them, and their ability to simply leave is left in doubt by the volume's end.

Jeff Smith has created a story that blends high fantasy with the humor of cartoon characters, with mixed but intriguing results. Fone Bone is clearly a character out of his element, constantly struggling to make sense of the world around him, but whose cartoonish nature and appearance lend themselves to some very funny moments. For instance, when Fone first meets Thorn, the granddaughter of the amusing but mysterious Gran'ma Ben, he immediately falls head over heels in love with the beautiful young girl, with many of the cartoon exaggerations that come with it: his hat ignites flames when he sees her, hearts appear around his head, and he constantly forgets what he's saying. It's a what-the-heck moment that actually works even as it noticeably inserts itself in what is a merging of two narrative styles.

Clearly, Smith had thought out the larger story before writing it, as he introduces a wide range of mysterious, outlandish characters from the get-go, like the Bones, a cigarette-smoking dragon, Thorn and Gran'ma Ben, vicious but stupid "rat creatures," and a host of talking animals. With many of them, who don't have particularly large parts in this volume, the reader gets the distinct feeling they'll be seeing them further into the story. The artwork has a very strong cartoon sensibility; heck, I'd almost swear at times that I'm looking at prints from an animated show instead of the mere panels of a comic book. Smith is good at hybridizing and moving between visual styles as needed for the myriad of different character and setting types he brings to this story.

For my part, I don't know if this got off to a slow start, or if the overall tone of the narrative just skews too young for me, but I was not particularly impressed with this story. It wasn't bad, and I think if this had been introduced to me when I was in middle school or even high school, I probably would have been instantly absorbed. But as it stands, I can take this story or leave it. It's not bad, and it's certainly well crafted for what it's supposed to be. I'm well aware of how many awards it's won, and I know plenty of middle schoolers and teens request this series from bookstores and libraries, and that's all fine. I just, at this point in the story, don't particularly care for it.

Which isn't to say that I won't keep reading. Chances are, it'll pick up steam and I'll like it fine. It just may be a while before I get around to reading any further.