Zot! | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Eclipse Comics |
Format | Ongoing series |
Genre | Superhero, Science Fiction, Romance, Drama |
Publication date | 1984–1990 |
No. of issues | 36 |
Creative team | |
Written by | Scott McCloud |
Artist(s) | Scott McCloud |
Collected editions | |
Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection: 1987–1991 | ISBN 978-0-06-153727-1 |
Zot! is a comic book created by Scott McCloud in 1984 and published by Eclipse Comics until 1990 as a lighthearted alternative to the darker and more violent comics that dominated the industry during that period.[1] There were a total of 36 issues, with the first ten in color and the remainder in black and white.
McCloud credited Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka as a major influence on the book, making it one of the first manga-inspired American comic books.[2] He also cited The Adventures of Tintin and Uncle Scrooge as inspirations.[3]
Despite critical acclaim, Zot! was initially cancelled after 10 issues due to low sales in July 1985.[4] However, McCloud and Eclipse came up with the idea of switching from color to black-and-white, and the comic was then able to run profitably from January 1987[5] to July 1991 before McCloud ended the series after a total of 36 issues.[6] Issues #19-20 shipped together, and due to McCloud's honeymoon featured Chuck Austen inking the artist's pencils.[7][8]
Eclipse planned to print the color issues as trade paperbacks to support the revived series, but the original color negatives were destroyed when their Guerneville, California headquarters flooded in 1986.[9] Instead Eclipse funded new color separations[10] by Dennis McFarling.[11] The Original Zot! Book One (ISBN 0-91303-504-1) was released in August 1989 which collected issues 1–4 and included an introduction by McCloud.[12] The Original Zot! Book Two followed in June 1990, containing issues 5-8.[13]
Although the comic has been out of print, following the collapse of Eclipse it was collected by Kitchen Sink Press in Book One (ISBN 0-87816-427-8), which collected issues 1–10 and included an introduction by Kurt Busiek; Book 2 (ISBN 0-87816-428-6), which collected issues 11–15 and 17–18; and Book 3 (ISBN 0-87816-429-4) which collected issues 16 and 21–27. Book 4, collecting the "real world arc" of issues 28–36, was a casualty of Kitchen Sink's turmoil.
In 2000, ten years after the last print issue appeared, McCloud brought the series back in webcomic format under the title Zot! Online. He published the 440-panel story arc "Hearts And Minds" at Comic Book Resources. McCloud used an infinite canvas style for Zot! Online, using trails to instruct the reader what the reading order of the panels are.[14]
In July 2008, HarperCollins published the complete black and white issues of the series (11–36) in one volume. This edition included never-before-seen material and commentary by McCloud. It did not include the published "Getting to 99" story, but only McCloud's breakdowns, as the art was done by another artist, Chuck Austen.[15] In addition, HarperCollins published a limited, signed collector's edition of this collection in November 2008.
Jenny Weaver, a normal lonely girl recently relocated to a new town, stumbles across Zot, a superhero from an alternate world who is chasing a troop of robots in pursuit of a key that will open a door hanging out in space. Jenny returns with Zot and her brother Butch to his world. They retrieve the key and take it to the authorities, but it is stolen again. Eventually their pursuit leads them to Sirius IV, a drab theocratic planet, home of the key. While there they uncover a plot to use the key, and the subsequent door opening, as an excuse to lead a holy war against Earth. To foil the plot Zot and Jenny take themselves through the door where they converse with the spirit of Sirius IV. Once out again they lead the revolt against the acting leader of planet who is tricked into goading his subjects on live television. Zot defeats the tyrant, but refuses to lead the planet, stating that they must learn to look after themselves.
The next sequence features a series of super villains, each of which Zot must defeat in turn.
These stories are usually referred to as the "Earth stories" as they feature Zot being stranded on Jenny's Earth. They are more character driven than the earlier stories and focus on Jenny's band of misfit friends. The final culmination of the arc is a cliff hanger in which the whole ensemble leaves to go to Zot's world, though not permanently. The arc also contained an entire Eisner Award nominated issue with Zot and Jenny talking about sex, and an issue dealing with Jenny's friend Terry being a lesbian.
Matt Feazell usually drew a non-canonical stick figure back-up strip to Zot! in which the characters from the main story were featured in absurd or surreal situations, as well as having crossovers with Feazell's work and other Eclipse books. For two issues Feazell was allowed to take the helm and produced these stories, set in "dimension 10½", with McCloud providing a one-page back-up to issue 141⁄2.
Throughout Zot!'s run the principal theme is the contrast between Zot's utopian world and Jenny's flawed version.[1] The two lead characters find each other's worlds fascinating: Jenny desiring the tranquility of the parallel world and Zot embracing the challenges of Earth. Later on, teenage sexuality, bigotry, homosexuality and a sense of not belonging are all explored in a sensitive way, displaying Zot (and by association his world) as socially liberal.
Zot and his friends faced a number of enemies, including:
Using a portal created by Uncle Max, a link is created from contemporary Earth to the alternate reality of Zot. It is a retro-futuristic technological utopia, reminiscent of imagery from Golden Age SF, flying cars, robots and interplanetary travel are common and nearly all of its inhabitants benefit from peace, prosperity and a marked lack of conventional social ills. There also seem to be subtle differences in the essential nature of the two Earths, as on Zot's world events naturally favor the "good guys" in any conflict. Still, there are several commonalities between Zot's world and the "real" Earth, such as the careers of several popular musicians.
On Zot's utopian Earth, the year is permanently 1965. The inhabitants of Zot's world are unable to notice this, although Jenny and her friends from their Earth realize it. The true nature of Zot's world is never truly explained in the comic, and is left as a loose end, but it is hinted that Zot's world is a copy of the real one.
Chester Brown was among those to praise the series.[16] Several Amazing Heroes reviewers were also highly positive about Zot!, including Andy Mangels,[17] Edd Vick,[18] T.M. Maple,[19] and Eddie Sacks.[20]