Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection: 1987-1991 (Paperback)

~ Scott Mccloud (Author)
Key Phrases: New York

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Understanding Comics' McCloud spent the first six years of his career on this lesser-known Astro Boy–inspired comic. This mammoth volume collects issues 11–36, along with lots of commentary from McCloud. The series stars Zot, a teenager from an alternate Earth where rocket-powered boots and laser guns are commonplace, and Jenny, a girl from our Earth who just wants to escape her humdrum high school existence. The zippy, pulpy stories feature Zot facing off against a multitude of villains, from robots run amok to thwarted, steampunk-style inventors. Looking through the comics peers through a window at the development of a comic writer's talents; as the art morphs slowly into McCloud's recognizable style, the stories take on more sophisticated subject matter—one later issue features Zot and Jenny discussing sex, like a scene from a soapy teen drama. McCloud's love of classic superhero comics is clear, even as he consciously contrasts it with the problems of the real world. The collection only suffers from the absence of the first 10 issues, leaving new readers confused at some unexplained plot twists, but it is sure to be a treasure trove for McCloud fans or lovers of intelligent retro comics action. (July)
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From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Before the brilliant Understanding Comics, cartoonist McCloud created the much-loved Zot! starring an eternally optimistic, supremely self-confident, and genuinely decent teen superhero from a bright, advanced alternate Earth. This wonderful collection reprints all of McCloud's black-and-white Zot! work—not included is the series' initial ten-issue, full-color story, in which Zot first meets future girlfriend Jenny, a resident of our Earth. High-spirited, humor-laced heroics predominate in some early tales here; others are more dramatic, including Zot's disheartening first encounters with crime and disaster on our imperfect planet, and his battle against 9-Jack-9, the phantom assassin who killed his parents. Later stories present finely wrought character studies of Jenny's circle of friends, and here McCloud breaks down some barriers for superhero comics, dealing sensitively with issues of homosexuality and teen sex. As McCloud laments (rather too self-critically) in new commentary inserted between stories, his art style was still developing—but some work here, especially in stories involving the mad artist Dekko and his abstract visions, presages the style, invention, and concerns of Understanding Comics. Nominated for 12 Eisner and Harvey Awards in its initial serialization, this is highly recommended for teens and adults.—S.R.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061537276
• ISBN-13: 978-0061537271
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #203,838 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give me a swig of Blue Bingo Pop and a Zot! story, anyday... , August 12, 2008

By	H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Carson - hey, we have an IKEA store! - CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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Dudes, hearken back. The 1980s gave rise to a slew of classic independent comic books. And it's been slow going, but, in recent years, we're finally seeing their collected reprints come to light. Case in point, this: Before Scott McCloud authored the critically acclaimed Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, he created the terrific little comic book ZOT! ZOT! holds a special something something in my heart, even though this title's been so ridiculously hard to find, even during its initial run. But it was always worth hunting this down for McCloud's wonderfully offbeat storytelling and subtly simple yet evocative artwork. I am so stoked that ZOT! THE COMPLETE BLACK & WHITE COLLECTION is finally out!

So what exactly is ZOT!? Zot is Zachary T. Paleozogt, a cheerful teenaged superhero (or techno-hero) who hails from a utopian alternate Earth, gleaming and rife with futuristic technological marvels. He meets Jenny Weaver, a disillusioned 14-year-old, when he goes thru a dimensional portal and crosses over into her much darker (read: more real) Earth. Zot soars thru the skies on gravity boots, wields a laser pistol and tussles with a gallery of weird villains. But, really, what made the comic book so special was Zot's sweet, sensitive relationship with Jenny. Jenny peers at the world thru morbid eyes, and she yearns for the clean-cut simplicity of Zot's idealized Earth. Zot, time and again, attempts to counteract Jenny's pessimism with his unwavering enthusiasm and optimism. He happens to find Jenny's Earth unendingly fascinating.

This is a lighthearted yet character-driven take on the superhero, and graced with a breezy innocence and whimsy. Seemingly simple on the surface, ZOT!'s stories unfold in rich layers. The quirky tone is built on by the eccentric supporting cast: Zot's Uncle Max, a genial inventor who equips Zot with crimefighting gadgetry; the polite mechanical butler, Peabody; Butch, Jenny's obnoxious older brother, who transforms into a chimp whenever he visits Zot's world ("Aah!! I'm a monkey again!!"). Meanwhile, Jenny's down-to-earth friend, Terry, provides a grounding element.

As mentioned, there's an unusual mix of villains, the deadliest of whom are the soul-searching robot Zybox ("Season of Dreams") and Zot's archnemesis, the very frightening 9-Jack-9, who can jump into and control machinery and surf on electricity and radio waves ("The Ghost in the Machine"). On the opposite side of the spectrum, the De-evolutionaries are a silly bunch whose shtick is reverting humans into chimps.

Scott McCloud raises several thought-provoking themes, issues dealing with sexuality, young love (there's even a romantic triangle), of divorce and a search for identity and the desperate need to escape one's grim reality. McCloud focuses most on the stark contrasts between the two parallel Earths. Zot's world embodies optimism and dreams and our hopes for a bright future while Jenny's Earth is our Earth, bleak and mean and perhaps not as tolerant of frivolous aspirations.

For Zot, morality isn't ambiguous; he lives in unconflicted black and white. Zot conducts his derring-do with joyous abandon, firm in belief that the good guys will always thump the bad guys. Zot even invites Jenny to witness his battle against the evil Doctor Bellows. When Jenny arrives, Zot's other friends are already seated and snacking it up, treating Zot's mid-air scuffle like a cineplex movie. So conditioned are Zot and company to coming out on top that Uncle Max even finds time to nonchalantly rate the do-badders (he says of Doctor Bellows: "Splendid villain! Very exuberant!"). So what then when Zot's heroics fail him on Jenny's side of the portal?

ZOT! doesn't follow conventions of the genre. Oh, Zot still does his thing against supervillains but that almost takes a back seat to McCloud's delightfully idiosyncratic touches. I get a kick that supervillains get invited to Zot's parties and that it's always the year 1965 on Zot's Earth, a fact which eludes that world's inhabitants. And, of the many outstanding issues, three are particularly exceptional: "The Season of Dreams, Part 2" - in which Jenny is led to believe that Zot is a purely make-believe character; "Normal" - a sensitive look at Jenny's conflicted friend, Terry; and "The Conversation" - an all-talk issue as Jenny and Zot talk about having sex.

A quick hit on the artwork. At the time influenced by Manga, McCloud incorporated that style into his artwork on ZOT! McCloud claims that he struggles as an artist at times, yet note his clear compositions, the attention to detail he pays to his background panels, and the expressiveness with which he renders his characters. Yeah, his early stuff had its moments of clumsiness. But the man can draw.

ZOT! had a run of 36 issues. From 1984 to 1985, Eclipse Comics published ten issues of ZOT! in color. In 1987, Scott McCloud resurrected the series, and this time in black & white. This second incarnation is what's collected in ZOT! THE COMPLETE BLACK & WHITE COLLECTION (1987-1991). This monster trade, at 575 pages, comprises of two parts, "Heroes & Villains" (#11-18 & 21-27) and "The Earth Stories" (issues #28-36). "Heroes & Villains" explores Zot's zany superheroics while "The Earth Stories" shifts the focus towards the supporting cast's ordinary lives, even as Zot is stranded on Jenny's world. The trade comes with very nice bonus material, mostly in the form of Scott McCloud's extensive commentary, peppered throughout. It would've been nice if the trade had also included issues #10 1/2 and 14 1/2, featuring Matt Feazell's terrific stick-figure renderings of Zot!, as well as Chuck Austen's finished art for "Getting to 99" (#19 & 20; which were simultaneously published fill-in issues, as McCloud was then off honeymooning). Hopefully, we'll see these in a future release. But reproduced here, although shrunken down, are McCloud's original rough layouts for "Getting to 99."

Someday I hope Scott McCloud begins producing new ZOT! stories, although I wouldn't hold my breath on that taking place any time soon. Meanwhile, to tide folks over, there's "Hearts and Minds" - a nifty online ZOT! story told in sixteen parts - on Scott McCloud's website. And, if you're interested, the first 10 issues can be found in Zot: Book 1 (Zot!) (Issues 1-10). Hope this helps a bit. It's hard overcoming ZOT! withdrawal.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Criminally Underrated, July 24, 2008

By	KirkCameronSlayer - See all my reviews

While most people know Scott Mccloud for his award winning book Understanding Comics the praise should be directed toward his first series ZOT! The art is a combination of manga and western influences. The story is about a boy from another parallel world where everything is straight out of the golden age of comics in other words innocent and perfect. On the other end is a girl from our world who finds her life to be mundane and depressing. Their existences collide and at first the stories are typical of a superhero book, but later in the series ZOT! is stranded on our world. The stories were ahead of their time and the characters are for the most part believable. Overall highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zot!, superhero., July 22, 2008

By	Michael Continues "Mike Stop Continues" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you've read Scott McCloud's theoretical books, you'd know that he is one smart, awesome, dedicated comic writer/illustrator. He's got a faith in the medium that seems to inspire all of his readers to explore the vastly underused medium and to explore all the wonders it contains.

Happily, we can now finally read the largest example of his own use of the medium. Despite his self-criticism at the beginning of the book, Zot! reads like some of the best that American comics has to offer. I highly suggest it to anyone interested in superhero books OR, more importantly, experimental works in the world of comics.

Also, check out his website, scottmccloud.com, for some very cool webcomics. I personally can't wait to see what this comic master's next masterpiece will be. I'm willing to bet that whatever he makes at this point in his career will take the entire industry by storm.