Greatly influenced by the work of Astro Boy creator and "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka, McLoud created "Zot!" more than two decades ago at the tender age of 23, making it the first manga-inspired American comics ever. Zachary T. Paleozogt, popularly known as Zot is a blond haired, blue eyed teenage hero from an alternate Earth - this alternate reality is a retro-futuristic technological utopia where 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.Jaunting back and forth between the two worlds seems exciting for Zot at first, but there are subtle differences in the essential nature of the two planets that take some getting used to. On Zot's world, events naturally favor the "good guys" in any conflict, while on Earth, Zot is a less successful hero, reflecting the fact that our world clearly does not conform to the same rules as his. Nevertheless, Zot eagerly takes on Earth's challenges with the most amusing outcomes. The series is particularly notable for its imagery which is reminiscent of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, its energetic visual design and its meta-fictional underpinning. This newly revised cult classic is not to be missed!
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Essential...a stunning revelation...the packaging alone is fantastic...It’s long past time for a critical re-appraisal of these tender, delicate, overwhelmingly ambitious early stories, and what they tried to accomplish as well as what they actually did accomplish.” (The Onion A.V. Club )
“With a smart-looking trim size and a sharp design that includes cover flaps and a stark-but-beautiful cover, Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection is an admirable addition to one’s bookshelf.” (Comic Book Resources.com )
“[S]ure to be a treasure trove for McCloud fans or lovers of intelligent retro comics action.” (Publishers Weekly )
“[A] wonderful collection…highly recommended.” (Library Journal )
“[D]elightful...Zot! has aged surprisingly well, and now it seems prescient in being strongly influenced by Japanese comics well before manga was common in America.” (Booklist )
“Thoroughly charming...the series’s thoughtful joy spills over into its airy, bouncy design sense.” (Washington Post Book World )
“A brilliant superhero series that still holds up to the test of time 20 years later.” (Daily News )
“Shows that [McCloud] is not only an avid student and chronicler of comics, but an incredibly talented cartoonist...illuminates McCloud’s genius as he blends Eastern and Western comics influences into a mesmerizing superhero tale.” (David Gutowski for Largehearted Boy )
“McCloud is one of the major talents in the comics world.” (Sacramento Book Review )
“Zot! is refreshing, lively, and truly entertaining.” (Samuel R. Delany, author of Dark Reflections )
“Zot! is wonderful…and should please readers of all ages. (Greg Bear, author of Quantico )
“One of comics’ best written, and most overlooked, titles...a stylish, often light-hearted, and yet dramatically compelling comic.” (Edge Boston )
“To suggest I was enthralled by McCloud’s pop commentary about hope and beauty in the world would be to embrace understatement…well crafted, entertaining and even challenging…9 out of 10.” (Don MacPherson for Eye on Comics.com )
“Zot! is a remarkable graphic narrative. ” (Richard A. Lupoff )
“Honestly, comics just don’t get any better than this.” (Gary Tyrrell for Fleen.com )
“The classic retrofit of the post-war comics gestalt.” (William Gibson, author of Spook Country )
“With a smart-looking trim size and a sharp design that includes cover flaps and a stark-but-beautiful cover, Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection is an admirable addition to one’s bookshelf.” (Comic Book Resources.com )
“[S]ure to be a treasure trove for McCloud fans or lovers of intelligent retro comics action.” (Publishers Weekly )
“[A] wonderful collection…highly recommended.” (Library Journal )
“[D]elightful...Zot! has aged surprisingly well, and now it seems prescient in being strongly influenced by Japanese comics well before manga was common in America.” (Booklist )
“Thoroughly charming...the series’s thoughtful joy spills over into its airy, bouncy design sense.” (Washington Post Book World )
“A brilliant superhero series that still holds up to the test of time 20 years later.” (Daily News )
“Shows that [McCloud] is not only an avid student and chronicler of comics, but an incredibly talented cartoonist...illuminates McCloud’s genius as he blends Eastern and Western comics influences into a mesmerizing superhero tale.” (David Gutowski for Largehearted Boy )
“McCloud is one of the major talents in the comics world.” (Sacramento Book Review )
“Zot! is refreshing, lively, and truly entertaining.” (Samuel R. Delany, author of Dark Reflections )
“Zot! is wonderful…and should please readers of all ages. (Greg Bear, author of Quantico )
“One of comics’ best written, and most overlooked, titles...a stylish, often light-hearted, and yet dramatically compelling comic.” (Edge Boston )
“To suggest I was enthralled by McCloud’s pop commentary about hope and beauty in the world would be to embrace understatement…well crafted, entertaining and even challenging…9 out of 10.” (Don MacPherson for Eye on Comics.com )
“Zot! is a remarkable graphic narrative. ” (Richard A. Lupoff )
“Honestly, comics just don’t get any better than this.” (Gary Tyrrell for Fleen.com )
“The classic retrofit of the post-war comics gestalt.” (William Gibson, author of Spook Country )
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Breath of Fresh Air,
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This review is from: Zot! Special Edition: The Complete Black and White Collection: 1987-1991 (Hardcover)
When the big two publishers (DC and Marvel)get you down, it's time to look at Indy Comics. Zot! is by Scott McCloud, who wrote another book called Understanding Comics, and though I know OF it, I've not read Understanding Comics, so I can assure you that McCloud isn't getting any reflected glory. With that in mind, I'd actually give this book a 4.5 out of 5.
It's not a perfect book, because it's not a perfect book. The first ten issues are missing, and as of this review, there's no plans to reprint the material. There was no summary to explain what happened in those first ten issues. And, we don't even get character bios to explain who everyone is. Scott McCloud makes the excuse that "575 pages is enough," but some character bios would have only taken at most two pages. Also, a story is missing, "Getting to 99," you can still sorta read it, but it's printed really small, so its not enjoyable to read. That said, I gave this a 5 out of 5, because once you look past these petty nitpicks, this collection is strong. You'll pick up on the character that matter after the first two chapters. The book is divided into two parts "Heroes and Villains" and "Earth Stories." You might already know that "Earth Stories" gets a lot of praise for the issues it played with, and I'll agree it deserves it. Let me tell you about "Heroes and Villains" instead. Part One is spent mainly on Zot's world, a pseudo-utopia where villain and hero battles are not something to get overly worried about. McCloud creates a decent Rogue's gallery for Zot to fight, some villains are silly, but there are some serious threats like 9-Jack-9 and Dekko, who are a wonder to behold. "Heroes and Villains" is important for when you get to the middle of "Earth Stories" and you suddenly wish for the simplicity of Zot's world. So, put together, they're a great experience. Should I mention this is a love story? I love the art. Modern superhero art is big and flashy, this feels more down to earth. When Zot's happy, he's really happy. And when Jenny's sad, you can see her face twist with anger and frustration. I love how most of the stories are one, two, maybe three chapters long, making them easily digestible bites that I can pick up and put down. Plus this collection fits very comfortably in my hands. I got the signed hardcover version, they only made 1000 of these and mine is 961. So there's some really good art in here, superhero silliness, and some solid writing for the "Earth Stories." It's not very violent, but there's talk about sex in this book, so it's not for young readers. If you're tired of mainstream superhero comics, this is worth a look. Heck, I think non-comicbook readers can get into this book.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Light hearted adventures,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Zot! Special Edition: The Complete Black and White Collection: 1987-1991 (Hardcover)
I have to admit, though at times Zot! is a little to light hearted and simple, it does surprise you with occasional topics that you didn't think it would go to. Some of the stories are just fun and silly with comical villans, some are a little too teenage melodrama, and some are rather dark stories. It mainly focuses on the relationship between Zot (the super hero) from a parallel universe and Jenny who's from our earth. Each one finds each others universe more appealing than their home worlds. So you often have stories with jenny frustrated with her world which she feels is less evolved than Zot's world, but not doing much to improve it, while Zot wants to make a difference in both worlds.
Some hardcore comic fan's may or may not enjoy this, depends on what sort of mood your in, and if you can enjoy light hearted adventures with occasional dark theme's. I can see teenagers, especially teenage girls enjoying this, all stories still hold rather well after 20+ years.
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