Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection, 1987-1991
"Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection, 1987-1991" is a comprehensive anthology of the influential comic series created by Scott McCloud. Originally launched in 1984, the series chronicles the adventures of Zot, a youthful hero from a futuristic world, and his friend Jenny, who navigates the complexities of the "real" world. The narrative addresses both traditional superhero themes and deeper social issues, including family dynamics, relationships, and societal challenges such as bigotry and class struggles. The collection excludes the initial ten color issues and focuses on the later black-and-white installments that explore the characters’ growth and their confrontations with various memorable villains.
Zot's optimistic perspective often contrasts with Jenny's more cynical outlook, creating a dialogue that encourages readers to reflect on their own lives and societal issues. The art style merges elements of American comics with Japanese manga, showcasing McCloud's unique approach to storytelling. While the series is noted for its contributions to the comic genre, particularly in breaking down conventional superhero narratives, it is often overshadowed by McCloud's later work, "Understanding Comics." Overall, "Zot!" is recognized for its innovative storytelling and thematic depth, making it a significant work within the comic book medium.
Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection, 1987-1991
AUTHOR: McCloud, Scott; Ratafia, Ivy
ARTIST: Scott McCloud (illustrator); Bob Lappan (letterer)
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
FIRST SERIAL PUBLICATION: 1984-1991
FIRST BOOK PUBLICATION: 2008
Publication History
The original Zot! comic books hit store shelves in 1984 under the logo of the now-defunct Eclipse Comics. The first ten installments were the only ones done in color, but creator Scott McCloud himself says, “Issue 11 was really a full reboot. We could have called it a ‘New Number One,’ but doing so was annoyingly fashionable in those days.” The series ultimately ran for over thirty issues, with writer Ivy Ratafia providing some plot assistance to McCloud for later issues. Some additional comics were made by other creators with characters from Zot! in issues 10½ and 14½, and these are considered outside the main continuity.
Individual issues of Zot! have gone out of print, though some compilation books are available, the most recent being HarperCollins’ 2008 Zot! The Complete Black and White Collection, 1987-1991. Compilation books of Zot! were released first by Eclipse Comics in 1990 and later by Kitchen Sink Press in 1997 and 1998; unfortunately, however, the one containing the final eight issues never made it to print.
An additional story of Zot! was later published on Scott McCloud’s Web site. These sixteen digitally published installments use McCloud’s concept of the “infinite canvas” and can still be read in their entirety at no charge on McCloud’s site.
Plot
Zot! follows the trials and tribulations of the titular teen hero from a different world, which is described as the “the far-flung future of 1965,” and Jenny, a teenager who lives in the “real” world. The interactions between the two characters and both worlds force them to fight supervillains and to face their own fears and doubts. Friends from both worlds add their perspectives and often join in the adventures.
The compilation book has all but the first ten installments and divides the overarching story into two parts. The first part, titled “Heroes and Villains,” focuses on Zot’s world and how he deals with the traditional supervillains while Jenny watches and sometimes provides help. Jenny also deals with situations in her own world and meets new friends. The multitude of antagonists includes many memorable villains with unique motivations. Dr. Ignatius Rumbault Bellows, an inventor with steampunk creations, despises other forms of technology and launches attacks from his flying machines of doom. Zybox is a giant robot that can control other machines and encase other people within a Matrix-like simulation to keep them docile. The De-Evolutionaries, who hate technology and want humanity to “revert” to the trees, use a ray gun that turns people into monkeys. Dekko is an artist whose body had to be slowly replaced by machines. He has lost his sanity and now believes that the human condition needs to be eradicated. The Blotch is an overbearing evil CEO/mobster who uses loopholes and legal tricks to obtain more power. 9-Jack-9 is a powerful assassin for hire who can live and transport himself through anything electrical in an instant.
Part 2, titled “The Earth Stories,” finds Zot unable to travel between worlds and stuck in Jenny’s world. Individual installments focus more on Jenny and her friends and how their interactions with Zot help them face their own challenges. Relationships, homophobia, family troubles, bigotry, racism, class issues, and teen sex are discussed in a way that is not too preachy but still delivers an important message. Through it all, Zot is the fish out of water who can barely understand exactly what is going on, why the problems of humanity exist, and more important, why people cannot solve them. This naïveté has an effect on his friends, who are now forced to think about the world that they have accepted. This line of questioning is the first step toward helping them do something about the problems that one generally responds to with complaints or apathy.
Characters
•Zot, a.k.a. Zachary T. Paleozogt, is the protagonist and titular hero. He is a blond teenager who lives in a utopian world that mirrors the “real” one. He normally wears a shirt with a lightning bolt on it when not wearing his supersuit, which bears the same design. He is incredibly optimistic and confident, though somewhat confused as to how the world works. His main powers are flight and superstrength, and he has an array of high-tech contraptions to aid him against supervillains. His desire to make the world a better place and protect people is at the center of most plots.
•Jenny, a.k.a. Jennifer Weaver, is a brunet teenager that lives in the “real” world and hates it. She is Zot’s friend and love interest and always tags along in his adventures. She is pessimistic about the world around her, which includes a mean older brother and mostly absent parents on the verge of a divorce, and would love to move to Zot’s world eventually. The lightning bolt pendant she carries serves as a beacon for Zot and a means of communication between them. She is primarily a guide for the story as she helps Zot navigate in her world, and her questions in his world help the reader to understand this “alien” setting.
•Terry, a.k.a. Theresa Veras, is Jenny’s best friend and confidant. She has dark, short hair and is mean to just about everyone but Jenny. She is cynical and does not seek solace or escape in going to Zot’s world, no matter how much she hates her own. While Zot tries to give Jenny hope in the world, Terry often grounds Jenny’s thoughts in apathy and even foreboding doom.
•Woody, a.k.a. Woodrow Wilson Bernstein, starts out as a short, gawky nerd but soon has a growth spurt that leaves him tall and handsome—and still somewhat geeky because he wears glasses. He is in love with Jenny and competes with Zot for her affection. Woody is a pensive realist with a bit of a self-esteem problem. He adds another dimension in Jenny’s life and makes her think critically about her situation.
•Max, Zot’s uncle and only family member, is an eccentric inventor who wears a lab coat and glasses. A father figure to Zot, he developed and invented many of the gadgets Zot uses, including his rocket boots, a robot butler named Peabody, his laser gun, and the machine that allows him to travel through worlds. He is analytical and values knowledge, to the point that he does not use labels such as “good” or “evil.” His theoretical mind-set further complicates and influences how Jenny should see both worlds.
Artistic Style
McCloud did nearly all of the art and writing for Zot!, so the artistic style remains relatively uniform throughout the series. The first ten issues (which are not included in the 2008 compilation book and are quite hard to find) were originally rendered in color by Denis McFarling, while the remaining installments were done exclusively in black and white by McCloud. Bob Lappan did the lettering for the whole series.
Action panels are common, but splash pages of aspects and setting are present, creating a style that is often hailed as a combination of American comics and Japanese manga. The biggest variations of drawing styles are in the abstract and surreal visualizations of the villain Dekko.
Among the more interesting issues are those in the story arc “Getting to 99,” a two-part installment that is reproduced in the compilation book as the rough “visual script” rather than the final version that readers originally saw in the comic. This installment was actually penciled by Chuck Austen, though conceived of and planned by McCloud. While it is in black and white, the scale of darkness and light directly represents Zot’s and Jenny’s worlds, respectively. Establishing panels contextualize the mood of the story, be it light or dark, and provide a wealth of information without a single piece of text.
Themes
At first, Zot! focuses on the traditional good-versus-evil battle that is quite common in works about superheroes. Later, as Zot and Jenny’s relationship progresses, Zot’s perspective on Jenny’s world challenges how one looks at contemporary society. Family dynamics are also explored through Jenny’s interactions with her parents and with the development of other characters. Zot’s villains also serve as an allegory for current issues, including the evils of corrupting technologies, unchecked capitalism, and greed.
An overarching theme throughout Zot! is the importance of choosing optimism over cynicism when dealing with the problems of society. Zot is constantly hopeful and confident in his and Jenny’s worlds that they can become better places. Jenny, on the other hand, is in a constant emotional struggle dealing with everyday life. Jenny’s circle of friends and their problems add even more layers, and having Zot around leads them to challenge what they have accepted as “normal” and to change for the better.
Zot! is primarily a coming-of-age tale. The characters all face and overcome the challenges in their lives, and they all learn something about themselves in the process. Zot, Jenny, and the rest of their friends strive for maturity and finding a place within society. Part of that maturity involves not running away from one’s problems no matter how hopeless the situation, which is why Zot encourages Jenny to stay in her world and give it a chance, despite all the bad things that end up happening. However, McCloud explains in author commentary that visiting Zot’s utopian world is not symbolic of escapism or drug use, an interpretation critics have given when talking about this series.
Impact
Unfortunately, Zot! is mostly recognized as the comic series that Scott McCloud worked on before he wrote Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, and few people have analyzed the compilation beyond the occasional book review. Reviewers Martha Cornog and Steve Raiteri of Library Journal praise McCloud’s ability to “break down some barriers for superhero comics,” while others say that he deconstructs the entire genre in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. As one of the few comics to use manga-style drawings and panels, McCloud was one of the first comics creators to blend American- and Japanese-style graphic storytelling and helped make it possible for future comics, films, and television programs to do the same.
Further Reading
Eisner, Will, et al. The Spirit (1941-1952).
Tezuka, Osamu. Astro Boy (1952-1968).
Bibliography
Cornog, Martha, and Steve Raiteri. “Graphic Novels.” Library Journal, September 15, 2008. http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/ljinprint/currentissue/861882-403/graphic‗novels‗laugh‗riot.html.csp.
Flagg, Gordon. “Zot! 1987-1991.” Review of Zot!, by Scott McCloud. Booklist 105, no. 1 (September 1, 2008): 62.
McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.