TBT: My review of “The Return of Zita the Spacegirl,” by Ben Hatke (First Second)
Although the ending leaves things open for further adventures, The Return of Zita the Spacegirl may mark the final volume in what has turned out to be a full-on classic science fiction trilogy.
For anyone just tuning in, Zita is an accidental heroine whose courage and empathy (she just can’t stop saving people) has made her a hero throughout outer space. Her previous book ended with Zita getting arrested, however, and Return opens with her at the mercy of the dreadful alien race known as the Screeds and their nefarious leader, the Dungeon Lord.
After two other accomplished graphic novels (and years of webcomics), Ben Hatke’s pen-and-ink drawings have attained an epic sweep that makes them every bit the rival of the comic art of Amulet or Bone. The colossal scale of space is brought home to us in the book’s opening pages, in which we move from a view into deep outer space, to a particular planet, to a particular place on that planet, and so on, until we conclude with a two-page spread where a mysterious figure jumps rafters below a panoramic star-filled skylight—with inset panels showing us Zita in the dock of an intergalactic criminal court. Hatke has taken us from the unlimited freedom of space to the unending confinement of a prison planet simply and effortlessly, and set the stage for Zita’s most challenging adventure yet.
This sense of scale continues throughout the story as it brings together Zita’s friends—apparently scattered across the galaxy—and her new acquaintances from prison to produce a satisfying resolution to the series. And yet for all its action, relationships are what really drive the story—the loyalty of Zita’s entourage, the potentially troubled friendship with Joseph, who Zita thought she rescued in the first volume; even an odd couple pairing between two convicts who accidentally discover that they’re perfect complements to each other.
And the art thrives on the personal as well. Return includes the usual subtle grace notes readers have come to expect from Hatke’s work: ugly aliens who prove to be lovable. Aliens who who look exactly like common Earth objects (including cupcakes). Aliens who resemble animals from Earth, including the mouse-like Pizzicato and his feline counterpart Glissando. In addition, the art presents the story’s human side with just as much skill as it presents the vastness of space, with an attention to detail and an apparently never-ending capacity to evoke every shade of emotion, particularly in Zita, convincing us of her despair and defiance and joy.
It’s an impressive book, and the story is beautifully told. But readers may find themselves at the end with some regrets (including that the book isn’t longer). It might have been useful to have provided a cast of characters section so readers could remind themselves of faces who have been introduced over the course of two volumes and several years. And even a list of characters probably wouldn’t help a someone who started with this book fully grasp the arcs that almost every character completes. And for all she’s learned during the series, and all the way she’s grown, it seems odd that Zita should find nothing to appeal to her sense of adventure after her return to earth.
In the end, though, particularly for Zita’s fans, Return will offer a more-than-satisfying conclusion to a premiere series. Ben Hatke is soon to release an illustrated children’s book, but one hopes he’ll continue with graphic novels as well, even if Zita’s further adventures only happen in her fans’ imaginations.
Price: $12.99
Age range: For independent reading, first through fourth grade; also good for reading aloud to kids four and up.
Things to know: Strong female characters. Depictions of self-sacrifice and friendship. Also: Cartoonish violence, some gunplay, implied cruelty, some villains die. Best for those acquainted with the rest of the series.
Review copy furnished via NetGalley.
