MISC. MANGA, *Sam Zabel And The Magic Pen

Fantagraphics got New Zealand artist Dylan Horrocks to do a full-length version of his webcomic, Sam Zabel And His Magic Pen. This hardcover is a sprawling journey throughout different comic genres for fans of the Golden Age, indie zines, and manga.

Sam Zabel is a comic book artists working on the current version of a Silver Age superheroine done in an "extreme" sleazy adaptaion. He takes a trip to a small town to give a speech at a college on comics culture. While there, he runs across a zine artist who introduces him to an old comic she found at a local shop. Sam picks up another copy of it, and then finds himself sent to the John Carter styled sci-fi world of Mars where he's worshiped as a prophet by the Martians. He encounters the schoolgirl manga-character brought to life, Miki, who uses her intense collection of comics to go from one comics world to another. The two travel throughout different genres in search of the "Magic Pen" which can help get Sam home.

This one-shot graphic novel works as a fine trip through the annals of comics history, with something for all fans. Manga otaku will find Miki especially fun with her rocket boots and laser gauntlets as she goes from world to world. A great look out how real life effects the works we read and create on our own, as well as the opposite of how it evolves in comics storytelling over time.