Zita the Spacegirl: She's Back, and She's a Legend

When last we left our young hero, Zita the Spacegirl couldn't make it back home to Earth thanks to an unstable portal. While that was bad news for Zita, it turns out it was great news for some other space creatures. Zita's legend was just beginning.

Zita the Spacegirl is the creation of Ben Hatke in his graphic novel of the same name. Now she's back in Legends of Zita the Spacegirl. The story begins with Zita famous for the heroism she showed at the end of Zita the Spacegirl. (I won't spoil it for you if you haven't read it.) The fame is getting to her, and when she finds a doppelgänger to take her place as a celebrity so she can have a bit of fun, it backfires. It turns out this fake Zita is feeling quite ready to replace the real Zita. Suddenly Zita finds herself watching the ship with her friends on it leave without her.

There's a threat in the galaxy. A swarm of star hearts is headed for New Lumponia! You can imagine that the Lumponians are none too happy about this. They enlist Zita's help. Trouble is, they've got the wrong Zita! The real Zita needs to find her friends, get rid of the fake Zita, and save New Lumponia before the star hearts destroy the planet. Good thing she has the help of some new friends, Madrigal and her cat, Glissando. Madrigal is like a bohemian gypsy version of Han Solo, aboard her wreck of a ship. Turns out she knows a little something about Zita's other friends, too.

This second Zita the Spacegirl book is as good as the first, with the same level of drama, action, and gorgeous art. Clearly Ben Hatke was having fun with the two different Zita the Spacegirls–it's all in the expressions. Zita is a marvelous character that really resonates with both me and my seven-year-old daughter. We always love a great girl hero, yes, but Zita is more complex than that. Friendship and loyalty are integral to Zita's story, and she always tries to do the right thing, no matter how terrifying it might be.

If everything goes well, I'll be accompanied by my own little Zita the Spacegirl doppelgänger at New York Comic Con this year. We've got the costume in the works.

I want to give a quick shoutout to the publisher of the Zita the Spacegirl books, First Second Books. They continue to set the bar for gorgeous and engaging comics for kids.