Although Zot comes from a “better” world, it is not without problems, including an assortment of weird and wacky enemies, like Ignatius Rumbolt Bellows, the Blotch, Zybox, the robot who wants to steal a soul, and 9 Jack 9, a relentless and unkillable assassin. And the biggest villain in the series is a common schoolyard bully. Characters from our Earth dream of escaping to this perfect world, where homophobia is rare, racism non-existent, and children’s toys would make our top scientists weep with joy.

Like many other superhero stories, Zot! is a comic of high emotion. Hope versus disillusionment, love versus hate, but rarely good versus evil. The majority of the conflict comes from the differing perspectives of each character, especially between the relentless optimism of Zot and his far more cynical and misanthropic girlfriend, Jen. Jen stands in stark contrast to Zot. She hates her home and dreams of escaping to Zot’s. She is torn between the fantastical Zot and the grounded Woody, between her divorcing parents and her own dreams. This clash between two worlds, between people who desperately want to be together and be happy, is the main driving force between the series. Sometimes, people need a helping hand, not a closed fist. McCloud understands this and so does Zot.

Nominated for eight Eisners, three Harveys and winner of the Jack Kirby Award for Best New Series and the Russ Manning Award for Best Newcomer, this is everything McCloud wanted to say about comics, about art. The guy knows comics inside and out. Be sure to check out Understanding Comics too.

– Donal O’Connor

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