Review Fix talks with author and artist Ben Hatke, who discusses the conclusion of his epic Zita series in “The Return of Zita the Spacegirl.†Hatke also discusses his favorite elements of the heralded series, as well as the impact the series has had on his life and what’s he’s up to now.
A New York Times Best Selling author, Hatke said his newest project is something very different from the Zita series, but will be something younger audiences will enjoy.
Review Fix: Is it bittersweet to see the series end?
Ben Hatke: It was bittersweet when I was writing the end, and when I was drawing the final pages. And then for a while after I thought “I’m gonna miss that kid.” But now I’m knee deep in new and exciting projects and I know that Zita is still out there having adventures. I’m keeping track of her.
Review Fix: The series has affected so many people. How does that make you feel?
Hatke: Some people say they are writing for themselves but I really am writing for readers. Seeing kids connect with Zita and her adventures, receiving mail and art and seeing kids dressed as the characters (!!) from the books has all been very, very special. I think these days, with social media and all, there’s more connection between authors and their audiences. I enjoy that. Art is communication and so when you get these indications that people really are reading your work, and connecting to it, I feel like that, more than publication, is the real endpoint.
Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself while writing this series? How did it change your life?
Hatke: I feel like for me the Zita books have been like a graduate course in storytelling.
They’ve not only been the vehicles through which I’ve become a more confident storyteller but these books are the reason I’m able to work as a full time author, which is an amazing thing. From that standpoint it’s changed my life completely.
Review Fix: What is your favorite element of this book?
Hatke: I had quite a bit of fun writing Raggy and Femur, and generally working out a balance between humor and action and character moments. Also, in this book I was finally able to work out the process that works best for me with graphic novels. So I went into the book with a really solid story outline and when it came time to do page layouts I just sat on the floor with music playing and pages of roughs spread out everywhere. I was really able to get into the world at that point.
Review Fix: How do you want this book to stand out from the others?
Hatke: I’m hoping that readers will feel like everything has been kicked up a notch.
Review Fix: What do you think makes Zita so special?
Hatke: I think, and I hope, that it’s that she’s got some depth as a character. Because to me she is real. She’s got flaws and blind spots and moments where her best self shines through, just like a real person. It’s taken me years to get to know Zita as a character, and I hope that this comes through in the books.
Review Fix: What do you want people to remember most about the series?
Hatke: I don’t know. I think it would be cool if someone remembers where they were, and how they felt, when they read it. I remember a good friend sent me a copy of Harry Potter in the mail with a note that said “I think this is something you would enjoy” (this was a long time ago when it was possible not to have heard of Harry Potter). I remember everything about sitting on my bed and reading that book for the first time.
Review Fix: You get just a few reading experiences like that in life and if someone has that with Zita, well.
Hatke: What are you working on now?
Review Fix: Right now, today, I am working on a book called Little Robot! It’s a graphic novel for young readers about a little girl who finds and befriends a hapless robot in a junkyard. It’s been one of the most fun books both to write and to draw because the setting is based closely on the area where I live. It’s a very different kind of story than the Zita books. I’m looking forward to sharing it.
Leave a Reply