Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen

Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen by Dylan Horrocks (2015 Victoria University Press softcover 222pp)

 

In this graphic novel Sam Zabel is a New Zealand comics artist who has reached rock bottom – he’s drawing a superhero comic he hates for a large overseas publisher and he has writer’s block when it comes to his own creations. Fantasy is where he spends a chunk of his life, neglecting what’s important. He flies down to Christchurch to give a presentation at an academic conference and finds himself in an adventure.

He is sucked into the world of an antique science fiction comic and is transported to the planet Mars..well the Mars as seen by a sexist and racist creator from the early 20^th century. He meets the locals and they think he is their long, lost god-king. He meets others travelling as he does and ends up in a struggle against those who would use the power of the fabled magic pen (which can create these worlds) for evil. He is joined by a self-proclaimed geek girl and a Japanese schoolgirl with rocket boots.

The art is fine and there’s a lesson in there about the dangers of too much fantasy. There’s also lot of name-dropping and references to NZ culture so I’m not sure how an overseas reader would fare. A handy section at the back does explain it all if you remain perplexed.

The book has a certain playful nature that keeps you reading but overall, I thought the story was over too soon and lacked some depth. Still, it was a fun diversion.