Greatly influenced by the work of Astro Boy creator and “God of Manga” Osamu Tezuka, Scott McLoud created Zot! more than two decades ago, making it the first manga-inspired American comics.

Zachary T. Paleozogt, popularly known as Zot is a blond haired, blue eyed teenage hero from an alternate Earth—a retro-futuristic technological utopia where flying cars, robots and interplanetary travel are common and nearly all of its inhabitants benefit from peace, prosperity, and a marked lack of conventional social ills. Jaunting back and forth between our world and this alternate earth seems exciting for Zot at first, but there are subtle differences in the essential nature of the two planets that take some getting used to. On Zot’s world, events naturally favor the “good guys” in any conflict”—like Zot. But on Earth, Zot is less successful, reflecting the fact that our world does not conform to the same rules. Nevertheless, Zot eagerly takes on Earth’s challenges with the most amusing outcomes.

With imagery which is reminiscent of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, an energetic visual design, and its meta-fictional underpinning, this newly revised cult classis is a must for all comic aficionadoes.