The only thing about the advance promotion for this title that caught my eye was Butch Guice's involvement, and when that went the way of the dodo, so did my interest. Mike Ploog's heyday in comics was before my time, so I had no nostalgic attachment to his name. And the sheer surreal quality of the character designs led me to believe this book might feature an inaccessible form of the spiritual leanings for which the writer is well known. So I passed on pre-ordering Abazadad.
Don't make the same mistake. An advance review copy opened my eyes to a rich balance of grounded, human storytelling and characterization and the wonders of imagination that only children's literature can offer. I've never been so impressed with the debut issue of a CrossGen comic before.
Alice in Wonderland. The Wizard of Oz. Classics of children's literature in which young girls, as the heroines of the stories, delve into a magical and strange world unlike their own. But the king of that genre of storytelling is Little Martha in Abazadad. It has spawned a long series of books and a dazzling array of toys and other-media adaptations. For a 16-year-old girl named Kate, though, Abazadad serves only to remind her of loss, but an encounter with a quirky old lady opens her eyes to the possibility that magic exists and can make her wishes come true.
Mike Ploog is known for his comics work in the 1970s, but as a comics child of the 1980s, I honestly can't recall ever having sampled his work before, aside from seeing a few sketches online. His work here is soft and inviting. I'm reminded of the Don Bluth animation style when I look at Ploog's linework here, and I'm put in mind of Ernie Colon and Phil Foglio. The designs and the wide-eyed look of the young characters bring such innocence and hope to the book, but there's also a appropriately sullen pall that looms over the story as well.
DeMatteis acknowledges Abazadad's "parents," the works of such writers as Carroll and Baum. It's a brief reference but a wise one. It allows the reader to move beyond comparisons so he can simply enjoy this story. I also love Martha's role in the story. The cultural "adjustment" the Abazadad "author" makes in her heritage makes her story ring incredibly true despite the fantastic circumstances.
What really makes this first issue click so well is how DeMatteis's script convinces the reader of the strength of the bond Katie shares with her younger brother. He does so in Katie's voice, and the script never sounds too adult, too sophisticated. Instead, we hear the voice of an intelligent and confident young woman.
