Abadazad: The Road to Inconceivable

Cross Gen Comics was a noble failure. The publisher tried to expand Comics by publishing stories in as many far-thinking formats as possible. They also tried to create tales for all age groups and interests by pushing into as many genres as possible, eschewing for the most part the capes and tights superheroics that still dominate this dusk of the comic industry. Alas, the financial side of the equation did not match the creative and Cross Gen was in the end unsuccessful. However, one of the last enterprises of the company was the launching of Abadazad. It lasted a mere 3 issues, but fortunately showed enough of it's promise (and generated good word-of-mouth) to be picked up by Disney. Abadazad is clearly the Wizard of Oz for the generations that have grown up demanding more depth even for Children's entertainment. Abadazad is a dynamite mix of prose, traditional illustrations and pure comics. The prose adds so much more to the story than could ever be portrayed in traditional panel comics and the comic pages add so much more illustrative depth than could otherwise be conveyed. The story is strong. While it concerns a more or less standard quest of fantasy ( a young girl must travel to a strange and enchanted land to rescue her little brother), the main character's persona is so much richer (and just a little edgier) thanks to the circumstances of her rather difficult life and family relations perceeding the jump to pure fantasy. And what a fantasy world she jumps into! With all the depth and colour of Oz or Narnia, but with just a slightly harder edge that should be acceptable to both parent and child. Mike Ploog brings the fantastic world of Abadazad to life and proves the axiom that a picture is worth a thousand words! A wonderful start for a series that should be immensely enjoyed by anyone 8 or older (or even MUCH older).

I bought these titles for my 10 year old girl; Not many "comic" books are right for that demographic! This title, though, is a tour-de-force of writing and art, that draws the reader/viewer along on a seamless, suspenseful journey from cover to cover. My daughter was enchanted from beginning to end, and is after me to get the next installment! We both look forward to it!

This is one of the most stylish and interesting books you will ever come across, I promise. Children will love it but you'll find adults and young adults as engaged as anyone else. The book will absorb you in it's world of wonder. Comparisons between this book and Alice in Wonderland are valid, but the freshness of characters and the presentation of this story is unlike any other. Alternating between a girl's journal, excerpts from an absorbing fantasy book she reads and her own amazing adventures with characters beyond imagination, the book is novel and fun. The storyline begins with a preface by the girl explaining that the book is magical and warning readers. The unfolding story of a girl who lives with her single mom and her close relationship with her younger brother quickly moves from the touching yet ordinary into a wonderland of hope and fun. Highly recommended. The format of the book is a small hardcover and contains some animated portions, some narrative and some excerpts from a fantasy novel all interwoven into this "magic" story. It is longer, certainly, than a typical comic/graphic novel but the book itself feels like such a treasure and is so curiously written and illustrated that my kids were enchanted by it and begged me to read it to them. My daughter is a little young to read it by herself so we read it together and the interesting parallels between the girl reading to her brother and our own reading makes it all the more interesting. For the uninitiated: the story was originally published incomplete in a series of comic books and the rights were purchased by Disney a few years ago before the comic published more than just the first few issues. Disney liked the series concept so much but wanted it to reach a wider audience so the authors rewrote the story into this charming small hardcover format. The current plan is an 8 volume series.

I guess you could just read all the other rave reviews, but I had to throw in my two cents. This is the type of book that I feel excited that I found out about it before it became so amazingly popular that everyone else has already read it. It's the kind of book that I will buy multiple copies of so I can give to my friends, young and old, and dedicate it to them so that when they read it to their kids or their kids read it to their kids years from now, they'll know who gave it to them and have a pleasant association with me in my old age. So I'm 29 and I really enjoy it, but I would have liked it if I was only 9. I suggest buying 2 copies of each to start with. That way you can keep one set and be the first to give one away to that friend, nephew, niece, kid, or coworker who would love to read something original, imaginative and fun.

This book and the next came to my attention when my elder Brother plopped them down in front of me. Elder Brother tells me that this series, which started as comic books, originated because the author wanted to do something that his young daughter could read. Hence Abadazad was born. Enough about the background. The book is grand. Great format, going between the old "original" books, Kate's enchanted diary and the world of Abadazad. Street wise Kate, with more cynicism than any child should have to have, finds herself off to another world to find her lost little brother. Vibrant colors, great characterizations and the promise of sequels. What could be bad? The best part is that as I was out doing some errands yesterday, I saw a girl, about 11, clutching a book with a three eyed, blue skinned figure on the cover. The girl looked like she had found a treasure-- she just beamed. "Good book", I said to her. She had a moment of skittishness, and I could see that the warnings of "don't talk to strangers" ran through her mind. But I must have looked fairly harmless, and besides, I was talking about the book. "Oh yes!" she replied with a sigh of pleasure. "I know the author," I told her, and watched her eyes grow round with wonder. "He's got a daughter about your age-- named Kate." Another "oh" of sheer wonder escaped her lips. "Do you think it's real?" she asked, regarding the story. "Undoubtedly," I replied, and watched her wander away, lost in the thoughts of a world called Abadazad. This particular book is important as it sets the story for the rest. I must admit, though it was Dream Thief that hooked me completely. But this one is a must read and a great adventure. Even my 17 year old gobbled it up.