Zojaqan: The Complete Series

by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly

Adrian F. Wassel (Editor), Damian A. Wassel (Editor), Nathan C. Gooden (Artist), and Vittorio Astone (Artist)

From Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, the acclaimed writers of JOY RIDE and GOTHAM CITY GARAGE, with art by award-winning artist Nathan Gooden, ZOJAQAN is a fantasy adventure like nothing you've ready before.



PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:

A grieving mother wakes in a brutal but fantastic landscape, where the currents of time pull her into the future, lurching forward days, years, and millennia. Her name is Shannon Kind, and her life in our world has vanished without warning. Perhaps she can find peace in her new home. Perhaps she can shape Zojaqan into a better world. But first, she must survive.



PRAISE FOR ZOJAQAN:

“Impeccably written and gorgeously illustrated. The kind of lavish, rich fantasy story I thought wasn’t being made in comics form anymore. It’s beautiful, it’s funny, it’s fierce, it’s heartbreaking. This is why I read comics, this book right here.” – Gail Simone (Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, Deadpool, Batgirl, Red Sonja, Crosswinds)



“Gorgeous, exotic, whimsical, and dripping with the sort of elegiac sadness that makes every triumph exult and every setback howl. ZOJAQAN feels like the wonderchild of a Vonnegut hi-concept and a Burroughs adventure—with an alien violin dirge on the soundtrack. Transportational, in every conceivable way.” – Si Spurrier (X-Force, Silver Surfer, Judge Dredd, Angelic, God Shaper)



“ZOJAQAN #1 is an impressive first issue, emotionally arresting.” 10/10 – C.K. Stewart, Newsamara



“Unmistakably Black. Feminine. Strong. Older. Tired, but not beaten. Shannon’s a real person in an utterly unreal situation.” 10/10 – L.E.H. Light, Black Nerd Problems

• ISBN10: 1939424313
• ISBN13: 9781939424310
• Publish Date: 7 August 2018 (first published 26 June 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Vault Comics
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 160
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

3 1/2 Stars
I received a copy of Zojaqan through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Zojaqan is a one of a kind story, and one that isn’t easily forgotten. If you’re looking for a complete story that isn’t like anything else out there…well you may want to consider giving this one a try.
Shannon Kind doesn’t strike you as an extraordinary character at first, and by that I mean she doesn’t appear superhuman or powered or anything like that. No, she’s simply put, a human. She’s a grieving mother who’s desperately searching for an answer to what happened. She’s looking for solace, for resolution, and for so much more.
Her search takes a different turn than one would expect, however, and that’s what makes this story so unique. A lot of what happens here can be considered metaphorical…but it can also be enjoyed as it is, without being heavily analyzed. Regardless of how you choose to interpret it, the emotional pain of the characters will roll off the page and make you really feel for what is happening.

Spoiler Warning

Zojaqan, as I stated above, is completely different. However, that also means it takes a little bit more effort to get into it. I’d say it wasn’t until the tenth or fifteenth page that I felt like I was really following the story they were trying to tell me.
In a way I actually wish that this graphic novel had been longer. I truly do feel that the intent would have read better had it been spread out a bit more. As it is, things felt a bit rushed here and there. Now, I have to admit that it’s quite possible that this was intentionally done. Shannon, while having all the time in the world, was constantly jumping around, always rushing in to deal with this or that…so it’s possible that we were meant to feel that way as well. If that’s the case, then it was actually brilliantly done, if perhaps a little too subtle.
Zojaqan is not the story to read if you’re looking for facts and answers. This is more about; well it’s about the journey for answers, more than the answers themselves. Or at least that’s how I chose to see things. If others interpreted different, I would love to hear it. Sometimes that’s what truly makes something like this shine – the ability for everyone to see it differently, and the conversations it’ll ignite.