Booknote: Zaya

Jean-David Moran, et.al., Zaya. Burbank, CA: Magnetic Press, 2014. ISBN: 9780991332496.


WARNING: This review does contain some spoilers, which I find necessary in order to make sense of what is a very convoluted book. 

I have to say I had a bit of a hard time with this one. The art is interesting, to say the least. I would call it a little surrealistic at times. The plot is not totally clear as it starts in an art exhibit and moves to a man getting pursued and shot. Is it some espionage thing we may ask as the comic starts? At the exhibit, the artist stops an obnoxious drunk from beating a waiter; this clearly sets up that she is more than just an artist.

The problem with the story is that it takes a good while to figure out what exactly is going on. Once you do get it, it is an interesting premise. The setting is on another planet. It is futuristic, yet it retains a lot of 20th century features and details. We learn that Zaya is a dark ops agent, brought back from retirement it seems. Spiral is the agency she worked for. Things get interesting as Zaya manages to capture a killer, escape, only to get lost in a mysterious part of space where, while lost, the rest of the universe changes. When she manages to return, she has ceased to exist for others. Zaya then needs to figure out what has happened.

The action in the story is somewhat convoluted. It moves from location to location, and the connections in the plot are not always clear. It is not a bad story, but it can be difficult to follow, and the art does have some cluttered moments. In the end, I did like it.

I am giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

For libraries, I would consider this an optional title. Libraries with strong graphic novel collections could consider it. However, if your collection is more casual or light, this may be one to pass on in favor of others. 

Disclosure note: You know, where I tell you I read this as review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in order to appease The Man.