“Join Zoey Zellerman and her family’s travelling Mythical Circus, as they search for the greatest legendary creatures the world has ever known!”
This is the adventure of a young female acrobat, Crypto Zo. Her family owns a unique circus with Cryptids, legendary creatures either extinct or of myth, such as Wooly Mammoths, Pterodactyls, and giant 2 headed cobras. She also lectures on CryptoZoology, which is the study of Cryptids.
Credits:
Crypto Zo -Issue # 1 (Myth of the Mothman)
New Legends Productions, Inc
Writer: William Michael Kielhorn
Artist: Heidi Arnhold
Colorist: Dan Howard
Plot: (Major Plot Spoilers)
Zellerman’s Traveling Mythical Circus is in town for performances. Some of their performers have started disappearing. Members of the town discusses their new Cryptid in the area, a Mothman, with Zo during her lecture about CryptoZoology,.
As Zo and her circus friends search for the missing performers and villagers, they find themselves face to face with Zo’s nemesis, Viper. Viper is a an ill tempered cryptid, a Scape Ore Swamp Lizard Man. Viper is in town to hunt the Mothman down. Viper and his pals are well armed and ready for a fight.
Viper and his group fight with Zo and her friends. Zoey and her friends start winning the battle because of their unique skills. But Viper takes down several of her friends. In the end, Zo finds a way to tranquilize Viper.
This entire time, the Mothman continues to talk about death and people being killed. Most people take these as threats.
Zo is able to rescue her circus co-workers for cocoons the Mothman placed them in. Zo and her circus friends follow the Mothman. They find the train bridge collapsed as the train goes over it. It appears the bridge was previously damaged.
The Mothman was taking people who were suppose to on the train to protect them. Zoey discovers that it was all a big misunderstanding so she invites Mothman to join the circus.
Review:
Art:
The art style of Heidi Arnold is different from what I am used to in my comics. The characters are drawn in a manga style. It is not an overdone manga syle and the characters don’t have strange emotional expressions. Their faces have a lot of line and angles. The style reminds me of the art of the Elf Quest series.
In comparison, the animals in this comic book don’t resemble the manga style at all. They have a realistic look to them. The details are extensive. Along with the animals, the background art is nicely detailed.
The coloring by Dan Howard is superior in this comic. The forest and cave are both dark, muted, and washed out. The circus is bright and colorful. The sky and the bricks are beautifully red.
Story/Plot:
The plot is fairly straightforward in this comic book. It is simple but well plotted. It had details and twists but it is easy to follow.
It is written on a level perfect for older children and teens. But the story is well crafted where adults can enjoy it along with kids.
My REVIEW:
It was refreshing to read a well written comic that is appropriate for most ages. I felt that Kielhorn did a great job of balancing a good story with being appropriate for most readers. It might be a bit frightful for the young children but should be fine for any children age 8 and older. It is a fun adventure that kids can really enjoy.
Zo is an appealing character. She is a hero and an acrobat. She is a fun role model for girls. This is the type of comic book that could bring more girls into reading comics.
This comic book taught me about CryptoZoology and Cryptids. I didn’t expect this comic to be educational but it definitely was.
As a 40 something year old male, I found this comic to be a ton of fun. I look forward to the next exciting adventure of Crypto Zo.
Grade: B+
