The Mighty Zodiac, big action comic book with heart and vocabulary

In some ways The Mighty Zodiac is on a parallel track, but the opposite of one of our favorite comic books Usagi Yojimbo. The Mighty Zodiac is the story of 12 heroes, each one representing someone from the Zodiac. This is an ongoing series from Oni Press that will interest kids 7 and up due to its more realistically drawn characters, martial arts action and bad guys.

The bad guys in The Mighty Zodiac are rabbits. In this case the rabbit were eating all of the Dragon Fruit that’s intended for everyone. The Guardians of the Sky banished the bunnies to the moon, but there was still trouble on Earth because the tribes weren’t getting along now. The Mighty Zodiac #3 picks up with the (now) Moon Rabbits trying to back to Earth, some of the tribes fighting and the Zodiac warriors attempting to find six stars that fell.

Ho, the tiger is dreaming about he and Rang, the rat; the dynamics within The Mighty Zodiac and how they work as a team.  Ho is sick in bed because he ate one of the stars that fell to Earth while Mar the ram and YaYa the monkey are fending off a couple dozen Moon Rabbits who have surrounded them on a bridge.

Don’t be confused. It seems like there are lots going on in The Mighty Zodiac-and there is, but the comic comes with a good overview on the first two pages. There are 12 members in the Zodiac, with each one having certain powers and personality quirks.

Master Long seems to be the elder sensei. He makes an appearance late in the issue and alludes to the changes that Ho is going through, as well as the fact that the changes he must undergo would kill him.  While ‘death’ in a comic book can certainly be temporary, the fact the Master Long looks frail and legitimately broaches the topic of mortality is refreshing.

The tone, art, action and vocabulary of The Mighty Zodiac is well suited for a 7 year old. Our 6 year can read most of the words in the comic and the teamwork that they have are lessons that he can learn from.