Ben Hatke (born June 4, 1977) is an American cartoonist and children's book illustrator. He is most well known for his series of middle grade graphic novels Zita the Spacegirl. His work is notable for its focus on strong female characters.COLYARD, K.W. "'Zita The Spacegirl' Is Getting A Film Adaptation, And Author Ben Hatke Has More Exciting Things On The Way, a" Bustle (Oct 5, 2016).
Biography Hatke was born in Lafayette, Indiana,Brown, Hillary. "Mighty Jack Cartoonist Ben Hatke on Juggling Art, Blowing Fire and Creating Ridiculously Charming Comics," Paste (December 12, 2016). and grew up with sisters. His family were members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and Hatke spent a lot of time outdoors as a child.
One of his early comics influences was Wendy and Richard Pini's Elfquest. Other influences included Bill Watterson, Maurice Sendak, Leonardo da Vinci, Brian Froud, Trina Schart Hyman, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Todd McFarlane.
Hatke earned his B.A. from Christendom College in 2000."Christendom Alumnus Ben Hatke Scores Movie Deal at 20th Century Fox," Christendom College website (Sep 15, 2016). While he was in college, he spent a semester in Italy studying Italian Renaissance painting.
Career Hatke contributed the story "The Plank" to the anthology Flight vol. 2, published by Image Comics in 2005. His story "The Edge" appeared in Flight #3, published (at that point by Random House) in 2006.
His character Mighty Jack is a contemporary spin on the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Zita the Spacegirl According to The Hollywood Reporter, Zita the Spacegirl, "centers on a girl named Zita who embarks on a journey to becoming an intergalactic hero after her friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult. Along the way, she rides a giant mouse, deals with humanoid chickens as well as robots, and makes friends with a blob-like creature."Kit, Borys. "Fox Animation Picks Up Movie Rights to 'Zita the Spacegirl'," The Hollywood Reporter (SEPTEMBER 14, 2016).
According to Hatke, the character was actually created by his wife Anna while she was still in high school. When Hatke and Anna met in college, he began adapting the character into its present incarnation.
He continued developing the character in webcomics and then a short story titled "Zita the Spacegirl: If Wishes Were Socks," in the 2008 Random House anthology Flight Explorer.Gustines, George Gene. "Graphic Books Best Sellers: To the Rescue," New York Times (September 21, 2012).
Zita the Spacegirl debuted in 2011 with First Second Books. The second and third volumes appeared in 2012 and 2014.
In 2016, it was announced that Fox Animation had picked up the movie rights for the Zita trilogy; the films will be produced by Chernin Entertainment.Lu, Alexander. "Ben Hatke’s ZITA THE SPACEGIRL series picked up by Fox Animation," The Beat (09/22/2016).
Personal life Hatke lives in Front Royal, Virginia, with his wife AnnaLiu, Jonathan H. "Q&A With Ben Hatke on Legends of Zita the Spacegirl," Wired (Sept. 26, 2012). and their five daughters."Sad News," Lora Fountain Agency (October 3, 2019)."Ida Hatke," Give Send Go website. Accessed Jan. 13, 2020. He is an avid player of role-playing games, as well as a practitioner of archery. He is also a fire-eater and amateur tumbler.
Hatke's daughter Ida died in an accident in 2019, at the age of four.
Awards 2011 Cybils Award — Zita the Spacegirl 2016 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8) — Little Robot
Bibliography Graphic novels 2011 Zita the Spacegirl (First Second) 2012 Legends of Zita the Spacegirl (First Second) Di Filippo, Paul. "On Books." Asimov's Science Fiction 37 (7): 107–111. July 2013. 2014 The Return of Zita the Spacegirl (First Second) 2015 Little Robot (First Second) 2016 Mighty Jack (First Second) 2017 Mighty Jack and the Goblin King (First Second) 2018 The Zita Trilogy Boxed Set (First Second) 2019 Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl (First Second) 2023 Things in the Basement (First Second)
Children's books 2014 Julia’s House for Lost Creatures (First Second) 2016 Nobody Likes a Goblin (First Second) 2016 (by Ann M. Martin and Annie Parnell) Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure 2017 (by Ann M. Martin and Annie Parnell) Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Won't-Walk-the-Dog Cure 2018 (by Ann M. Martin and Annie Parnell) Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Sticky-Fingers Cure. Retrieved July 31, 2018. 2020 Julia’s House Moves On (First Second) 2021 Julia's House Goes Home (First Second), ISBN 978-1250769329
Adult books
2023 Reynard's Tale: A Story of Love and Mischief (First Second) ISBN 978-1250857910
References
External links
Zita the Space Girl website