Zoc - Jade Khoo

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Author: Jade Khoo

Genre: Graphic Novel
Rating: 3.75 stars.

An unusual story of an unusual friendship.

Zoc is a young girl with an unusual ability – her hair attracts and drags water. She has no clue what to do with this “talent” and is quite fed up of being the centre of attraction as well as teasing. While wondering about her purpose in life, she receives a call for help from a nearby flooded town. As she drags the water away in a long journey, she meets interesting minstrels and a young boy named Kael, who also has an equally unusual gift, something that is in perfect complement to Zoc’s abilities.

The story is in a way pretty straightforward – a young girl and a young boy struggling to find friendship and their exact role in the world. At the same time, their abilities make them such unusual leads that the story is elevated to a different level altogether.

The illustrations in this bande desinée are coloured quite subtly. Unlike what I had assumed, the colour palette is not dominated by blue to indicate Zoc’s magical talent with water. On the contrary, green is the highlight colour on most of the panels. And this creates a nice contrast with Zoc’s water and Kael’s skill.

All in all, this is a story that is equal parts strange and scintillating. It feels like a Studio Ghibli movie in a French comic form. A nice and quick read for anyone interested in a different kind of graphic novel.

My thanks to Europe Comics and NetGalley for the DRC of “Zoc”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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