Ben Hatke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ben Hatke |
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Ben Hatke at the 2016 Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival
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| Born | June 4, 1977 Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. |
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Notable works
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Zita the Spacegirl Mighty Jack |
| Awards | Cybils Award, 2011 Eisner Award, 2016 |
| Spouse(s) | Anna |
| Children | 6 |
Ben Hatke, born on June 4, 1977, is an American cartoonist and children's book illustrator. He is famous for his awesome series of graphic novels called Zita the Spacegirl. His stories often feature strong and brave girl characters.
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About Ben Hatke's Early Life
Ben Hatke was born in Lafayette, Indiana. He grew up with his sisters. His family belonged to a group called the Society for Creative Anachronism. This group likes to recreate medieval times. Ben spent a lot of time playing outdoors when he was a kid.
Some of the first comics that inspired him were Elfquest by Wendy and Richard Pini. Other artists who influenced him include Bill Watterson, who created Calvin and Hobbes, and Maurice Sendak, who wrote Where the Wild Things Are. He also looked up to famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci.
Ben went to Christendom College and graduated in 2000. During college, he spent a semester in Italy. There, he studied Italian Renaissance painting, which is a style of art from a long time ago.
Ben Hatke's Creative Career
Ben Hatke started his career by contributing stories to comic anthologies. An anthology is a collection of stories by different artists. His story "The Plank" was in Flight volume 2 in 2005. Another story, "The Edge," appeared in Flight #3 in 2006.
He also created a character named Mighty Jack. This character is a modern version of the classic fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk."
Discovering Zita the Spacegirl
Zita the Spacegirl is one of Ben Hatke's most popular series. The story is about a girl named Zita. She goes on an amazing adventure across space. Her journey begins when her friend is taken by an alien group.
On her adventure, Zita rides a giant mouse. She also meets human-like chickens and robots. She even makes friends with a blob-like creature! Zita's journey is all about becoming a hero in space.
Ben Hatke shared that his wife, Anna, actually created the character of Zita. She came up with Zita when she was in high school. When Ben and Anna met in college, he started to develop the character. He turned Zita into the hero we know today.
He first worked on Zita as webcomics. Then, he wrote a short story called "Zita the Spacegirl: If Wishes Were Socks." This story was in an anthology called Flight Explorer in 2008.
The first Zita the Spacegirl graphic novel came out in 2011. It was published by First Second Books. The next two books in the series were released in 2012 and 2014.
In 2016, it was announced that Fox Animation bought the movie rights for the Zita trilogy. This means movies based on the books might be made!
Ben Hatke's Personal Life
Ben Hatke lives in Front Royal, Virginia. He lives there with his wife, Anna, and their five daughters.
He loves playing role-playing games, which are games where you pretend to be a character. He also enjoys archery, which is shooting with a bow and arrow. Ben is also a fire-eater and an amateur tumbler.
Awards and Recognitions
Ben Hatke has won several awards for his amazing work:
- 2011 Cybils Award — for Zita the Spacegirl
- 2016 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8) — for Little Robot
