Zen the Intergalactic Ninja
Encyclopedia
Zen the Intergalactic Ninja is a fictional character
created in 1987 by Steve Stern and Dan Cote, and initially published under their Zen Comics imprint. In the early nineties Zen was licensed to Archie Comics
, and then to Entity Comics. Zen became a popular cult comic inside the comic book community at a time when comic books where becoming more mainstream.
, Mike Mignola
, creator of Hellboy
and Sam Kieth
, creator of The Maxx
, as well as silver age legends Ross Andru
and Mike Esposito
. Other artists who have drawn Zen include Jae Lee
, Frank Brunner
, and Bill Maus. Maus has been credited with redesigning the character's classic look from the early '80s to the popular version seen today, of a taller, more muscular character who is bit rough around the edges. The first appearance of Zen's new look was in Entity Comic's Zen #0, published in 1993.
Alien Hero is a collection of novellas and short stories about Zen, written by Steve Stern. Zen has also appeared in magazines as varied as Mixx
, published by Tokyopop
, and Heavy metal
.
In 2008, a new series of Zen trade paperbacks will be launched by publisher Devil's Due. In addition, Devil's Due has announced an all-new continuing Zen comic-book series, written by fan favorite Joe Casey
and illustrated by Joe Abraham.
Zen also communicates through a unique type of telepathy that nobody truly understands. He is able to simply "talk" into your head, allowing you to hear him as though he was simply speaking out loud. When you speak back to him, he "hears" you though a combination of sound waves and thought patterns that he takes in as language and sound. Zen has an amazing awareness of his surroundings thanks to the fact that he "hears" more with his "mind" more than we could take in with just our ears. This ability does not mean he can "read your thoughts" on a whim though. You have to be projecting or transmitting your thoughts or intentions in order for him to be able to receive them-- so if you can clear your mind, you "might" be able to keep him in the dark...maybe.
Zen's other mental abilities allow him to dematerialize food with his mind so that he can eat-- allows him to communicate with his mentors on distant planets-- and even allows him to move objects through the air, including making himself hover while he meditates.
and Game Boy
in 1993 by Konami
. The games feature Zen fighting an alien villain known as Lord Contaminous, who is keen on harming the Earth's ecological environment. The music for the NES game was composed by K. Nakamura and has been played on the Swedish radio-channel P3's programme Syntax Error
.
In addition to the video games, Zen was licensed for numerous products, including a set of six action figures from the Just Toys company. Other licensed products include posters from the Starmakers company, phone cards from Patco, chromium cards from Maxx, and a vinyl model kit from Inteleg International.
The Hollywood community has for years been attempting to mount a 'Zen' feature film, and there has also been interest in an animated television series.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created in 1987 by Steve Stern and Dan Cote, and initially published under their Zen Comics imprint. In the early nineties Zen was licensed to Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, and then to Entity Comics. Zen became a popular cult comic inside the comic book community at a time when comic books where becoming more mainstream.
Publication history
Zen has been depicted by many well-known comics artists, including Paul PelletierPaul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...
, Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
, creator of Hellboy
Hellboy
Hellboy is a comic book superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 , and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers...
and Sam Kieth
Sam Kieth
Sam Kieth is a New York Times best-selling American comic book writer and illustrator, best known as the creator of The Maxx and Zero Girl.-Comics career:...
, creator of The Maxx
The Maxx
The Maxx is an American comic book series created by Sam Kieth and published originally monthly by Image Comics and now collected in trade paperback collections from DC Comic's Wildstorm imprint. The comic book, which stars a character of the same name, spawned an animated series that aired on the...
, as well as silver age legends Ross Andru
Ross Andru
Ross Andru was an American comic book artist and editor. He is best known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash and Metal Men....
and Mike Esposito
Mike Esposito (comics)
Mike Esposito , who sometimes used the pseudonyms Mickey Demeo, Mickey Dee, Michael Dee, and Joe Gaudioso, was an American comic book artist whose work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics and others spanned the 1950s to the 2000s...
. Other artists who have drawn Zen include Jae Lee
Jae Lee
Jae Lee is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Inhumans and The Sentry, both with Paul Jenkins.-Career:Lee first rose to prominence in the industry for his work on Marvel's Namor the Sub-Mariner, Inhumans , and The Sentry, as well as his creator-owned character Hellshock at...
, Frank Brunner
Frank Brunner
Frank Brunner is an American comic book artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s.-Comics:...
, and Bill Maus. Maus has been credited with redesigning the character's classic look from the early '80s to the popular version seen today, of a taller, more muscular character who is bit rough around the edges. The first appearance of Zen's new look was in Entity Comic's Zen #0, published in 1993.
Alien Hero is a collection of novellas and short stories about Zen, written by Steve Stern. Zen has also appeared in magazines as varied as Mixx
Mixx
Mixx is a user-driven social media web site that serves to help users submit or find content by peers based on interest and location. It combines social networking and bookmarking with web syndication, blogging and personalization tools.-Details:...
, published by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, and Heavy metal
Heavy Metal (magazine)
Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...
.
In 2008, a new series of Zen trade paperbacks will be launched by publisher Devil's Due. In addition, Devil's Due has announced an all-new continuing Zen comic-book series, written by fan favorite Joe Casey
Joe Casey
Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as Wildcats 3.0, Uncanny X-Men, The Intimates, Adventures of Superman, and G.I. Joe: America's Elite, among others.-Biography:...
and illustrated by Joe Abraham.
Fictional character biography
Zen is a native of the planet Baltoon, where he was raised in a test tube as part of a genetic experiment. When the scientists in charge decided the test was a failure, they scheduled the infant Zen for termination. He was saved by Teslah, a scientist on the project, who fired the infant into space in a transport pod. Zen landed in the Om system, where he was found by the mysterious Masters of Om. They raised him as an acolyte, and trained him in the martial arts. Once grown, Zen becomes one of the finest martial artists the Omnians had known. Zen uses his skill as a mercenary, hiring himself out to the highest bidder.Powers and abilities
Zen is a skilled martial artist, trained in the ways of the Masters of Om. He is a master fighter, and knowledgeable in all forms of hand-to-hand combat.Zen also communicates through a unique type of telepathy that nobody truly understands. He is able to simply "talk" into your head, allowing you to hear him as though he was simply speaking out loud. When you speak back to him, he "hears" you though a combination of sound waves and thought patterns that he takes in as language and sound. Zen has an amazing awareness of his surroundings thanks to the fact that he "hears" more with his "mind" more than we could take in with just our ears. This ability does not mean he can "read your thoughts" on a whim though. You have to be projecting or transmitting your thoughts or intentions in order for him to be able to receive them-- so if you can clear your mind, you "might" be able to keep him in the dark...maybe.
Zen's other mental abilities allow him to dematerialize food with his mind so that he can eat-- allows him to communicate with his mentors on distant planets-- and even allows him to move objects through the air, including making himself hover while he meditates.
Appearances in other media
The comic was later adapted into a video game for both the Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
in 1993 by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
. The games feature Zen fighting an alien villain known as Lord Contaminous, who is keen on harming the Earth's ecological environment. The music for the NES game was composed by K. Nakamura and has been played on the Swedish radio-channel P3's programme Syntax Error
Syntax error
In computer science, a syntax error refers to an error in the syntax of a sequence of characters or tokens that is intended to be written in a particular programming language....
.
In addition to the video games, Zen was licensed for numerous products, including a set of six action figures from the Just Toys company. Other licensed products include posters from the Starmakers company, phone cards from Patco, chromium cards from Maxx, and a vinyl model kit from Inteleg International.
The Hollywood community has for years been attempting to mount a 'Zen' feature film, and there has also been interest in an animated television series.