FROM PANEL TO PANEL • Plant These Seeds (Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke)

What can happen when you trade something precious for a box of magical seeds? I would expect something like what happens in Jack and the Beanstalk—a giant beanstalk to grow all the way into the sky, a giant speaking in rhymes, and lots of treasure. In Mighty Jack, this retelling reimagines the events with a boy named Jack, his autistic sister, plants who become living creatures, and a dragon!

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MIGHTY JACK

• It has its own take on the Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale.

Mighty Jack may be a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, but it strays away from the original fairytale to reimagine it for the modern world. In Mighty Jack, Jack’s mom has taken on a second job for the summer, and leaves Jack to watch his autistic little sister, Maddy, at home. While Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk trades a precious livestock (sheep or cow depending on the version) for magic seeds to an old man, Jack in Mighty Jack trades his mom’s car at Maddy’s urging for a box of magic seeds. Instead of just one giant beanstalk that grows, an entire garden—onions, pumpkins, and so on— grows with hands and legs and are always ready to attack. These are plants that will fight, so Jack, Maddy, and the neighborhood girl always need to be armed.

• Mighty Jack is only the beginning.

Mighty Jack is not the full story. This is just the first book, setting up the adventure these kids will embark on. There’s more of Jack to tell. We haven’t gotten to the giant or the treasures that readers hear about from the original fairytale.

• The art is so cute.

I don’t know how else to describe the art. It’s fantastic. Just take a look at the art: here are few examples of the art. There’s something light and inviting about it, isn’t it? Perfect modernization of the Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale.

• There’s magic in the garden.

The seeds the siblings plant grow to be plants that are not normal. The seeds grow into plants—creatures—that can grab onto you and take a bite at you. It has little onions running around, peppers that will throw you into the air if you take a bite, an unexpected creature doling out sage advice, and so much more. It’s a vibrant garden with so much wonder and danger, and it has brought Maddy out of her shell.

Who will love this comic? Fairytale lovers! Anyone who’s familiar with the Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale. Young readers. Just about everyone.

Are you excited about Mighty Jack?