Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen

Dylan Horrocks’s Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen (2014–present, Victoria University Press) is a single-issue comic that follows a cartoonist who discovers a magical pen capable of transporting him into the worlds of his own creations. Written and drawn entirely by Horrocks, this self-contained story explores the boundaries between imagination and reality, offering a metafictional meditation on the creative process. It stands as a thoughtful, intimate work from a celebrated New Zealand cartoonist, notable for its philosophical depth and lyrical art.