Abadazad, soon to be the new best selling series in children's Literature.

Have a seat. Here comes the bad news:

We recently received word from Hyperion Books For Children that-due to a variety of factors-the Abadazad series is ending. Book Three, which came out in England in July and is rolling out in the rest of the world (but not, I'm sorry to say, in the United States. If you'd like a copy, you'll have to order it here) will be the end of the road for the inhabitants of the Floating Warlock's kingdom.

To say that I'm disappointed is the understatement of the century. Kate, Matt, Little Martha and the rest aren't characters to me: they're my friends. And right now it feels as if those friends have been trapped in limbo. Frozen forever in mid-movement. I miss them terribly. Miss their company and their wisdom and the joy they brought into my life. We shared an extraordinary adventure together and I'm heartbroken that it's over. (There is some hope of freeing the Abadazadians from that limbo. A possibility that the series will be resurrected in its original form: as a comic book. If that happens, you'll get the news here first.)

Happily, my adventures with mad genius Mike Ploog and our brilliant color artist, Nick Bell, won't be ending. We've already done The Stardust Kid together (look for the collected edition early next year) and we're talking about a new project that, with luck, we'll be jumping into in another month or two. Mike and Nick aren't just two of the most talented collaborators I've ever worked with, they're two of the nicest. Thanks, guys.

I also have to thank the amazing Brenda Bowen, who recently left Hyperion to start a new children's imprint at Harper Collins. Brenda was truly our guardian angel: scooping us up out of the CrossGen bankruptcy and giving our story new life and new hope. With her love for, and understanding of, Abadazad, I sometimes suspected she was Queen Ija in disguise.

Finally, I have to thank all our readers. You made this journey with us: opened your hearts and allowed the Blue Globe to sweep you over the Eight Oceans and straight into Abadazad. You're a part of the story as much as Kate and Matt, DeMatteis and Ploog. Here's hoping we can all make the journey again, whether it's revisiting 'Zad in comic book form...or setting off for new, uncharted worlds.

©copyright 2007 J.M. DeMatteis

What do you get when you cross a couple of comic book guys with a great idea for juvenile fiction? You get the latest series based book craze that'll keep the kids reading, the Abadazad series.

Before the Abadazad series found its way to book format, it had a cult following as a comic book in the comic book world. The comic that told the story of 14-year-old Kate and her search for Matty, her missing little brother who is trapped in a world with a queen with three eyes and a dream thief.

The publishers of the original comic book-CrossGen-went bankrupt and the Abadazad saga came to an end. But that ending didn't last long! Disney Publishing brought Abadazad back to life. The first two books in the series-The Road to Inconceivable and The Dream Thief-cover the original story told in the comic, but in book form.

The new Abadazad book series stays true to the original vision of the writer/artist team, D.C. Comics' J.M. DeMatteis and Shrek illustrator Mike Ploog.

To know the book it is great to know the author and illustrator. At least in this case. I'm a huge comic books fan and J.M. DeMatteis has worked on my favorite, Spider-Man, so I was drawn (pardon the pun) to this book.

Eisner Award winner J.M. DeMatteis was a professional musician and rock music journalist before entering the comic book field. He has extensive experience writing comic books where his work has won both popular and critical acclaim. His projects have ranged from Spider-Man and Superman to The Justice League. He has also received great acclaim for his groundbreaking personal visions, such as Moonshadow, Seekers Into the Mystery and the autobiographical Brooklyn Dreams. He lives with his family in upstate New York.

Mike Ploog has created art for a wide variety of comics, books and movies. He began drawing for Marvel, where he was involved in many of their best-known titles and cult favorites such as Ghost Rider, Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing. He was a designer and storyboard artist on dozens of major motion pictures-both animated and live-action-including Shrek, The Lord of the Rings, Disney's The Black Cauldron and Little Shop of Horrors. He lives and works in Devon, England.

Books #1 and #2, The Road to Inconceivable and The Dream Thief, are the first two books in this series. Book #3: The Puppet, the Professor, and the Prophet will be available March 2007. Book #4: Historcery will be available Summer 2007.

The Road to Inconceivable, opens with Kate trying to come to terms with the disappearance of her little brother, Matty. After 5 years she still misses him, and her relationship with her mother offers no comfort. Just when Kate's about to accept that she will never see him again, meets the neighbor across the hall who has some strange stories and and "artifacts" from a mysterious world called Abadazad. After The death of her neighbor Kate receives a strange package which contains a glowing crystal ball. This ball then stransports her to Abadazad, where she finds out that her brother is being held captive. Now Kate has to make a brave choice: Risk everything she's ever known to try and find him or ... For Kate, there is no "or." The choice is easy. What follows is anything but.

I will tell you that the ages listed on the book are for 9 to 14...but since there is no time in Abadazad, that means you are ageless, so I recommend you read it with your kids. I thought it was a great read. In fact, I could not put this book down and read it in one night. Now where is book 2.

Once again I will tell you the next series of young pop fiction has started, and it is found in the form of Abadazad. Like Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter or The Series of Unfortunate Events, Abadazad is a series of books that will keep our youth interested in reading. With the Harry Potter series ending soon and Lemony Snicket having written "The End" of the Series of Unfortunate events. The next book craze void is needing to be filled. Abadazad will do that not only because of a really good story line but also because Abadazad uses the combination of chapter book with comic book.

In book 2 "The Dream Thief," Kate is in the magical land of Abadazad and has found out that her brother who was abducted 5 years past is still alive. Unfortunately he is "imprisoned" by the Lanky Man a.k.a. the Dream Thief. The Lanky Man has many children imprisoned in a contraption used to keep them asleep so he can harvest their dreams to power his machine. The purpose of the machine is not yet revealed but it does have something to do with the destroying of Abadazad. The 3 eyed Queen Ija has told Kate she will help find Kate's brother Matt.

This book introduces a few more of the magical characters in Abadazad. Auntie Nott, who is invisible, she became that way because she was so shy she avoided everyone and eventually turned invisible. There is Master Wix, the boy-candle. Yes he's a little boy that is made of wax. And there is the Waterlogged Wizard who lives in the 8 oceans of Abadazad. He helps Kate get Started on her journey.

The combination of chapter book and comic book helps to make this book come alive along with keeping the reader interested in the story. And with the creative story-line each book leaves you anxious for the next installment. The problem is now I have to wait until September 2007 for book 3. It's the same anticipation I experience waiting for the next and last Harry Potter book.