One of his early comics influences was Wendy and Richard Pini's Elfquest.

His family were members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and Hatke spent a lot of time outdoors as a child. Hatke was born in Lafayette, Indiana, and grew up with sisters.

His work is notable for its focus on strong female characters. He is most well known for his series of middle grade graphic novels Zita the Spacegirl. Students who love Zita The Spacegirl will be begging for the next installment: Legends Of Zita The Spacegirl.Ben Hatke (born June 4, 1977, in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American cartoonist and children's book illustrator. The text is not difficult to read, and the illustration brings an amazing emotional depth to the story. This book is also great to offer to any reluctant readers who are interested in awesome space monsters. The alien races have war and poverty, which could lead to class discussions about these universal conditions. Alien technology plays a large part in Zita’s challenges and triumphs. It would also fit well into a genre study of science fiction. Ultimately she gets the choice of sending him or herself back to Earth, and chooses the safety of her friend over her own. Zita puts herself in danger many times to save Joseph. This middle-grade graphic novel could be used in a unit on loyalty or friendship. While trying to stop the prophecy Zita accumulates a ragtag mix of friends that help her complete her quest. The Scriptorians have already destroyed much of their planet by creating a doomsday like weapon that failed at stopping the asteroid. The Scriptorians, the original race of the planet, have a prophecy that sacrificing an Earth child named Joseph will save the planet. She finds herself on a planet doomed to be destroyed by an asteroid in 3 days. Zita presses the button again and jumps through the portal into uncertainty. At first it seems that nothing is going to happen, but then a portal opens and tentacles grab Joseph and pull him through. Joseph wants to report it to the adults, but Zita chides him for being scared and pushes it. While playing in the countryside the kids find a red button in the bottom of a crater. This boldness not only saves Joseph, but gets him into trouble in the first place. While on her quest, Zita makes new friends, experiences a great betrayal, and saves an entire planet. Most of her journey is spent on a planet populated by a unique variety of extraterrestrial life. Zita is a girl from Earth who ends up travelling through the galaxies to save her friend, Joseph. Zita The Spacegirl has the two things that make graphic novels great: outstanding artwork and a compelling storyline.

Zita the spacegirl series order