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Flight #3
Flight, Vol. 3
STORIES BY
• Matthew S. Armstrong
• Neil Babra
• Bannister
• Chuck BB
• Tony Cliff
• Becky Cloonan
• Phil Craven
• Matthew Forsythe
• Alex Fuentes
• Michel Gagné
• Rodolphe Guenoden
• Steve Hamaker
• Paul Harmon
• Ben Hatke
• Azad Injejikian
• Kazu Kibuishi
• Khang Le
• Reagan Lodge
• Johane Matte
• Bill Plympton
• Dave Roman
• Israel Sanchez
• Rad Sechrist
• Kean Soo
• Yoko Tanaka
• Joey Weiser
• Matthew S. Armstrong
• Neil Babra
• Bannister
• Chuck BB
• Tony Cliff
• Becky Cloonan
• Phil Craven
• Matthew Forsythe
• Alex Fuentes
• Michel Gagné
• Rodolphe Guenoden
• Steve Hamaker
• Paul Harmon
• Ben Hatke
• Azad Injejikian
• Kazu Kibuishi
• Khang Le
• Reagan Lodge
• Johane Matte
• Bill Plympton
• Dave Roman
• Israel Sanchez
• Rad Sechrist
• Kean Soo
• Yoko Tanaka
• Joey Weiser
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2006
About the author
Kazu Kibuishi
48 books3,231 followersKazu Kibuishi (born 1978) is an American graphic novel author and illustrator. He is best known for being the creator and editor of the comic anthology Flight and for creating the webcomic Copper. He has also written (drawn) the Amulet series. The webcomic artist and noted critic Scott McCloud has said that some of Kazu Kibuishi's work is so beautifully drawn that "it hurts my hands when I look at it".
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
January 1, 2008
I kind of wish there were a stronger pre-submission story screening process for these books, because they get a little bogged down with endless stories about kids playing, or kids and cute monsters playing, or cute monsters having adventures. The good stories, however, are very good, and the coloring is some of the best I've seen.
December 15, 2011
My enjoyment of the Flight antholigies is purely shallow: they're pretty. The writing varies wildly, as you get in a collection. But it's pretty to look at, and that, I think, is the point.
October 4, 2023
Least favorite so far. Vol 2 has been best.
April 15, 2014
As always, story collections are hard to rate overall. I will say that this one is probably the best collection from Kibuishi I've read yet. It felt much more focused on just one target audience with just a couple deviations. For the most part, this one is for the middle-grade/YA crowd, with more than normal for the middle-grade. But to do this justice, here are my individual story ratings.
“Underworld” by Gagné****
This is a wordless tale told through kiddy animation illustrations. A fox follows some butterflies down a strange hole, rescues a creature being tortured by a beast and is slain in the process. But the thankful creature has an incredible way of saying thanks to the fox .
I really liked the story. The animation style at times didn’t quite seem to fit with the gory content, but overall worked for the happy ending and noble heart of the fox.
Notes on content: No language or sexual content issues. When the beast and fox are slain it is a bit gory with lots of blood and weapons protruding from bodies.
“Old Oak Trees” by Cliff****
A lonely girl is so desperate for a friend she is willing to brave the woods where her older brothers say there’s a horrible girl-eating bear. She meets a fairy who takes her on a bear hunt and introduces her to all sorts of interesting inhabitants of the woods.
The twist in this story was fun and the illustration style quite fit the story. I liked the way all the forest creatures are dressed to the nines and talk like English gentry.
Notes on content: Two moderate to strong British swear words (which most other readers will miss). No sexual content. Violence is threatened, but nothing actually happens except someone gets a well-deserved flick.
“The Edge” by Hatke***
Two boys go exploring and come across a sign saying “The Edge of the World”. While debating the veracity of the sign, a strange old man appears claiming to be the guardian of the edge. He invites the boys in for supper, but they decide to explore the edge further instead and discover something quite surprising.
This one has the feel of a modernized fairy tale a la Hansel & Gretel. Only instead of being lured in by sweets, the two are lured in by curiosity. The illustrations matched the tone well and kept the story light when it could have come across very dark.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Violence is threatened but avoided.
“Beneath the Leaves: Lemming City” by Sechrist***
Three travelers are trying to find their way home after their airship crashed, and they stumble across the city of Utopia inhabited by lemmings. They soon find that Utopia is more of a dystopia, where the slightest deviation from the acceptable patterns is met with death sentences. The travelers just manage to avoid a horrible fate.
Summarizes just about every dystopian story out there, but stops short of leading the typical uprising. The illustration style is cartoon-ish and keeps the tone lighthearted and fits the easy ending of everything turning out just fine.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. A lemming falls down the steps and gets a bloody nose. The travelers are sentenced to death, but the execution fails (and no blood is involved).
“Hunter” by Matte****
A cat having fun stalking and catching birds gets quite the surprise when the duck it’s stalking turns out to be a bird of prey.
This story is told almost entirely through the facial expressions of the cat, and comes off quite humorous.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Some floating feathers are used to imply the consumption of birds, but that’s all the violence.
“Jellaby: the Tea Party” by Soo***
Portia and Jellaby are attempting to do something more girly by having a tea party. Jason joins them, but the tea party doesn’t last too long before all decide the tea party is boring and frog catching is more enticing.
A short, humorous look at trying to make someone act contrary to their natural tendencies. My favorite part was when Jellaby tried to eat ALL the cookies in one gulp before the party had officially started. Definitely one that would appeal to kids in art style and content.
Notes on content: No content issues.
“The Rescue” by Craven**
A boy and creature are racing through the woods in a chase.
It isn’t clear at first who is being pursued. The ending of this one confused me. There’s one frame when all of a sudden the boy has a bloody bandage on his hand and there’s no hint of where it came from. It doesn’t help that there are no words at all in this one. I think it could’ve used a couple more frames to make things more clear or some verbalization.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. There’s a bloody bandage on the boy’s arm in a couple frames, but no hint as to where the injury came from. The creature gets shot with tranq darts.
“The Lumbering Beast” by Weiser***
A little girl is “invited” (aka caught in a net) to a beast’s cave for a “casual dinner.” The captive soon takes over the situation and transforms the beast’s life. They have a misunderstanding, but soon fix it and come to a friendly truce.
This is one of those kids’ things that adults might laugh at more. The subtle humor of the beast’s “invite” and the resulting take over by the girl will undoubtedly keep kids entertained but some of the subtlety will be lost on them.
Notes on content: No content issues.
“Saturday” by Sanchez****
A toxic dump in the ocean creates a creature who stumbles into a big city, tries to figure out where to get some food, and how to make friends, only to accidently set the whole city ablaze and end up in majorly big trouble.
This is totally baby Godzilla redone for kids. Which is to say, it was fun and I liked it. This one was also wordless, but totally fine without the words.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. There is a girl in a bikini on the beach when the creature emerges, but she is not drawn provocatively. There’s some playground pushing, and the creature sets the bully’s pants on fire. Of course then the creature accidentally sets the rest of the city on fire too. No one seems actually hurt though.
“The Cloud” by Plympton***
A cloud won’t conform by only taking special shapes at night, and the other clouds decide something has to be done because it is drawing too much attention.
This is a myth-like tale with a touch of humor. The pastel drawings really fit the theme well. This one is still kid-friendly but from here on out it seems like the tales are directed more towards an older audience.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Do you consider it violence when two clouds squeeze the moisture out of a third? That and lightning are the only hints of violence.
“Earl D.” by Tanaka****
Earl D. and his assistant go out and test cafes to see if their espresso is up to par, if not, they leave a mark on the door.
I think I have several friends who’d like to take over Earl D.’s job if he ever retires. A humorous tale, illustrated in all browns and blacks giving it a classic black and white movie feel.
Notes on content: No content issues.
“Polaris” by Injejikian*
A girl who always floats wishes she were more like the rest of the kids. In a twist the rest of the kids all get technology, which allows them to float. Then there’s perpetual rain until the entire world is drowned and eventually the girl gets her wish and drowns as well.
The first part of this story was pretty normal and kid-friendly (it’s even drawn in a colorful cartoon-style). But the latter part where everyone dies, the girl’s mother drowns holding her hand and the girl gets her wish of drowning as well is startlingly dark and morbid.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. See the last paragraph about the death content/suicidal wishes.
“In Due Time” by Babra*
A man deals with changes and finding his place in the world while studying for a test.
This one was rather vague and a little harder to follow. It is drawn in a more adult/surreal-style with several dream sequences. It was weird.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. No violence, except a man shoving a bird in a toilet in a dream (like I said, weird). The man smokes, though he does admit he knows it is bad for him.
“The Iron Gate” by Kibuishi**
Two boys who are friends go from hunting animals in the woods to being soldiers in a war. The come across what they think is a friendly tank and are attacked. Neither live to walk away.
Again, this is one drawn in a kid-friendly cartoon style that turns a little macabre for kids. (Unless you want to give them a visual of the horrors of war.)
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Two men die from war wounds. Neither is overly graphically portrayed, but still harrowing.
“Message in a Bottle” by Guenoden****
An obviously distraught woman on a subway train is supposedly the victim of an attempted robbery. But it turns out .
I liked the clever twist in this and the message. The art style helps in making you ill prepared for the twist.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. A man tackles the thief, no other violence.
“So far so close” by Bannister**
A guy and a girl see each other across a bus and smile.
Not much plot. Looks like the opener to a romantic comedy or something.
Notes on content: No content issues.
“Voodoo” by Forsythe***
A whale is carried around by birds. He’s yelling at them (in Korean, which when translated roughly says “No! It’s too early!”) and they take him to a café for coffee.
There are plenty of Korean students in our school, so most students will have a friend who can translate this for them. I’m wondering what the average American makes of this, especially considering most of them won’t even recognize the whale’s language as Korean. (It is funnier once you understand the Korean.)
Notes on content: No content issues.
“Ad Astra” by Chuckbb**
A cat jumps around rock formations trailed by green ghostly cats. When a cliff gives way, it becomes clear the green things are the cat’s nine lives and one gets used up in the fall.
This would be a good one to test kids’ ability to “read” the pictures since there are no words. The story itself is extremely simplistic.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. One cat life used up in a fall, but it’s still got 8 more so it’s fine.
“Conquest” by Cloonan***
A picture into the final thoughts of a Viking warrior in his last battle.
Cloonan sums up the typical picture of a Viking warrior well. This is super brief and feels like it should be part of a larger story.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. There is a battle going on, but other than some spots of blood on the main character’s face no gore (though if you look close he has a sword and several arrows protruding from him).
“Tea” by Lodge***
A fox goes to get herbs from the woods to make tea for his sick mistress when a warlock appears and threatens to feed the fox to the birds unless he can solve a riddle. The fox doesn’t quite solve the riddle, but does still manage to come out on top .
Not quite how I expected this one to end, but it was satisfying.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. One bite that draws blood is shown, but nothing more.
“One Little Miracle for a Hungry Swarm” by Fuentes**
A being who hibernates an extremely long period of time wakes to discover she gave birth during hibernation. While her assistant goes off to find food, she accesses databanks to find out how to care for the little creature and epically fails.
This one was also rather weird and had some dark humor touches I’m guessing most readers won’t appreciate. I will give the artist points for great creativity in the creatures created.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Some creatures eat another creature.
“Wurmler of the West” by Harmon****
A dragon warrior with his faithful wurm faces his first real challenge, a flying dragon that is terrorizing a town.
A light dragon vs warrior tale that builds enough to feel like a satisfactory foray into the world of Wurmler. I think my students (and I) would like more tales of Wurmler’s adventures fighting evil dragons. The art doesn’t feel so cutesy it would only appeal to middle grade. I can see teens reading this with no shame too.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. One severed limb, but it isn’t portrayed gorily.
“The Brave Sea” by Hamaker***
A young seal is heartbroken when he finds that the elders warn him not to go to the drop off because that’s where the sharks catch and eat seals. He wants to do something. While brainstorming, he comes across a killer whale tied up in a net. He sets the killer whale free, and that good deed comes in very handy in scaring off the sharks for good.
This is pretty much a retelling of Aesop’s “Lion and the Mouse” fable but with sea creatures instead. Which I actually haven’t seen before, strangely enough, so I found it creative and a refreshing new twist on the old tale.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. There is blood in the water at one point hinting at the death of a seal, and the young seal finds seal bones off of the drop off. No real violence on page.
“The Great Bunny Migration” by Roman****
This is a tale of the Great Bunny Migration. Bunnies used to live on another planet and had the corner on the market for milkshakes. But the birds decided to take over, first by abducting the milk source and then taking over the planet. The entire population went into a huge depression following the milkshake shortage and the bunnies were losing hope. But a friendly star came up with a way to help the bunnies emigrate and get a new start in the Milky Way (since it had plenty of milk).
This is one the kids will find hilarious, and the adults will probably simultaneously smile and roll their eyes at (due to the pun-related humor). (Though, I can definitely see how planet-wide milkshake shortage would spark a horrible depression.) It was fun, slightly ridiculous, and delightful.
Notes on content: No issues.
“Snowcap” by Armstrong****
A girl taps a strange egg and inadvertently bonds with a rather strange, fluffy (and slightly annoying) creature.
This is another good one for kids to “read” the pictures since there are no words and the girl’s face tells loads of the story. It is a touch humorous, a little bit touching, and cute.
Notes on content: No issues.
“Lala and the Bean” by Le***
Lala plants a bean and gets quite the results.
A extra-fanciful reimagining of part of the Jack and the Beanstalk story. This one is super short, but I guarantee you’ve never quite seen a beanstalk like this one. It looks like it overdosed on rainbows, glitter, and 2 tons of sugar.
Notes on content: No issues.
“Underworld” by Gagné****
This is a wordless tale told through kiddy animation illustrations. A fox follows some butterflies down a strange hole, rescues a creature being tortured by a beast and is slain in the process. But the thankful creature has an incredible way of saying thanks to the fox .
I really liked the story. The animation style at times didn’t quite seem to fit with the gory content, but overall worked for the happy ending and noble heart of the fox.
Notes on content: No language or sexual content issues. When the beast and fox are slain it is a bit gory with lots of blood and weapons protruding from bodies.
“Old Oak Trees” by Cliff****
A lonely girl is so desperate for a friend she is willing to brave the woods where her older brothers say there’s a horrible girl-eating bear. She meets a fairy who takes her on a bear hunt and introduces her to all sorts of interesting inhabitants of the woods.
The twist in this story was fun and the illustration style quite fit the story. I liked the way all the forest creatures are dressed to the nines and talk like English gentry.
Notes on content: Two moderate to strong British swear words (which most other readers will miss). No sexual content. Violence is threatened, but nothing actually happens except someone gets a well-deserved flick.
“The Edge” by Hatke***
Two boys go exploring and come across a sign saying “The Edge of the World”. While debating the veracity of the sign, a strange old man appears claiming to be the guardian of the edge. He invites the boys in for supper, but they decide to explore the edge further instead and discover something quite surprising.
This one has the feel of a modernized fairy tale a la Hansel & Gretel. Only instead of being lured in by sweets, the two are lured in by curiosity. The illustrations matched the tone well and kept the story light when it could have come across very dark.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Violence is threatened but avoided.
“Beneath the Leaves: Lemming City” by Sechrist***
Three travelers are trying to find their way home after their airship crashed, and they stumble across the city of Utopia inhabited by lemmings. They soon find that Utopia is more of a dystopia, where the slightest deviation from the acceptable patterns is met with death sentences. The travelers just manage to avoid a horrible fate.
Summarizes just about every dystopian story out there, but stops short of leading the typical uprising. The illustration style is cartoon-ish and keeps the tone lighthearted and fits the easy ending of everything turning out just fine.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. A lemming falls down the steps and gets a bloody nose. The travelers are sentenced to death, but the execution fails (and no blood is involved).
“Hunter” by Matte****
A cat having fun stalking and catching birds gets quite the surprise when the duck it’s stalking turns out to be a bird of prey.
This story is told almost entirely through the facial expressions of the cat, and comes off quite humorous.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Some floating feathers are used to imply the consumption of birds, but that’s all the violence.
“Jellaby: the Tea Party” by Soo***
Portia and Jellaby are attempting to do something more girly by having a tea party. Jason joins them, but the tea party doesn’t last too long before all decide the tea party is boring and frog catching is more enticing.
A short, humorous look at trying to make someone act contrary to their natural tendencies. My favorite part was when Jellaby tried to eat ALL the cookies in one gulp before the party had officially started. Definitely one that would appeal to kids in art style and content.
Notes on content: No content issues.
“The Rescue” by Craven**
A boy and creature are racing through the woods in a chase.
It isn’t clear at first who is being pursued. The ending of this one confused me. There’s one frame when all of a sudden the boy has a bloody bandage on his hand and there’s no hint of where it came from. It doesn’t help that there are no words at all in this one. I think it could’ve used a couple more frames to make things more clear or some verbalization.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. There’s a bloody bandage on the boy’s arm in a couple frames, but no hint as to where the injury came from. The creature gets shot with tranq darts.
“The Lumbering Beast” by Weiser***
A little girl is “invited” (aka caught in a net) to a beast’s cave for a “casual dinner.” The captive soon takes over the situation and transforms the beast’s life. They have a misunderstanding, but soon fix it and come to a friendly truce.
This is one of those kids’ things that adults might laugh at more. The subtle humor of the beast’s “invite” and the resulting take over by the girl will undoubtedly keep kids entertained but some of the subtlety will be lost on them.
Notes on content: No content issues.
“Saturday” by Sanchez****
A toxic dump in the ocean creates a creature who stumbles into a big city, tries to figure out where to get some food, and how to make friends, only to accidently set the whole city ablaze and end up in majorly big trouble.
This is totally baby Godzilla redone for kids. Which is to say, it was fun and I liked it. This one was also wordless, but totally fine without the words.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. There is a girl in a bikini on the beach when the creature emerges, but she is not drawn provocatively. There’s some playground pushing, and the creature sets the bully’s pants on fire. Of course then the creature accidentally sets the rest of the city on fire too. No one seems actually hurt though.
“The Cloud” by Plympton***
A cloud won’t conform by only taking special shapes at night, and the other clouds decide something has to be done because it is drawing too much attention.
This is a myth-like tale with a touch of humor. The pastel drawings really fit the theme well. This one is still kid-friendly but from here on out it seems like the tales are directed more towards an older audience.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Do you consider it violence when two clouds squeeze the moisture out of a third? That and lightning are the only hints of violence.
“Earl D.” by Tanaka****
Earl D. and his assistant go out and test cafes to see if their espresso is up to par, if not, they leave a mark on the door.
I think I have several friends who’d like to take over Earl D.’s job if he ever retires. A humorous tale, illustrated in all browns and blacks giving it a classic black and white movie feel.
Notes on content: No content issues.
“Polaris” by Injejikian*
A girl who always floats wishes she were more like the rest of the kids. In a twist the rest of the kids all get technology, which allows them to float. Then there’s perpetual rain until the entire world is drowned and eventually the girl gets her wish and drowns as well.
The first part of this story was pretty normal and kid-friendly (it’s even drawn in a colorful cartoon-style). But the latter part where everyone dies, the girl’s mother drowns holding her hand and the girl gets her wish of drowning as well is startlingly dark and morbid.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. See the last paragraph about the death content/suicidal wishes.
“In Due Time” by Babra*
A man deals with changes and finding his place in the world while studying for a test.
This one was rather vague and a little harder to follow. It is drawn in a more adult/surreal-style with several dream sequences. It was weird.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. No violence, except a man shoving a bird in a toilet in a dream (like I said, weird). The man smokes, though he does admit he knows it is bad for him.
“The Iron Gate” by Kibuishi**
Two boys who are friends go from hunting animals in the woods to being soldiers in a war. The come across what they think is a friendly tank and are attacked. Neither live to walk away.
Again, this is one drawn in a kid-friendly cartoon style that turns a little macabre for kids. (Unless you want to give them a visual of the horrors of war.)
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Two men die from war wounds. Neither is overly graphically portrayed, but still harrowing.
“Message in a Bottle” by Guenoden****
An obviously distraught woman on a subway train is supposedly the victim of an attempted robbery. But it turns out .
I liked the clever twist in this and the message. The art style helps in making you ill prepared for the twist.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. A man tackles the thief, no other violence.
“So far so close” by Bannister**
A guy and a girl see each other across a bus and smile.
Not much plot. Looks like the opener to a romantic comedy or something.
Notes on content: No content issues.
“Voodoo” by Forsythe***
A whale is carried around by birds. He’s yelling at them (in Korean, which when translated roughly says “No! It’s too early!”) and they take him to a café for coffee.
There are plenty of Korean students in our school, so most students will have a friend who can translate this for them. I’m wondering what the average American makes of this, especially considering most of them won’t even recognize the whale’s language as Korean. (It is funnier once you understand the Korean.)
Notes on content: No content issues.
“Ad Astra” by Chuckbb**
A cat jumps around rock formations trailed by green ghostly cats. When a cliff gives way, it becomes clear the green things are the cat’s nine lives and one gets used up in the fall.
This would be a good one to test kids’ ability to “read” the pictures since there are no words. The story itself is extremely simplistic.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. One cat life used up in a fall, but it’s still got 8 more so it’s fine.
“Conquest” by Cloonan***
A picture into the final thoughts of a Viking warrior in his last battle.
Cloonan sums up the typical picture of a Viking warrior well. This is super brief and feels like it should be part of a larger story.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. There is a battle going on, but other than some spots of blood on the main character’s face no gore (though if you look close he has a sword and several arrows protruding from him).
“Tea” by Lodge***
A fox goes to get herbs from the woods to make tea for his sick mistress when a warlock appears and threatens to feed the fox to the birds unless he can solve a riddle. The fox doesn’t quite solve the riddle, but does still manage to come out on top .
Not quite how I expected this one to end, but it was satisfying.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. One bite that draws blood is shown, but nothing more.
“One Little Miracle for a Hungry Swarm” by Fuentes**
A being who hibernates an extremely long period of time wakes to discover she gave birth during hibernation. While her assistant goes off to find food, she accesses databanks to find out how to care for the little creature and epically fails.
This one was also rather weird and had some dark humor touches I’m guessing most readers won’t appreciate. I will give the artist points for great creativity in the creatures created.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Some creatures eat another creature.
“Wurmler of the West” by Harmon****
A dragon warrior with his faithful wurm faces his first real challenge, a flying dragon that is terrorizing a town.
A light dragon vs warrior tale that builds enough to feel like a satisfactory foray into the world of Wurmler. I think my students (and I) would like more tales of Wurmler’s adventures fighting evil dragons. The art doesn’t feel so cutesy it would only appeal to middle grade. I can see teens reading this with no shame too.
Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. One severed limb, but it isn’t portrayed gorily.
“The Brave Sea” by Hamaker***
A young seal is heartbroken when he finds that the elders warn him not to go to the drop off because that’s where the sharks catch and eat seals. He wants to do something. While brainstorming, he comes across a killer whale tied up in a net. He sets the killer whale free, and that good deed comes in very handy in scaring off the sharks for good.
This is pretty much a retelling of Aesop’s “Lion and the Mouse” fable but with sea creatures instead. Which I actually haven’t seen before, strangely enough, so I found it creative and a refreshing new twist on the old tale.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. There is blood in the water at one point hinting at the death of a seal, and the young seal finds seal bones off of the drop off. No real violence on page.
“The Great Bunny Migration” by Roman****
This is a tale of the Great Bunny Migration. Bunnies used to live on another planet and had the corner on the market for milkshakes. But the birds decided to take over, first by abducting the milk source and then taking over the planet. The entire population went into a huge depression following the milkshake shortage and the bunnies were losing hope. But a friendly star came up with a way to help the bunnies emigrate and get a new start in the Milky Way (since it had plenty of milk).
This is one the kids will find hilarious, and the adults will probably simultaneously smile and roll their eyes at (due to the pun-related humor). (Though, I can definitely see how planet-wide milkshake shortage would spark a horrible depression.) It was fun, slightly ridiculous, and delightful.
Notes on content: No issues.
“Snowcap” by Armstrong****
A girl taps a strange egg and inadvertently bonds with a rather strange, fluffy (and slightly annoying) creature.
This is another good one for kids to “read” the pictures since there are no words and the girl’s face tells loads of the story. It is a touch humorous, a little bit touching, and cute.
Notes on content: No issues.
“Lala and the Bean” by Le***
Lala plants a bean and gets quite the results.
A extra-fanciful reimagining of part of the Jack and the Beanstalk story. This one is super short, but I guarantee you’ve never quite seen a beanstalk like this one. It looks like it overdosed on rainbows, glitter, and 2 tons of sugar.
Notes on content: No issues.
May 5, 2014
Another library pick-up. I'm screening these stories before my kids read them, and am 2/3 of the way through with only one found to be inappropriate (though that's in the eye of the beholder... I didn't like the violence implicit in a story which compared two bratty kids playing war in a forest with the real-life consequences of the fantasy-made-real). But there is lots in this book of short stories to savor and enjoy and the art -- like the storytelling -- is generally vivid, intricate, and stylistically diverse. My faves so far are (1) an all-visual tale of a kid taken for a subway thug who,; and (2) the story of 2 kids trying to housebreak a monster to a literal tea-party
This is for the most part a terrific follow-up to "Little Lit: Strange Stories for Weird Children," albeit with occasional fountain pen, watercolor, and oil-based renderings in lieu of traditional inking/printing. That's saying a lot, considering that "Little Lit" features the work of such luminaries as Crockett Johnson and Jules Feiffer.
One last thing. I don't share the taste of those who rhapsodize over the "Polaris" story. I don't get the profundity of a fable about an unjustly outcast girl whose prayers of suicide (following lengthy personal suffering) are finally answered. The matter-of-fact style doesn't hide for me a story that is just unrelentingly sad in the telling, without being tragic (the girl is a victim only, not one whose actions result in irreparable loss). For me, this is cruel rather than sublime.
This is for the most part a terrific follow-up to "Little Lit: Strange Stories for Weird Children," albeit with occasional fountain pen, watercolor, and oil-based renderings in lieu of traditional inking/printing. That's saying a lot, considering that "Little Lit" features the work of such luminaries as Crockett Johnson and Jules Feiffer.
One last thing. I don't share the taste of those who rhapsodize over the "Polaris" story. I don't get the profundity of a fable about an unjustly outcast girl whose prayers of suicide (following lengthy personal suffering) are finally answered. The matter-of-fact style doesn't hide for me a story that is just unrelentingly sad in the telling, without being tragic (the girl is a victim only, not one whose actions result in irreparable loss). For me, this is cruel rather than sublime.
March 6, 2009
Letdown... coming in for a crash landing perhaps. I don't know what happened here. The first volume was exceptional, the second very good, and the third... pretty much forgettable all the way through. There's a good Bill Plympton story (actually my favorite thing of his i've yet seen... his animated stuff tending to drag on and bother too much with weird for weird's sake), and a pretty good fairy tale, but that's about it. Most of the stories seem to wind up going nowhere, and not doing so in an interesting way. I feel like a lot of them just fall short of the mark that I was hoping they were aiming for. Shlock horror and clumsy morality tales abound, as do apparent excuses to draw some cool panels without bothering to really give them footing. The first volume centered around the idea of flight... sadly I think this volume was its come down.
Maybe I was in a bit of an overcritical mood being tired, and frustrated from mucking up some knitting and haveing to go back and repair... but I think a good collection would have raised me out of that...
Maybe I was in a bit of an overcritical mood being tired, and frustrated from mucking up some knitting and haveing to go back and repair... but I think a good collection would have raised me out of that...
June 2, 2011
Of a very good series, this one is the best yet. This one focuses on longer stories, and doesn't have any really wasted space. None of the stories are lame, even if they weren't particularly a style I enjoy. The best: Lemming City, The Rescue, and Snow Cap. The inclusion of the bizarre One Little Miracle for a Hungry Swarm was also a nice touch.
January 17, 2013
I love these anthologies! They have such beautiful artwork and simple but powerful stories. Definitely my favorite "series" even though they aren't connected in any kind of chronological way. I tend to like the ornate, cartoon style stories better than the more realistic ones. This was my favorite volume yet!
July 3, 2012
My favorite of the series so far. The intended audience seemed to have skewed younger. Volumes 1 and 2 were clearly adult/young adult, though there were always a few middle grade-appropriate stories. This one has many middle grade, though a few others would make me hesitant to have it in my classroom. Which is too bad, because the MG stories are pretty fun.
April 10, 2008
This graphic novel is a beautiful collection of short pieces from various artists. This book fascinated and enchanted me with its many fables, and Kazu Kibuishi has done an amazing job as editor. I'll definitely be looking into the previous and following volumes.
April 5, 2009
The Flight series of graphic novels is by far one of my most favorite around.
A collection of short stores, all written and inked by up and coming (as well as some well established) artists, that all somehow tie into the theme of "flight".
A collection of short stores, all written and inked by up and coming (as well as some well established) artists, that all somehow tie into the theme of "flight".
January 18, 2011
I'd give it 3.5 if I could. Far from life-changing, but quite enjoyable. I think my favorite might have been the one about the little girl and the fairy. (And now I can't remember what it was called, dagnabbit!)
June 15, 2016
This book is a graphic novel split into 26 short stories. Each story is illustrated differently and written by different authors. Each new story is unique and fresh. The book comes off as childish,,but it is also quite thought-provoking. This book is a quick read and easy to get lost in.
August 23, 2008
Again, not much into graphic novels but this series was diverting and often fun.
August 22, 2011
More good stuff. These are all excellent, excellent graphic story collections. Mr. Kibuishi has tracked down amazing talent, and most are good storytellers, too.
April 1, 2014
Beautiful illustration as always. This one had more darker stories that were sort of unsettling. Overall, still a great volume!
September 24, 2018
Well, it seems this is the best anthology so far... There are some quite good stories. Let's start with my list.
Underworld by Michel Gagné: ★★
I don't know why I read the Flight volumes out of order. It didn't do any good to poor Gagné: I still can't understand where he wants to go with his stories. I love the art but the story - a silent one - still leaves me baffled. I should buy his book...
Old Oak Trees by Tony Cliff: ★★★
I love Delilah Dirk and I was kind of curious about this short stories. I's nice but the artwork is even better.
The Edge by Ben Hatke: ★★★
I usually love Ben Hatke's coloring: his greens are fantastic! This story has a nice turning point but the art is a bit too simple for my liking. Still a good one, though.
Beneath the Leaves: Lemming City by Rad Sechrist: ★★★
Interesting concept and good art. A dystopian society among animals.
Hunter by Johane Matte: ★★★
Love the color, don't like the art that much, very good ending!
Jellaby: The Tea Party by Kean Soo: ★★
Uhm, kind of OK art and OK story.
The Rescue by Phil Craven: ★★★
A bit too brownish but the story is quite engaging.
The Lumbering Beast by Joey Weiser: ★★
Meh. Nice message but... I don't know... I don't like it. Don't like the art, as well.
Saturday by Israel Sanchez: ★★
Cute, but I didn't get the ending.
The Cloud by Bill Plympton: ★★★
Amazing pastel drawing and nice story.
Earl D. by Yoko Tanaka: ★★
The art is really good but I didn't like the story.
Polaris by Azad Injejikian: ★★★★★
That's probably the saddest short stories I've ever read. Beautiful.
In Due Time by Neil Babra: ★
Don't like the art. Didn't understand the story.
The Iron Gate by Kazu Kibuishi: ★★
I usually like Kibuishi's way of drawing but his stories... They're not for me. I think I understood this one but... SIGH!
Message in a Bottle by Rodolphe Guenoden: ★★★★
The power of stereotypes... Extremely current.
So Far, So Close by Bannister: ★★★
Very sweet. Two people meeting on a bus.
Voodoo by Matthew Forsythe: ★
Weird. Don't like the art.
Ad Astra by Chuck BB: ★
Meh. A cat losing its nine lives.
Conquest by Becky Cloonan: ★
The art may be amazing but it's too short to decide. Didn't get the meaning of it.
Tea by Reagan Lodge: ★★★
Very personal art and nice story.
One Little Miracle for a Hungry Swarm by Alex Fuentes: ★
The art is beautiful; the story is not. Almost disgusting, I'd say. BLEAH!
Wurmler of the West by Paul Harmon: ★★★
Nice story of a warrior defeating a dragon.
The Brave Sea by Steva Hamaker: ★★★
Seals, sharks and a killer whale. I love fish (and seals, of course)!
The Great Bunny Migration by Dave Roman: ★★
Meh, didn't like the art but the story is OK.
Snow Cap by Matthew S. Armstrong: ★★★★
I love the art, not so much the plot. But guys, the art is so good!
Lala and the Bean by Khang Le: ★★
Meh. Short and painless.
So, I don't want to do the math right now but this is a solid three-star anthology.
Underworld by Michel Gagné: ★★
I don't know why I read the Flight volumes out of order. It didn't do any good to poor Gagné: I still can't understand where he wants to go with his stories. I love the art but the story - a silent one - still leaves me baffled. I should buy his book...
Old Oak Trees by Tony Cliff: ★★★
I love Delilah Dirk and I was kind of curious about this short stories. I's nice but the artwork is even better.
The Edge by Ben Hatke: ★★★
I usually love Ben Hatke's coloring: his greens are fantastic! This story has a nice turning point but the art is a bit too simple for my liking. Still a good one, though.
Beneath the Leaves: Lemming City by Rad Sechrist: ★★★
Interesting concept and good art. A dystopian society among animals.
Hunter by Johane Matte: ★★★
Love the color, don't like the art that much, very good ending!
Jellaby: The Tea Party by Kean Soo: ★★
Uhm, kind of OK art and OK story.
The Rescue by Phil Craven: ★★★
A bit too brownish but the story is quite engaging.
The Lumbering Beast by Joey Weiser: ★★
Meh. Nice message but... I don't know... I don't like it. Don't like the art, as well.
Saturday by Israel Sanchez: ★★
Cute, but I didn't get the ending.
The Cloud by Bill Plympton: ★★★
Amazing pastel drawing and nice story.
Earl D. by Yoko Tanaka: ★★
The art is really good but I didn't like the story.
Polaris by Azad Injejikian: ★★★★★
That's probably the saddest short stories I've ever read. Beautiful.
In Due Time by Neil Babra: ★
Don't like the art. Didn't understand the story.
The Iron Gate by Kazu Kibuishi: ★★
I usually like Kibuishi's way of drawing but his stories... They're not for me. I think I understood this one but... SIGH!
Message in a Bottle by Rodolphe Guenoden: ★★★★
The power of stereotypes... Extremely current.
So Far, So Close by Bannister: ★★★
Very sweet. Two people meeting on a bus.
Voodoo by Matthew Forsythe: ★
Weird. Don't like the art.
Ad Astra by Chuck BB: ★
Meh. A cat losing its nine lives.
Conquest by Becky Cloonan: ★
The art may be amazing but it's too short to decide. Didn't get the meaning of it.
Tea by Reagan Lodge: ★★★
Very personal art and nice story.
One Little Miracle for a Hungry Swarm by Alex Fuentes: ★
The art is beautiful; the story is not. Almost disgusting, I'd say. BLEAH!
Wurmler of the West by Paul Harmon: ★★★
Nice story of a warrior defeating a dragon.
The Brave Sea by Steva Hamaker: ★★★
Seals, sharks and a killer whale. I love fish (and seals, of course)!
The Great Bunny Migration by Dave Roman: ★★
Meh, didn't like the art but the story is OK.
Snow Cap by Matthew S. Armstrong: ★★★★
I love the art, not so much the plot. But guys, the art is so good!
Lala and the Bean by Khang Le: ★★
Meh. Short and painless.
So, I don't want to do the math right now but this is a solid three-star anthology.
September 12, 2018
The “Flight” anthologies are always nice little showcases for established and emerging comic artists. Though they may not all be strong across the board, the highs usually outnumber the lows. However, this third volume, overall, was kinda flat. I don’t know if there was a theme for the stories - if there was I definitely couldn’t decipher it - but this collection was crammed full of cute little kids, cuter monsters, and a healthy dose of fantasy. There was a consistent “young” vibe throughout the book so some of the stories kind of meshed together in a blurry sort of way, but that let some of the more unique pieces stand out that much more.
FAVORITES:
“Underworld” by Michael Gagne - A wordless story about a brave little fox who discovers a subterranean world being menaced by a frightening monster.
“The Edge” by Ben Hatke - The creator of “Zita The Spacegirl” and “Mighty Jack” tackles a story about two friends who find danger at the so-called Edge Of The World.
“The Rescue” by Phil Craven - A beautiful, affecting, and (again) wordless tale about a little boy trying to protect a misunderstood creature from the real enemy.
FAVORITES:
“Underworld” by Michael Gagne - A wordless story about a brave little fox who discovers a subterranean world being menaced by a frightening monster.
“The Edge” by Ben Hatke - The creator of “Zita The Spacegirl” and “Mighty Jack” tackles a story about two friends who find danger at the so-called Edge Of The World.
“The Rescue” by Phil Craven - A beautiful, affecting, and (again) wordless tale about a little boy trying to protect a misunderstood creature from the real enemy.
February 8, 2019
After reading later books in the series, I stepped back to this one. It seems a bit more childlike, which is okay. But in the middle of the book, I thought "Message in a Bottle" was blatantly racist. A review here says that the black "thief" put the smiley face in the girl's purse rather than trying to steal the purse. I see now that that's what happened, but didn't see it while reading the story. If the writer was trying to send an anti-racism message saying don't assume a black youth is a thief, it was lost. You don't reach into a stranger's purse under any normal circumstance, and I can't imagine anyone, especially a black youth in a subway car full of white people, doing that. If he wanted to help her feel happier, why wouldn't he just hand it to her?
Anyway, that story ruined the book for me.
Anyway, that story ruined the book for me.
March 2, 2021
Gosh. The artwork is amazing -- some use people, some anthropomorphic animals, and sometimes it's swirling colors and lights. Each story packs a punch, but the punches are often really harsh! So since I don't want grim nihilism in my comic fare, I was not pleased. But if you are more open to non-happy ending and you like good graphic short stories -- this is a great book.
Here is an example of what got me down: One story involved a little girl born with an amazing power. But the kids at school make fun of her which is sad. Then there is a disaster, and she and her mom flee but no one will help them because they hate the little girl. The mom dies, and then everyone else dies, and then the girl dies. The end!
Occasionally some one survives. Or maybe gets reborn. But man, don't count on it. Again, great stories, great art, and I can't handle it.
Here is an example of what got me down: One story involved a little girl born with an amazing power. But the kids at school make fun of her which is sad. Then there is a disaster, and she and her mom flee but no one will help them because they hate the little girl. The mom dies, and then everyone else dies, and then the girl dies. The end!
Occasionally some one survives. Or maybe gets reborn. But man, don't count on it. Again, great stories, great art, and I can't handle it.
December 7, 2018
A lot of silent comics here. So this should be a quick read. You can tell that this was produced by people who really love their craft. A decent anthology in my opinion. Certainly orders of magnitude higher than the likes of Mome.
Underworld, a strong opening. Cloud was a beautiful story about a rebel cloud. Sweet twist at the end. Beneath The Leaves had a ‘Bone’ Vibe to it. Gorgeous art with fun characters. I’m very much interested to see what happens next.
There were some lame ones though. Sad Astra, The Lumbering Beast and Conquest were pointless. Voodoo was ridiculously abstract. Not to mention ‘In Due Time’. Now, that piece was just all over the place.
I can’t help but notice the declining quality as we progressively move towards the end of the book.
Underworld, a strong opening. Cloud was a beautiful story about a rebel cloud. Sweet twist at the end. Beneath The Leaves had a ‘Bone’ Vibe to it. Gorgeous art with fun characters. I’m very much interested to see what happens next.
There were some lame ones though. Sad Astra, The Lumbering Beast and Conquest were pointless. Voodoo was ridiculously abstract. Not to mention ‘In Due Time’. Now, that piece was just all over the place.
I can’t help but notice the declining quality as we progressively move towards the end of the book.
September 16, 2021
Beautiful. Enjoyed the first half more than the last. I was thinking as I read through it that this is something my young readers (7&9) would enjoy. However, there were 1 or 2 that had some young/new adult frames (death & bloody heads). All in all, a great collection. A few of the weaker stories could’ve been left out. Only 1 I ended up skipping. I already purchase several other volumes of Flight.
Currently, quarantining with COVID, so it’s a good time to burn through some of these.
Currently, quarantining with COVID, so it’s a good time to burn through some of these.
December 20, 2016
I loved this collection of graphic novel short stories. The art is beautiful and most of the stories are really well done.
My favorites were:
Old Oak Trees by Tony Cliff
Beneath the Leaves ("Lemming City") by Rad Sechrist
The Rescue by Phil Craven (thought about this one a lot!)
Snow Cap by Matthew S. Armstrong
My favorites were:
Old Oak Trees by Tony Cliff
Beneath the Leaves ("Lemming City") by Rad Sechrist
The Rescue by Phil Craven (thought about this one a lot!)
Snow Cap by Matthew S. Armstrong
February 18, 2018
My top 5 of the 26 stories in this volume:
1. Polaris by Azad Injejikian
2. Beneath the Leaves: Lemming City by Rad Sechrist
3. The Rescue by Phil Craven
4. One Little Miracle for a Hungry Swarm by Alex Fuentes
5. Message in a Bottle by Rodolphe Guenoden
1. Polaris by Azad Injejikian
2. Beneath the Leaves: Lemming City by Rad Sechrist
3. The Rescue by Phil Craven
4. One Little Miracle for a Hungry Swarm by Alex Fuentes
5. Message in a Bottle by Rodolphe Guenoden
April 13, 2018
This book is quite amazing. It holds the thoughts and ideas of so many authors! Some are a little dark than others and can sometimes really touch your heart and think what you might have done in those situations.
August 14, 2018
Some of these were really strange compared to the other volumes. I don't know if I liked that or if I loved it. It certainly had me wondering who the audience is supposed to be...or if the cartoonists were just having a good time.
October 16, 2017
Excellent collection of short stories. Some very heart-warming ones as well.
July 7, 2018
Another good volume.
September 14, 2018
Ugh, male comic book writers.
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