Synopses & Reviews
Seven clever stories answer one simple question: whatandrsquo;s in the box?
Funny, fantastic, spooky, and suspenseful, each of these unique and beautifully illustrated short graphic works revolves around a central theme: a mysterious box and the marvelsandmdash;or mayhemandmdash;inside. Artists include middle school favorites Kazu Kibuishi, Raina Telgemeier (Smile), and Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy), as well as Jason Caffoe, Stuart Livingston, Johane Matte, Rad Sechrist (all contributors to the groundbreaking comics anthology series Flight), and upcoming artist Emily Carroll.
Praise for Explorer: Mystery Boxes
STARRED REVIEW
andquot;An outstanding out-of-the box anthology from renowned comics veteran Kibuishi. With eye-popping full-color art and palettes ranging from candy-colored to ethereal earth tones, this is both a visual feast for the eyes and a healthy helping of thought for the soul. Superb.andrdquo;
andndash;Kirkus Reviews, starred review
STARRED REVIEW
andquot;Coherent for all its variety, there will be something here for most readers.andquot;
andndash;School Library Journal, starred review
andquot;This standout anthology will leave its audience with a fresh appetite for more from both the series and the individual contributors.andquot;
andndash;The Horn Book
andquot;Award-winning comics creator and editor of the celebrated Flight anthologies, Kibuishi offers yet another great anthology geared toward middle-school readers. Always clever and never boring, these diverse stories run the gamut from creepy to sarcastic to witty to cute to Zen to wacky to thoughtful. While the pieces feature different artists and styles, each one is complete and so well composed that the transitions from one to another do not seem jarring or out of place. A great introductory title for young or struggling middleschool readers starting to explore the world of graphic novels.andquot;
andndash;Booklist
Review
"Regardless of where it's shelved, this book belongs in every library." Library Journal
Synopsis
Originally published by Image Comics, these first two volumes of Kibuishi's phenomenal Flight graphic novel series contain sumptuous, full-color graphic short stories by some of the hottest artists in the genre, including Bengal, Jake Parker, and Vera Brosgal.
Synopsis
Originally published by Image Comics in 2004,
Flight: Volume One launched this graphic novel series with a resounding bang. Since then the
Flight series has steadily increased in popularity and now all of the
Flight backlist will be coming to Villard!
Flight: Volume One received a great boost when graphic novel hero Scott McCloud praised the quality and artistry of the book in an afterward entitled "The Year Comics Took Flight." Little could readers know at the time how prosaic McCloud's words would prove to be.
Authors included in Flight: Volume One are: Bengal, Bill Mudron, Catia Chen, Chris Appelhans, Clio Chang, Derek Kirk Kim, Dylan Meconis, Enrico Casarosa, Erika Moen, Hope Larson, Jacob Megraw-Mickelson, Jake Parker, Jen Wang, Joel Carroll, Kazu Kibuishi, Khang Lee, Neil Babra, Philip Craven, Rad Sechrist, and Vera Brosgol.
About the Author
Kazu Kibuishi was 24 years old and working full-time in the animation industry when he began developing the idea of doing Flight. He began contacting his friends in the animation, comics, and graphic novel world to see if they would want to join the project. Little did he know that it would draw him into comics full-time. He now works from his home studio in Pasadena, California, creating and promoting Flight and his popular young adult comic Daisy Kutter, which was nominated as an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults -- the only graphic novel on the list in 2005.