Flight Vol. 2 by Kazu Kibuishi

Name: Caitlin

Grade: 12+

Book: Flight Vol. 2

Author: There are many authors in this book, but it is edited by Kazu Kibuishi

Lately, I've been on a huge graphic novel/comic book kick; while I was browsing the shelves I noticed that there was a pretty large chunk of the graphic novel section dedicated to the Flight novels. These books are compilations of many up and coming graphic artists and writers, edited and brought together by Kazu Kibuishi.

What makes these graphic novels so unique is how so many different types of stories and art styles are brought together in one place. Even for the differences of art and varying types of stories, one thing can be said about the entire novel put together; it's beautiful. The opening story of Flight Vol. 2 is about a fox that lives alone on a barren planet, but soon the fox encounters a beautiful ball of light that transforms into all kinds of forms, including a pretty purple fox. The story ends in just a few pages, but the ending still leaves the reader feeling warm and fuzzy inside, or at least it did for me.

In a completely different change of pace from an adorable story about foxes, there are sections with quirky, rectangle shaped creatures setting up a party, robots, ordinary people going on extraordinary adventures, and many more. No story is even remotely the same, but all of them are wonderful for what they are.

The uniqueness of these stories makes the novel very interesting because no one knows what kind of story will be up next; it's also different from many other graphic novels because these are all short, compact stories as opposed to one long one. That was definitely different for me because I'm not used to reading so many different stories in one novel, but I'm glad that I read it because there's nothing else like it. The graphic novel universe seemed to be lacking any kind of compilations that showcase artists in big numbers. The introduction of Flight was really something that the graphic novel scene needed; it's a brilliant way to introduce people to the world of graphic novels and it has really made a wonderful impact on readers.

Why I Picked Up the Book: It looked promising and the cover was really cool :)

Why I finished it: It was a fast read, but it was hard to put it down.

I'd give this book to: Anyone who wants to start reading graphic novels, but maybe hasn't before. It's a really good showcase of what graphic novels and comic books can offer readers.

My rating for this book: *****