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Cuckoo
Dorothy Weaver is an anxious 19-year old still living at home with her mother and failing a vocational art course when memories of a mysterious childhood event start resurfacing. Something about a meteor in the garden… Now, she and others have begun manifesting strange powers.
Are these powers a gift or a curse? Psychic phenomenon or mass delusion? Either way, Dorothy is changing - but into what?
224 pages, full colour, perfect-bound with French-flap, spot-gloss cover
"In Cuckoo, coming-of-age anxieties and reality bending superpowers feel equally believable, thanks to an attention to detail which makes the fantastical feel utterly relatable. Joe Sparrow has given us a personal and touching portrait of a young person on the brink of adulthood, with some of the tightest and most spectacular cartooning you're ever likely to see." Luke Pearson, author of the Hilda comics
Are these powers a gift or a curse? Psychic phenomenon or mass delusion? Either way, Dorothy is changing - but into what?
224 pages, full colour, perfect-bound with French-flap, spot-gloss cover
"In Cuckoo, coming-of-age anxieties and reality bending superpowers feel equally believable, thanks to an attention to detail which makes the fantastical feel utterly relatable. Joe Sparrow has given us a personal and touching portrait of a young person on the brink of adulthood, with some of the tightest and most spectacular cartooning you're ever likely to see." Luke Pearson, author of the Hilda comics
224 pages, Paperback
Published February 10, 2023
2 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 28, 2023
Okay, i’ve finished it and let it sit for a little bit. Visually, I can without a doubt say this is one of the best comics/graphic novels of the past few years if not more, up there with the Linnea Sterte's A Frog In The Fall. Obviously this is my opinion, but the amount of colors Sparrow puts on display here is seriously impressive. The GN deals with geometric shapes and the panels themselves are geometric in some of the pages. The word bubbles change colors for the story when needed. I’ve read nothing like it. There’s linework, but a distinct lack of it, which is refreshing. It’s of the ‘clean line’ school of cartooning. I can really talk so much about the art and paneling here. It’s impressive.
As for the story, it is pretty solidly executed, albeit a little cliche. Ultimately, it’s about Dorothy, a 19 year old art school student that is trying to find her place in this world. She’s trying to learn what she is and what’s she’s trying to achieve in this continuous drone of a world. Teenager touches space rock and shenanigans follows. Sounds a little cliche, right? Probably so, but the dialogue feels natural, like actual people would talk (without the Gen Z slang), though with UK slang words like ‘shite’. The characters are very ‘vivid’ and ‘real’, it felt relatable to me as someone who’s only a few years older than Dorothy. There's also another character called Ellie, and she's also similarly enjoyable and relatable. It’s a sci fi story yet very grounded at it’s core, a story of hope and optimism, but it's definitely a message/story that we see often. Which again isn't a bad thing, but it may feel like a bit of a tired story for someone who's read/seen a lot of this. It's still well executed, the visuals are sublime, and the cartooning is a part of the story experience.
Easily BO2023 material in my eyes for graphic novels, but you may feel differently. It won’t blow you away (story wise), but visuals drag the story along in such a fun and ambitious way that it makes up for the cliches (which were described on the kickstarter). They are done well though, and the story ends pretty solidly. Overall a very good read that everyone should pick up.
Definitely one i’m going to re-read a lot. This is truly what the comics medium should be. Fun and has a message at the same time, whilst being visually innovative.
I honestly have nothing negative to say about it because it's so well done and not particularly a complex one that has plot holes or anything that will ruin the story. But like I said, i'll definitely be coming back to this one often. My opinion may change in a year, but the visuals are so much fun to the point that little else matters.
As for the story, it is pretty solidly executed, albeit a little cliche. Ultimately, it’s about Dorothy, a 19 year old art school student that is trying to find her place in this world. She’s trying to learn what she is and what’s she’s trying to achieve in this continuous drone of a world. Teenager touches space rock and shenanigans follows. Sounds a little cliche, right? Probably so, but the dialogue feels natural, like actual people would talk (without the Gen Z slang), though with UK slang words like ‘shite’. The characters are very ‘vivid’ and ‘real’, it felt relatable to me as someone who’s only a few years older than Dorothy. There's also another character called Ellie, and she's also similarly enjoyable and relatable. It’s a sci fi story yet very grounded at it’s core, a story of hope and optimism, but it's definitely a message/story that we see often. Which again isn't a bad thing, but it may feel like a bit of a tired story for someone who's read/seen a lot of this. It's still well executed, the visuals are sublime, and the cartooning is a part of the story experience.
Easily BO2023 material in my eyes for graphic novels, but you may feel differently. It won’t blow you away (story wise), but visuals drag the story along in such a fun and ambitious way that it makes up for the cliches (which were described on the kickstarter). They are done well though, and the story ends pretty solidly. Overall a very good read that everyone should pick up.
Definitely one i’m going to re-read a lot. This is truly what the comics medium should be. Fun and has a message at the same time, whilst being visually innovative.
I honestly have nothing negative to say about it because it's so well done and not particularly a complex one that has plot holes or anything that will ruin the story. But like I said, i'll definitely be coming back to this one often. My opinion may change in a year, but the visuals are so much fun to the point that little else matters.
April 9, 2023
(3,5 stars)
Excellent illustrations and colors; the story left me wanting more. Too much telling, not showing.
The ending was surprisingly bittet-sweet, but the final plit twist kind of took the wind out of the whole coming-of-age aspect of the story. It made it seems like everything the protagonist was feeling was explained away with this plot twist, which I don’t think was the author’s intention.
Excellent illustrations and colors; the story left me wanting more. Too much telling, not showing.
The ending was surprisingly bittet-sweet, but the final plit twist kind of took the wind out of the whole coming-of-age aspect of the story. It made it seems like everything the protagonist was feeling was explained away with this plot twist, which I don’t think was the author’s intention.
August 23, 2024
a beautiful melody laid out across expertly paced panels. I adore how Joe Sparrow tackled the look of this book. The voice is strong and confident, and the storytelling is concise, letting the artwork really breathe. I loooooved this
July 16, 2024
Loved the artstyle, it's absolutely gorgeous. I was expecting more of the ending tho
March 19, 2025
3.75. I do so greatly enjoy Joe Sparrow’s art. The geometric designs he adds here made for some really cool paneling choices (diamonds!!). There’s some cool experimental-feeling work on speech bubbling here and there too and I particularly enjoyed his use of sound effects
May 15, 2023
took this book to finally clock sparrow's art is almost too clean, but checks out when it comes to his synthetic characters
March 3, 2023
Teenage angst meets musical aliens. First of all, this book is gorgeous. I was kinda scared going in since he's only done short form so far but he really nailed it. The characters, Dorothy and Ellie, are compelling and relatable. Their journeys are wild yet somehow grounded. It's nothing we've never seen before: teenager touches space rock and gets powers. Shenanigans ensue. But he handles it very well. If a little naively. The message is optimistic, if a little easy. But overall another great read from Shortbox
April 3, 2023
Joe Sparrow is such a fluent visual storyteller, and perfectly uses the angular, stylised visual language of the drawings and text themselves to emphasise the themes and build a neat, beautifully cohesive concept.
The visual style does an incredible job of conveying indescribable emotions on the small scale, as well as the indescribable and unknowable of the more conceptual elements. The whole thing worked so smoothly to tell a neat sci-fi story in an incredibly stylish way, exploring anxiety and belonging and taking its time to make the small moments huge and meaningful. Overall just an amazing example of what visually-focused comics can do as a medium.
The visual style does an incredible job of conveying indescribable emotions on the small scale, as well as the indescribable and unknowable of the more conceptual elements. The whole thing worked so smoothly to tell a neat sci-fi story in an incredibly stylish way, exploring anxiety and belonging and taking its time to make the small moments huge and meaningful. Overall just an amazing example of what visually-focused comics can do as a medium.
May 4, 2023
I think I wasn't quite the right audience for this, but I think a lot of people will really resonate with this. Beautiful art style (though I feel like some of the art was warped in the print edition due to being too close to the spine) and I really liked the focus on female friendships. I think it maybe had too much space when I would have liked it if it was a bit narratively tighter, but I think this was more of a taste thing.
March 20, 2024
Fast read, great art, and fun little gay cosmic harmony theme told through a character with the worst anxiety disorder.
June 30, 2023
The story revolves around Dorothy as she deals with all the challenges of being a teenager. How is she going to deal with her parents' divorce? What is she going to do with her life? What sort of person will she become? All of these are interesting questions in their own right, but the story also focuses on the fall out of a night Dorothy touched a spacerock.
She begins developing powers, which impacts her life in various ways. She also meets a fellow superbeing named Ellie. The story tracks how Ellie and Dorothy try to figure out their powers, who gave it to them, and what it all means.
In my opinion, the book sort of divides in two. The first half is about the more grounded, human aspects, while the second half deals with the power aspects. Neither is really given enough time to develop properly, and unfortunately Ellie comes off more as a distraction from the human half of the story as opposed to a driver of the power part. The story is resolved, albeit in a somewhat unfullfiling way.
The art is gorgeous throughout, and the only weird choice is Ellie's character design. She's drawn in a way where she only shows one eye, and the other is covered by her face. I think it would work better if she was drawn differently, and the effect didn't come off quite as deliberate. It often seemed like she was a cyclops, as opposed to a quirky teenager.
All in all, well worth a read and I might re-read it at some point. However, I think with some changes, it could've been a masterpiece.
She begins developing powers, which impacts her life in various ways. She also meets a fellow superbeing named Ellie. The story tracks how Ellie and Dorothy try to figure out their powers, who gave it to them, and what it all means.
In my opinion, the book sort of divides in two. The first half is about the more grounded, human aspects, while the second half deals with the power aspects. Neither is really given enough time to develop properly, and unfortunately Ellie comes off more as a distraction from the human half of the story as opposed to a driver of the power part. The story is resolved, albeit in a somewhat unfullfiling way.
The art is gorgeous throughout, and the only weird choice is Ellie's character design. She's drawn in a way where she only shows one eye, and the other is covered by her face. I think it would work better if she was drawn differently, and the effect didn't come off quite as deliberate. It often seemed like she was a cyclops, as opposed to a quirky teenager.
All in all, well worth a read and I might re-read it at some point. However, I think with some changes, it could've been a masterpiece.
April 9, 2023
Joe Sparrow's cartooning is always commendable. There are numerous panels that had me thoroughly impressed by how dynamic and kinetic they were, and Sparrow's eye for geometry is incredible. The colors are also remarkably well done, with gradient effects rendered so seamlessly. The lighting effects are absolutely splendid.
The story itself was something that really didn't captivate me much. For much of the duration of this graphic novel, it's a story of a rather anxiety-ridden teenager who struggles to connect with people around her. She soon discovers she has powers that have manifested years after she has touched a strange meteorite and finds herself befriending a similarly powered individual. The story juggles the slice of life and sci-fi story beats capably, but it also somewhat reads like a generic YA coming of age novel to me. Not that those can't be good stories, but they just never really connect with me personally. This is a decent graphic novel, but my enjoyment primarily comes from Sparrow's great artwork more so than from the story.
The story itself was something that really didn't captivate me much. For much of the duration of this graphic novel, it's a story of a rather anxiety-ridden teenager who struggles to connect with people around her. She soon discovers she has powers that have manifested years after she has touched a strange meteorite and finds herself befriending a similarly powered individual. The story juggles the slice of life and sci-fi story beats capably, but it also somewhat reads like a generic YA coming of age novel to me. Not that those can't be good stories, but they just never really connect with me personally. This is a decent graphic novel, but my enjoyment primarily comes from Sparrow's great artwork more so than from the story.
April 18, 2023
Qué preciosidad. El año pasado descubrí a Joe Sparrow a través de su increíble diseño de una baraja del tarot y desde entonces he subsistido con breves comics online o fanzines. Cuando me enteré de que estaba llevando a cabo un kickstarter para editar una novela gráfica, ni me lo pensé.
El resultado es una simpática historia de ciencia ficción, con super poderes, seres alienígenas, geometría y mucha crisis de identidad. Creo que le gustará especialmente a fans de Steven Universe, tanto por la temática como por el estilo. A nivel de historia, la resolución me dejó un poco fría pero ya sólo por el estilo visual, vale la pena hacerse con este comic. Desde luego a mí este autor me sigue conquistando.
El resultado es una simpática historia de ciencia ficción, con super poderes, seres alienígenas, geometría y mucha crisis de identidad. Creo que le gustará especialmente a fans de Steven Universe, tanto por la temática como por el estilo. A nivel de historia, la resolución me dejó un poco fría pero ya sólo por el estilo visual, vale la pena hacerse con este comic. Desde luego a mí este autor me sigue conquistando.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2023
3.5
cw some light body horror
I liked this, I loved the art and colors and shapes and story (and I really enjoyed Joe Sparrow's previous work with Shortbox — Homunculus was incredible). this story's conclusion didn't quite click for me, and I kind of wish there was a bit more to it. but I was really with this up until the conclusion! almost feel like I need to mull over it all for longer.
(anyway Shortbox publishes really great stuff, highly recommend checking out their catalog)
bye
cw some light body horror
I liked this, I loved the art and colors and shapes and story (and I really enjoyed Joe Sparrow's previous work with Shortbox — Homunculus was incredible). this story's conclusion didn't quite click for me, and I kind of wish there was a bit more to it. but I was really with this up until the conclusion! almost feel like I need to mull over it all for longer.
(anyway Shortbox publishes really great stuff, highly recommend checking out their catalog)
bye
September 27, 2024
The art is utterly incredible, I love Joe's style so much! I felt like I was pulled straight into the best Stephen Universe/Bee and Puppycat universe, and there was so much detail to love.
I just wish the story had been a little tighter. The narrative felt a bit strange and forced in places, certain things felt rushed and others felt nicely paced. I don't know if that's an editorial issue or not, but otherwise this was a great graphic novel and a visual feast.
I just wish the story had been a little tighter. The narrative felt a bit strange and forced in places, certain things felt rushed and others felt nicely paced. I don't know if that's an editorial issue or not, but otherwise this was a great graphic novel and a visual feast.
April 15, 2023
3.5 rounded up because the art is stunningggg. Unfortunately the story didn’t make me feel as many things as Sparrow’s Homunculus (which quite literally made me cry - seriously, you should read that comic) and the concept wasn’t the most original. Beautiful execution though.
August 24, 2023
I eagerly waited the release on kickstarter and it was well worth it! Beautiful illustrations, great characters, felt a bit blown away when I’d finished reading it. Saddest part is, I love the stickers so much that I don’t know what to do with them! Haha!
March 9, 2023
La historia no me ha vuelto loca pero madre mía ese dibujo. ESE DIBUJO Y ESOS COLORES.
Una maravilla para los ojos
Una maravilla para los ojos
March 27, 2023
Odlično, narisano in napisano - do konca nisem pričakoval kam bo šla zgodba - super super.
May 12, 2023
Solid story and great art are what put it to 4 stars for me. Love the style with a coming of age story that subverts the common expectation.
July 20, 2023
A solid graphic novel on stress, sense of belonging, and growing up with an alien element. Felt a tad bit rushed in some spots.
August 31, 2023
Yet another Joe Sparrow comic that I spend a day reading and then weeks thinking about. Just a masterpiece.
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September 7, 2023joe sparrow ur an icon
also diamond shaped panels changed my life
also diamond shaped panels changed my life
March 30, 2024
Great concept, fun characters and gorgeous art - unfortunately the pacing felt a bit over the place and the ending especially felt rushed.
December 9, 2024
Spacey, geometric art perfect for a sci-fi story about identity and meaning.
January 7, 2026
Great graphic novel to start the year off with!
relatable stuff
relatable stuff
January 14, 2026
[book 12 in my attempt to read a comic from my shelf almost every day this Jan)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews