Flight, Vol. 4

Flight #4

by Raina Telgemeier (Editor), Michel Gagné (Contributor), Amy Kim (Contributor)

A full-color graphic anthology of short stories by some of the hottest creators in the field, FLIGHT, Volume Four is the newest addition to a great success story in graphic novel publishing.

Since 2004, when the first Volume of Flight burst on the scene, the publication of subsequent volumes has become a highly anticipated annual event. Artists are constantly contacting Kibuishi (the editor of the Flight volumes and himself a contributor), asking to be included in the next volume of Flight . So it's no wonder Flight has ascended so rapidly in the graphic novel universe, becoming a fan favorite and developing a rabid following. Each contributor's story in the anthology represents a labor of love, and that fact shines through in the overall quality of the series.

“With truly stellar art from masters of the field, this fantasy anthology is a must for comics connoisseurs and a delight to readers who like pretty stories.” Publishers Weekly on Flight, Volume Three (Starred Review.)

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Young Adult

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Flight anthology, featuring overall very good art with writing that varies from very good to not very good at all. But oh, so very pretty.

[Tung · Rating 2 out of 5]

Image Comics is one of the largest comic book publishers in the world. They made moves into online comics far ahead of the establishment publishers DC and Marvel. Image supports a legion of young professional and non-professional cartoonists. In 2004, they published their first anthology of these cartoonists’ creative efforts (Flight, Volume One). Volume Four continue the showcasing of young graphic talent. The tales told in these works span the entire spectrum of contemporary comic stylings from manga-influenced works to rough sketches to symbolic surreality to more traditional graphic novel flair. The tales vary in art style, length, and unfortunately, quality. Volume One is the best of these three collections, with Volumes Two through Four being far less even. Volume Four has been my least favorite of the series. I feel like a lot of the stories aren't stories, but impressions. Instead of slices of life, we get slices of slices of life -- which feels lacking to me. For graphic novel/comic book fans only. [Note: For such fans, my favorite stories in Volume Four were “Farewell, Little Karla", "The Window Makers", and "The Forever Box". My favorites from a visual perspective were "The Vampyres of Salem", "Roomie-Pal!", and "The Window Makers".]

[Charan Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heart's been missing from Vol4. It was there- beating and pulsating in Vol2, but not here. Stories were mediocre at best, though art work was top-notch.

[Oneirosophos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many talents, but few decent stories.

This flight was lower than the others alright...

[Jessica Severs · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s not a more fitting title for this stunningly illustrated anthology, with its breathtaking flights of imagination.
Editor Kazu Kibuishi compiles the work of more than 20 top-notch creative minds for the fourth volume of “Flight.” The stories range from whimsical to soul-searching, some without words.
There’s a story that reads like a fable about two women so caught up in a business rivalry that their greed to outdo each other ends up consuming them, or the one about the bunny who outwits the forest creatures who come to kill him.
Then there’s the more esoteric stories, like the dreamlike deconstruction of the world, and the emotional, like the girl who loses her brothers in an accident and hides away in a box that suspends time for the occupant while the outside world carries on with life.
Some short stories are simply funny, some darkly so, while others are warm and fuzzy or somber and haunting.
The full-color artwork, with its varied styles, range from good to outstanding. You’d be hard pressed to find so much great material crammed into one book at this price, making this anthology a must-have for any collection.

[Lupe Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot darker, it seems, the Flight anthology is becoming. Sorry to go all Yoda. It just seemed much darker in its story telling than the previous ones. Still amazing and beautiful. I think the best ones that stood out to me were The Window Makers and ...Hope for the Best. But truly there are dark ones that still tell gorgeous stories like The Forever Box and Food from the Sea. But the funniest? Mystical Monkey!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would say that #4 of the Flight series is one of the strongest (along with #3). There are a lot of strong stories and very few that fall flat. Highly highly enjoyable!

[Soobie is expired · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, worse than the sixth volume I read last week.

The Sage of Rex: Castaway by Michel Gagné : ★★
I adore the art but I'm not sure to I've understood the meaning of the story. I'm going to buy Gagné's book, though.

Food from the Sea by Amy Kim Ganter : ★★★
Well, the story was very interesting and so was the lettering. The art and the colors... Meh!

Farewell, Little Carla by Thomas Herpich : ★★★
Interesting concept.

Cyclops! by Israel Sanchez : ★★
Meh... The story is nice but... It's missing something.

Little Trouble in the Big Top by Vera Brogsol : ★
What's wrong with the lady? Just because she has a couple of hair on her chin?! Vera Borgsol and I... We don't get along that well, I fear.

The Window Makers by Kazu Kibuishi : ★★★
Well, probably the best story of the anthology. I like Kazu Kibuishi's art; I don't usually like his plots, though. This one was very sweet!

...and Hope for the Best by JP Ahonen : ★★★
Nice art, bright colors... And the guy is reading Popular Music from Vittula...

The Forever Box by Sarah Mensinga : ★★
Well, I love time travel but I don't understand why it was used in this short story. It seems way to sad for my liking. I didn't get it.

The Blue Guitar by Neil Babra : ★
I didn't like the art and I didn't get the sense of the story.

Igloo Head and Tree Head by Scott Campbell : ★★
The art was sort of OKish but I didn't get the meaning.

The Rabbit Mayor: A Mayan Folk Tale by Jon Klassen : ★★
Interesting art, Ok story.

Roomie-Pal! by Graham Annable : ★★★
Extremely mean but funny.

From Here to There... by Joey Weiser : ★★
I like the art but I didn't like the story. Or better, I didn't understand where the author was going with it.

Tripod by Bannister and Joel Carroll : ★★
Love the art, hate the plot.

The Vampyres of Salem by Azad Injejikian : ★★★★
WOW, this was interesting from the point of view of both the story and the art. Extremely sad, though! Poor Simon.

The Storm by Pascal Campion : ★★
Meh, some guy fights with his girlfriend and stomps out of the door. When he comes back she's not home anymore. Nice art.

Bigwheels by Ovi Nedelcu : ★★★
Eh, eh, eh... Funny and very true.

To Grandma's by Clio Chang : ★★
Love the art. Didn't like the story.

Dinosaur Egg by Raina Telgemeier : ★★
I usually adore Raina Telgemeier. But maybe she's not at good at writing short stories. Her long graphic novel are way better. The backgrounds are drawn better than the main characters.

It's Dangerous to Sleep by Dave Roman : ★
Didn't like the art. Didn't like the story.

Mystical Monkey by Ryan Estrada : ★★
Boring at the beginning with a nice twist at the end. The art is Ok.

The Story of Binny by Lark Pien : ★
Very simple art but weird story.

Cortina by Fábio Moon : ★
Nice art but too short to mean something.

Twenty-four Hours by Andrea Offermann : ★
She's amazing when it comes to art and drawings but I can't get the meaning behind her stories.

The Perfect Spot by Phil Craven : ★
The art was OKish but I didn't get the meaning.

Who knows, maybe my brain is not wired for short stories. I'd say 2 stars.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love the Flight graphic novels. They are such a unique and beautiful collection of short stories. This volume was very well done and I enjoyed the variety of stories throughout.

These are difficult to review because there is such a wide variety of stories, illustration styles, and themes. Suffice to say there really weren’t any stories in here I disliked. Of course the continuing story of Rex (by Michel Gagne) and the story by Kazu Kibuishi are some of my favorites and have remained my favorites throughout each Flight novel.

I also really enjoyed both the illustration style and story for “The Forever Box” by Sarah Mensinga. I found the silly little story of “Igloo Head and Tree Head” by Scott C to be strangely charming and entertaining as well. There were many others that I enjoyed too.

Overall this was another wonderful anthology of graphic short stories. All the stories were well done and consistently good. The Flight series continues to provide beautiful and high quality graphic short stories that are creative, intriguing and entertaining. I will definitely continue reading the series.

[Tjibbe Wubbels · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found that most of the short stories in this collection are rather insubstantial. There is great art and great imagination, but the story lines seem to be a fragment of a fragment of a thought (if that makes any sense at all). It is a collection of stories by illustrators, rather that a collection of stories by graphic novel writers, like Popgun, Vol. 1.

Still, it's a decent enough collection. Some stories can be enjoyed for their great art work (Igloo head and Tree head (whose story is funny, but ridiculous), The rabbit mayor, Bigweels), some for their great writing (The vampyres of Salem, The story of Binny), some for both (Farewell little Karla, Cyclops!, the window makers, The forever box, Roomie-Pal!, Mystical Monkey), and of course some cannot be enjoyed because of the lack of both (the blue guitar...I mean...Jesus). My favourites were roomie-pal, cyclops, mystical monkey and the forever box.

[Astrid Terese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeg har selvfølgelig favoritter blant alle de ulike tegneserieskaperne og tegneseriene i denne samlingen og den første er Rex. En liten rev som må klare seg gjennom ulike farer og som får uventet hjelp. Rex er reven i tegneserien «Inner Sanctum», «Underworld» og «The saga of Rex» av Michel Gagne (volume 3 og utover) og historien utvikler seg videre i samlingen.
Flight blir redigert av Kazu Kibuishi, en amerikansk tegneserieforfatter og illustratør. Kibuishi sier at Flight ikke er en tematisk antologi og at tittelen Flight ikke har noen spesiell betydning. Men likevel inneholder mange av tegneseriene noe som har med flygning å gjøre, i den videste forståelse av ordet. Utenom det er der et mangfold av ulike teknikker, og historier som dekker komedier, tragedier, eventyr og romantikk.
Flight er blant mine absolutte tegneseriefavoritter. De er fantastisk nydelige!

Hele min omtale finner du på bloggen min Betraktninger

[Malak Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm already 2 stories into the book and I'm rendered speechless with the excess creativity I was just bombarded with. My mind is LITERALLY boggled! -as usual.
I shall not rest until I've collected all of these series and I shall someday make my own in shaa Allah!!!

Update after finishing the book:
The quality of the stories is not the same as it used to be in the first volumes.. Maybe the idea of "Flight-themed" stories that was applied in the very first volume will always be the most appealing to me.
However, just as I did with the other 3 volumes, I restrained myself from devouring it all in one day and tried hard to keep it with me for as long as I could. Flight still gives comfort to my imagination when I most need it.
In any sense, I am still determined on buying and reading the whole collection. Hoping I'd find more inspiration and brilliantly-varied illustration in the coming volumes =)
Stay tuned for more updates!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very happy, but not a bit surprised to see Flight Volume 4 on the list of Cybils graphic novel nominees.
Sometime last year, I discovered Flight 3.The cover art by Kazu Kibuishi floored me, and I decided that, whatever the book might contain, I had to own it so I could stare at the cover more conveniently. I was delighted to discover that it was just as good the whole way through--chock full of offerings from gifted illustrators and writers.
Likewise, Flight 4 has something for everyone. Flight 3 fans will be happy to see some familiar faces,and a myriad of beautifully crafted new stories, full of depth and life. The volume is consistently high in quality throughout; each story has a well realized visual world, strong characters, and tight and compelling storytelling. Readers new to graphic novels will find here many reasons to read more
in this genre.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Flight anthology again returns with its 4th incarnation, offering a little something for everyone within its pages. As per usual, Michel Gagne opens with his Saga of Rex tale and its youthful mystery and magic. A massive cyclops just wants to make friends in Israel Sanchez's imaginative saga, while JP Ahonen has fun with a young couple at the beach who consider the "joys" of parenting. A boy and an invader enjoy a game of catch in Bannister's darkly fun contribution, while the inhabitant of dreams and fairytales explore their off-the-clock ambitions in Clio Chiang's story. With features on summer camps, relationships, new bikes, and lengthy travels, there is a visual bite for every age of reader. Like its predecessors, this volume of Flight helps raise the bar on creative imagination and storytelling.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spectacular, as are the rest of the volumes in this series. Of particular note, methinks, are Michael Gagne's opener, Vera Brosgal's sexist but funny circus tale about strongmen squabbling over the same woman, Kibuishi's wonderful "Windowmakers," Mensinga's beautifully drawn "Forever Box," Scott Campbell's ever hilarious episode in the lives of dudes Treehead and Igloohead, Raina Telgemeier's child friendly "Dinosaur Egg," and Fabio's also beautifully drawn "Cortina."

What also makes this and every other volume a real pleasure to read is the vast and delightfully creative variation in styles and page designs that these artists offer.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any fan of the graphic novel/comic artform should by now be familiar with the Flight series. Comprised of many short stories by up and coming artists, the Flight books have spearheaded the movement to demonstrate the versatility of this medium.

This volume is good, but not quite as great as previous installments. There are a couple standout pieces ("Treehead and Igloohead" was a personal favorite) but overall this edition didn't quite live up to my expectations. A good buy for fans of the Flight series, but if you're just getting into Flight, start with one of the earlier volumes.

[Tia · Rating 4 out of 5]

These "Flight" collections are indeed close to paradise for me. The art is just breathtaking. The stories run the gamut (personal tales to folklore to sci-fi fantasy to steampunk), and my favorites often don't involve words at all. These are the kind of books that can remind you what you love about books--why, handy as the Internet may be, you would still rather read printed words, enjoy printed art. To curl up with a bound book in your hands, loving the turn of each page for the wonder it brings...almost paradise.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Flight series is a great showcase for some of the weirdest and most beautiful comic art out there. The book itself is very high-quality with glossy pages, and the colors practically leap off the pages. Overall, the tendency is for the stories to be slanted more toward art than story, but there are glimpses of things rich and strange. I would recommend this for all public libraries, and definitely high school libraries as well. It is my sense that it would fit well with a middle school collection, too.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its difficult to review each of these Flight books individually, since generally both the stories and the art quality in all of them are continuously amazing and full of creative talent. Flight is really the "Metamorphoses" of our time. While Ovid wrote more about the creation and history of the world, Kibuishi and his team of creative writers and artists write on a smaller scale. Not about world changes but about individual changes. And while some of the short stories can be on a more depressing note, for the most part Flight inspires hope and is a very uplifting read.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art in these is always a fun experience and perhaps that's what keeps drawing me back to them. When it comes to story though its still a very mixed bag. This one seemed to have less that I enjoyed over the other volumes so far. The one nice thing is that the addition of "Flight explorer" to the flight line up has drawn some of the junior targeted stuff away. Don't get me wrong I enjoy junior graphic novels as well, but it gives the collection a bit more cohesion for me. But over all it still kind of gets a Meh.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really wonderful, I think that the graphic storytelling of the artists in the Flight anthologies is consistantly higher than most anything else I've seen. Their backgrounds primarily in film are evident in the way the art flows. i also really liked that it wasn't people from mainstream comic books at all, mostly artists working in film, animation or illustration. This is highly reccomended... Oh, also the reproduction is top notch...

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great anthology. "The Saga of Rex: Castaway" by Micheal Gagne, "The Window Makers" by Kazu Kibuishi, "The Forever Box" by Sarah Mensinga, "To Grandma's" by Clio Chiang, and "Mystical Monkey" by Ryan Estrada were my favorite. All were beautifully drawn and had endings that made me pause and think about the story, although for different reasons for each. I look forward to adding all the volumes of Flight to my collection, and hope that this anthology continues.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites: Kazu Kibuishi & Graham Annable, as always. Newly discovered: Michael Gagne and Lark Pien. Andrea Offermann has a style vaguely reminiscent of one of my favorite artists- Francois Schuiten. The most compelling is Sarah Mensinga’s fable of a girl who locks herself in a magic box to escape her grief. The award for funniest definitely goes to Scott Campbell for “Igloo Head and Tree Head.” Hilarious!

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took the copy of this that I read back to the library before I could review it... *face palm* So I can't name the specific stories I liked the best, but I did enjoy a fair few of them in this volume. Though, as per usual, there were still just as many that I didn't enjoy or found a little too weird/confusing/unsatisfying. That appears to be how I'm always going to feel about this graphic novel anthology series. I wouldn't say that's necessarily a bad thing though. :3

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art. Some decent stories, some thin tales. Not bad, but not nearly up to vol. 1's standards. I'm not moved to track down the middle two books, which I meant to read but never quite managed to fit into my budget.

But, seriously, most of the art in this book is GORGEOUS. It might be worth it for that alone. And there are some creative approaches to storytelling, even if I can barely recall any of the stories within.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Flight collections are always pleasing and full of outstanding artwork. My favorites in this may have been "Igloo Head and Tree Head" by Scott Campbell (hilarious), and Twenty-Four Hours by Andrea Offermann -- which left me shaken for its similarity to a dream story that my mind told me as I was crossing the border into the state of sleep one fine night. Eerie. No, really.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than in some of the other Flight volumes the good stories were really, really good and the so-so stories were very so-so. Thus the four star rating while the great stories could have been given a six.
Faves: Saga of Rex, Food from the sea, Windowmakers, Igloo Head and Tree Head and Roomie Pal. Last two mentioned rate up their with Polaris from an earlier volume.

[Chris - Quarter Press Editor · Rating 4 out of 5]

More great stuff. I know I'm reading these all out of whack (I finally have Volume one in my mitts) but you don't really need to read them in order. At least, I don't mind the odd sequencing. The stories are still good, and even more enjoyable in this volume than number two. And the art continues to amaze and humble me... *sigh* if only...

[Clinton Sheppard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of variety in this anthology. I particularly liked the stories by Sarah Mensinga and Kazu Kibuishi. Kazu's style and color palette are highly identifiable.

[Radclyffe U-Haul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorite stories: "Igloo Head and Tree Head" by Scott C., "To Grandma's" by Clio Chang, "It's Dangerous to Sleep" by David Roman, "The Window Makers" by Kazu Kibuishi, "Cortina" by Fabio Moon, "The Story of Binny" by Lark Pien, "Twenty Four Hours" by Andrea Offerman, "The Saga of Rex: Castaway" by Michel Gagné, "Dinosaur Egg" by Raina Telgemeier, "Little Trouble in the Big Top" by Vera Brosgol.