Feathers

Feathers

by Jorge Corona

What's To Love: Created, written, and illustrated by incredible breakout talent and Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award winner Jorge Corona (We Are Robin, Teen Titans Go!), Feathers is a tale of danger, friendship, and adventure that really tugged on our heartstrings. We're so excited to bring Corona's first original series to readers in a beautiful collected hardcover edition.

What It Is: Born covered in black feathers, abandoned as a baby in the slums of the Maze, Poe has lived his entire 11-year-old life hidden away under the protection of his adoptive father, Gabriel. He spends his days secretly helping the Mice, bands of orphans who roam the slums, but there is a whisper of an altogether more sinister figure in the shadows, making street children disappear. When Bianca, an over-protected girl from the wealthy City beyond the Wall, escapes into the Maze in search of adventure, their worlds collide. Collects the complete six-issue limited series plus never-before-seen artwork.

"A truly engaging all-ages story...The series has all the hallmarks of a classic Disney or Grimm fairy tale, complete with sinister villains, mysterious legends and an overwhelming sense of adventure throughout."-- Big Comic Page

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Middle Grade, Adventure, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics

176 pages, ebook

First published January 7, 2015

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic opening volume to this story. I like the characters and there is enough mystery to keep me wanting more, but it made sense. I still don't really understand what was happening with the villain and the feathers at the end. The rest of the story worked.

Feathers is a boy who has feathers like a boy. He lives up in the towers of a city hidden by his pop. He doesn't know who his real parents are. A girl runs away from the prosperous part of the city and meets feathers. She helps him get find his way into the world. The orphans of the maze of the poor city are filled with kids called mice. Feathers is trying to help them and they think he is a scary ghost.

I thought the art was fantastic. Someone else made the comparison and it's true, this is a weird take on the Hunchback of Notre Dame, which I loved as a kid. I want to know more and I hope this volume continues. It is refreshing to find a story that is new and different and well done.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, all-ages tale set in Dickensian fantasy world. Poe is the boy hiding among the rooftops of The Maze. He's covered in feathers and told by his adopted father to always remain hidden. Meanwhile, children are going missing from The Maze every day. When a young girl from the nobility, Bianca, escapes into the maze, Poe helps her, kicking off events. I had a lot of fun with this. It's full of heart. A lot is still left unexplained. Hopefully, Corona will decide to revisit the world of Feathers one day.

[Kadi P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely unique and intriguing with likeable and dynamic characters that carried the story well.

The few twists and turns elevated the story and were welcomed but perhaps the difficulties characters faced were overcome a little too easily, something you could probably put down to the limited number of pages.

I really would’ve loved to see more of this story and the characters explored further in depth. So much was left unexplored and questions were left unanswered. The potential for something greater than this already great comic is there, so it’s sad to say this is all we’ll ever get of it.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful take on Beauty and the Beast that has great world building and a lovely artistic style. Well done.

[Whitney Jamimah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute all ages comic. I didn’t love it as much as many people who I’ve seen talk about it before but it was good. I wasn’t bored or annoyed reading it so there wasn’t anything wrong with it, I guess it just lacked some of the depth that I prefer in my comics and novels. Since this is an all ages story I do think this would be a really great “bridge” comic for a younger reader looking to wet their toes on something just slightly more mature.

[Ali.J · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستان جالب و سرگرم‌کننده‌ای داشت. انتظارات بیشتری داشتم بهرحال.
یه سری نقطه ابهامات موند برام، درمورد یه سری چیزا توضیح قابلی داده نشد.
میشه گفت شرور داستان عملا پرداخت مناسبی دریافت نکرد، و صرفا بود. اخرش هم دلیلی برای کارش و یا چگونگی وجود خودش داده نشد.
بیشتر روی شخصیت اصلی مانور داشت، پو.
اینکه چطور از کسی که همیشه در سایه‌ها زندگی میکرد به این فرد تبدیل شد🚶
و همان موضوع قدیمی، فردی از یه طبقه جامعه و فردی از طبقه دیگر.
دوستی اون‌ها موجب شد به مراتب مرزها و دیوارهای بین این طبقات کمتر بشه.
درکل، جدا از سوالاتی که برام باقی گذاشت، دوستش داشتم و زیبنده بود.

[Purl Scout · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
my son and I read this together. I hated being unable to answer his questions in regards to the conversing (god & lucifer???) quasi-narrators. it was a bit too open-ended and abstract for his atheistic autistic brain but we both enjoyed it's surface message and the art.

[Damon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably was meant for younger readers. Quite Michael Moorcock, some nice characters and the story seemed to be going somewhere. But then it finished abruptly.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the artwork, but found the story predictable, and the characters kind of annoying.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corona's channeling Victor Hugo and Charles Dickens here while he does his best gothic art on the design work of not only the City, but its environs, the Maze, and everything in those two places. From the central plot to the internal discussions about class, faith, fate, and lies, this is something it would be fun to place in the hands of anyone from a third grader to someone very old. It's pretty and gritty at the same time, art & story, in a way that maybe only comes from the artist and writer being the same person. The partnership is valuable when they aren't, but I think maybe something special is created - Mignola, Cooke - when they're one and the same.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is nothing new under the sun, it combines familiar themes and storylines into a satisfying whole with good messages: learning to be yourself; listening to children and letting them take risks even when adults want to protect them; and resisting scapegoating. I loved the art in the imagined Victorian-ish setting, especially the striking silhouettes of Feathers's character.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous!

[Sarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jorge Coronan Feathersia on vaikea lokeroida mihinkään tiettyyn kategoriaan. Tähän sarjakuvaan on mahdutettu paljon kaikenlaista. Siksi tarina tuntuu aika ajoin olevan hieman sekava. Tässä sarjakuvaromaanissa on paljon erinomaisia aineksia, kuten piirrostaide ja aika ajoin kiehtova juoni. Sitten kuitenkin lukijana usein hämmennyin, sillä esim. taustalla puhui kaksi tuntematonta henkilöä, eikä heidän keskustelunsa aivan avautunut, vaikka heillä tuntui olevan tärkeää sanottavaa. Eniveis, Feathersin päähenkilönä on omissa oloissaan pidetty, mustien höyhenten peittämä poika Poe. Poe asuu Maze-kaupungissa, joka on hyvin dickensiläinen, paljon varastelevia orpolapsia, köyhyyttä, ahtautta jne. 1800-luvun tyyliin. Kaupungin kupeessa on muurilla erotettu valkoinen, täyden järjestyksen kaupunki. Kaupungissa asuu tyttönen, jolla on tylsää. Bianca, nimeltään, pääsee sattuman kautta isänsä kanssa vierailemaan Mazeen. Ja kuinka ollakaan, Bianca karkaa omille teilleen ja törmää Poeen. Poe ei pysty karistamaan Biancaa kintereiltään, joten kaksikko lähtee seikkailemaan keskenään. Kun Mazessa alkaa katoamaan orpolapsia, kaksikko joutuu aivan mysteerin keskelle.

Puitteiltaan hieno sarjakuvaromaani, vaikka juoni ei ihan briljanttina loistanut. Kannattaa kuitenkin tutustua.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jorge Corona creates a beautiful and fascinating world of haves and havenots (and birdmen), but never quite fills in all the blanks to explain why certain aspects of the world exist. Specifically, why are there birdmen? Or a birdboy, in this case. So if you pick up Feathers with the hope that there will be an explanation for why a boy has feathers, prepare to be disappointed.

But if you pick up Feathers hoping for a fast-paced, involving story featuring a Beauty and the Beast-style friendship between a birdboy and a sheltered rich girl, you'll find plenty to enjoy. I especially enjoyed the world as Corona illustrated it - he has a definite Hellboy touch, but with more attention to background detail. The coloring is fantastic as well. I'd come back for another volume in hopes that the birdboy and some of the ending elements are explained (the villain wants to steal the birdboy's feathers because...it looks cool?), but it looks like this Feathers collection is all we'll get. Too bad!

[Ham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great art, but the plot was lame and didn't make much sense to me.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an intriguing set of characters and interesting setting! Feathers takes place in a world where there is "the city" and "the maze." The city is clean and white and perfect, sterile even. The maze is rough and tumble, in want, and falling apart. Of course, the worlds must collide.

Poe is a boy with feathers, who lives hidden away with his adoptive father in the maze. Bianca is the bored daughter of a wealthy city family, who craves adventure. When the two become friends, they are both changed, and their assumptions upturned.

We also have a bad guy who is a kind of Pied Piper, a group of street kids called Mice that feel very Dickensian, Poe's adoptive father who has secrets as well, and two mysterious narrators who appear only as voices in text boxes at the story's outset and close.

While I felt the volume ended rather abruptly, even given probably intentions for a sequel, it was still quite a creative and entertaining story that explores moral issues without becoming directly pedantic (as too many works aimed at young readers do).

[J.D. Estrada · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very curious adventure. Phrased as a retelling or having the soul of Beauty and the Beast, I can only see glimpses of this and instead see more the chosen one archetype in this wonderfully drawn and pretty interesting story. Poe is a boy covered in Feathers. He lives in the Maze outside of the city. His origins are mysterious and he is saved from abandonment by an old man who raises him as his own.

11 years after this, he bumps into Bianca, who unlike all other children (whom are referred to as mice in the Maze), does not fear him. They strike an unlikely friendship and adventure definitely ensues. I'd rate this a 3.75 but a solid one, one I'd happily recommend for artwork, lettering work, and work with panels. It was refreshing and often asked you to stay in a panel longer than a second to take it all in. Will definitely try and find more of this series to see what else happens, even if the story isn't exactly revolutionary.

[MJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a very enjoyable read.
The art is amazing and the story is gripping, but there were too many questions left unanswered, too many things unexplained. I wish there was more to the story, hence the three stars.

[Matthew Vickers · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Jorge Corona's art, but that can't save it from this by-the-beats story. There's very little that separates Feathers from so many other children's books in terms of plot, and I felt like I read this story dozens of times before. It's a solid book! Done well! But I wish it were less predictable, or that Corona gave himself better opportunities to show off his art outside of the mostly standard storytelling.

[Jackie B. - Death by Tsundoku · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to clearly define what kind of story Feathers is. Is it a Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling? Beauty and the Beast retelling? Steampunk or Victorian dyspotian fantasy? All I know is that it's beautiful and captivating.

Feathers tells the story of Poe, an adopted boy born with feathers and hollow bones. Poe lives in a Dicken-esque world called the Maze filled with thieving orphans and poverty. He is the only one who looks like he does, and his adoptive father shelters him from the world for unknown reasons. Bianca, a girl who lives, "behind the wall", runs away when she accompanies her father on a business trip to the Maze. She wants to see the world, and obviously runs into Poe. Thus, their adventures begin.

The art of Feathers is very striking to me. Busy frames are filled with buildings and detail, ye the characters never feel crowded out. They each have their own distinctive movements and facial expressions-- something I've never noticed with a cast of characters this large. Each of the characters are quite memorable, as well. I didn't find myself questioning, "Wait, do I know this character?" Gabriel, Lord Chappelle, the White Guide-- they all fit perfectly into their world, without detracting from each other too much. Unique, but not outlandish. Very good. The art also has a slightly romantic air to it, which I find appealing.

Our story is a bit predictable, but in a charming fable-esque way. I will admit, I was a surprised to learn who our whistling antagonist was, and why he fell into the "antagonist" bucket, but this is a good sign for me. I am quite good (annoyingly so) at predicting where a story will go. Frequently, surprises are ruined for me by my forward thinking. This one surprise makes me think that Corona is only luring us into a false sense of security. Everything feels so familiar in plot, art, and character development. Familiar is safe. Safety is often an illusion.

I look forward to more issues of Feathers and seeing what happens to our young heroes. I can't wait to find out if there are more surprises waiting, too!

[tony dillard jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bianca is a young girl from the City, a white walled settlement that houses the upper class. Poe is from the Maze, an urban wasteland that encompasses the City. Born with black feathers, the odd looking boy operates in the shadows scavenging for food and shelter with his adopted dad, Gabriel. On a tour of the Maze with her father, Bianca runs away in hopes of looking for adventure. But when she runs afoul of the both the palace guard and a gang of waifs called the Mice, Poe must step out of the shadows to rescue the young girl. But as he mounts a rescue, the young hero learns of a dastardly plot that threatens the safety of every child in both the City and the Maze.

Feathers is an Indy miniseries, published by Archaia Studio and created by newcomer Jorge Corona. The series was an interesting mix of fantasy and old world Victorian aesthetic. Full of mystery and wonder, Feathers is a subtle allegory on classism with the rich and noble of the City looking down continuously at the lower classes who make up the Maze.

While the story was quite good and I hope that Corona comes out with a sequel to answer the many mysteries. There's much to be explored surrounding Poe's origin and his connection to the City Guide, a mythical patron who led ocean fairing settlers to the lands that would make up the City and the Maze. However, my favorite thing about this book was the art!

Along with being the creator/writer of Feathers, Jorge Corona is the man behind the dynamic art of this series. Along with inker/ colorist Jen Hickman (The Monsters of Jimmy Crumb), the artwork looks like in reality it was done by Hellboy creator Mike Magnolia. It has that dark, creepy vibe to it. Honestly, I was expecting the crew of the BPRD ( Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) to come trudging out from one of the corners it looks so much like a Hellboy title- it's sick.

A good book that I think can only get better. It all depends if there will be a sequel. If so, the art shouldn’t be changed- not one little bit. But I do hope for more character development, especially with Poe and his father, Gabriel.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 4 out of 5]

More often than not, when I pick up a comic that I know nothing about, I usually get it because of the art. And Jorge Corona's "Feathers" has some tremendous art! Nestled in that sweet spot between realistic and cartoon-y occupied by the likes of Mike Mignola, Skottie Young, Fabio Moon, and Humberto Ramos, Corona's drawings of Victorian-style buildings and the characters that live in them are reason alone to read this clever all-ages graphic novel. What surprised me, however, was the maturity of the story and how it deftly explores being different, disadvantaged, and torn between good and evil impulses.

"Feathers" follows Poe, a young boy mysteriously born covered in black feathers, who silently watches over the Mice, poor urchins who live on the streets of the gritty and overcrowded Maze. When he meets the adventurous daughter of the ruler of the City, an affluent walled community at the heart of the Maze, they team up to investigate a series of disappearances among the Mice. What starts off as a Prince-and-the-Pauper-type fairy tale quickly becomes something darker and weirder, with unseen forces fighting for Poe's destiny, and I was pleasantly surprised by the book's macabre turn; it makes sense with "Feathers' Industrial Revolution-y setting. Corona doesn't push things too far, though, so any fans of the "Amulet" or "Mighty Jack" comics will feel right at home.

Corona had been developing the idea for "Feathers" for many years but it only recently came to fruition. As such, there's definitely an undercurrent of the recent political debates about income/social inequality, and the whole 1% versus the 99% thing. But "Feathers" is also a rip-roaring adventure comic, so there's a great balance to the story. Pretty pictures and a fun but socially-conscious story? Who could ask for anything more?

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

My nephew recommended this book to me--- so once he was finished with it, I stole it away. I was looking forward to a new comic book....especially since the artwork was amazing. Sadly, I was a bit confused and disappointed by the storyline....certain details were never explained (why a maze/city? who was the guide?...why do they mistrust each other?) and I was left a bit lost. I am not daft, but I found that the white feathered guide/statue needed some more backstory....and the hypnotic music was also just...playing.
The story is about a small feathered outcast who is brought up by a man who loves him. As he grows he is told not to go out during the day and to avoid the children. Mysterious disappearances happen and the boy (Poe) starts to intervene and prevent kidnappings....one day a visitor to the Maze, a young girl finds him (HOW!?) and follows him....her appearance leads to evil men being able to locate Poe and he tries to bring the girl back to her home while also saving the street children.
Read--- if you are ok not understanding the details. The artwork is worth it.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poe as a baby is abandoned on the street. He is rescued by Gabriel, who, when he sees that Poe is covered all over in black feathers, knows that the baby is special. Gabriel protects him and teaches him to stay away from the Mice in the Maze and the rich people from the City beyond the Wall. As a child, even though he is an outcast, Poe also is always on the lookout to protect the Mice, orphan children scavenging for food on the streets of the Maze. Z, the leader of the Mice, thinks that Poe is responsible for the disappearances of Mice. When Bianca, a bored and curious girl from the City gets lost in the Maze, Poe helps her and they become friends. Together they try to figure out what sinister forces are behind the abductions, and who is the mysterious Guide that is rumored to be another feathered being.

I would have appreciated a little more back story about the Maze and why it's separated from the City, as well as who the Guide is. But kids may be able to overlook these details and get lost in the story.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated, although some of the children's body shapes looked a little deformed (like a Japanese manga chibi rather than an actual child's shape), but I loved the coloring and the drawing style. Poe's minimal character design reminded me of a sleek verson of +Anima
s Cooro (and now I'd like to reread that series), or, perhaps, Bakuman's Crow character. I wish we had a bit more expansion on the world building, because I still was lost regarding the Guides, the feathers, and the overarching good and evil narrators. It did discuss friendship, family, looking out for and believing in each other.

I could easily see this as an animated movie.

[Hikaoru · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the span of 6 chapters, the heroine had a huge character development. From a snarky brat into a tolerable sidekick. Whopee.

I really like Poe, I have no idea how old is he, I'm imagining around 8. He was defiant to his pop because he wanted answers and despite the fact that he was shunned after he showed himself to the world, he still had his chin up. A tad grim for a middle grade book but when I think about it, I read the same kind of thing when I was younger so it is suitable. Similar setting as in the manga No. 6, a dystopia where they have walls around the so called paradise, keeping the vermin out.

[Rachel Fellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a difficult time getting into this because I couldn't really connect with the characters or the setting. I also found the character design a tad off putting, which is usually a deal breaker for me when reading graphic novels. But I kept on and was pleased to see the latter half was more engaging than the first half.

The story deals with a walled off city and a mysterious feathered boy who lives in the "maze" outside of the city, where the poor folk dwell, along with a deranged child kidnapper. When a girl from the city runs away to the maze, the two worlds collide and mysteries are revealed.

[Colona Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this feels like a mixture of The BoxTrolls (Movie) and with an art style that reminds me of Ben 10 (TV series) but it is entirely its own thing! This is pretty good for one volume. I think the villian, who I fan named pied piper, has a cool power of song that controls the mice (a gang of small children) and has them under mind control while he leads them to his lair to take their souls to get feathers? At least, I think. Wasn't 100% clear on magic stuff and he was really short lived. This gives a strong hint that it will continue and I would read the next volume if it did. Really good start I think Junior readers would really like this. ~Ashley

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part adventure and part fantasy story about Feathers who is a self-appointed guardian of the Mice. A group of orphaned children living in the Maze which is outside the white walled city. His pop wants to continue to hide him away and protect him from those who would see him as different and would want to hurt him. Then a girl from the city crosses his path that promises to take him to the Guardian, who has feathers just like him. Surrounding this is the mysterious being who is taking the Mice and murdering him and it is only before this being and Feathers cross paths. A Dickensian story for elementary and middle school readers.