A young girl must stop a threat to her magical world in this epic graphic novel from New York Times bestselling author Marjorie Liu and remarkable debut illustrator Teny Issakhanian.
Zuli is extraordinary--she just doesn't realize it yet. Raised by mystical bird spirits in the branches of the Great Tree, she's never ventured beyond this safe haven. She's never had to. Until now.
When a sinister force threatens the life-giving magic of the tree, Zuli, along with her guardian owl, Frowly, must get to the root of it. So begins an adventure bigger than anything Zuli could've ever imagined--one that will bring her, along with some newfound friends, face-to-face with an ancient dragon, the so-called Witch-Queen, and most surprisingly of all: her true identity.
This captivating middle grade graphic novel, the first of a series, is perfect for fans of the Amulet books and the Wings of Fire series.
New York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and she leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop.
Ms. Liu is a highly celebrated comic book writer. Her extensive work with Marvel includes the bestselling Dark Wolverine series, NYX: No Way Home, X-23, and Black Widow: The Name of the Rose. She received national media attention for Astonishing X-Men, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Ms. Liu also wrote the story for the animated film, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher, which was produced by Marvel, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Madhouse Inc.
Her newest work is MONSTRESS, an original, creator-owned comic book series with Japanese artist (and X-23 collaborator) Sana Takeda. Published by Image in Fall 2015, MONSTRESS is set in an alternate, matriarchal 1920’s Asia and follows a girl’s struggle to survive the trauma of war. With a cast of girls and monsters and set against a richly imagined aesthetic of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS #1 debuted to critical praise. The Hollywood Reporter remarked that the longer than typical first issue was “world-building on a scale rare in mainstream comics.”
Ms. Liu is also the author of more than 19 novels, most notably the urban fantasy series, Hunter Kiss, and the paranormal romance series, Dirk & Steele. Her novels have also been bestsellers on USA Today, which described Liu “as imaginative as she is prolific.” Her critically praised fiction has twice received the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, for THE MORTAL BONE (Hunter Kiss #6), and TIGER EYE (Dirk & Steele #1). TIGER EYE was the basis for a bestselling paranormal romance video game called Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box.
Liu has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, MTV, and been profiled in the Wall Street Journal.com, Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. She is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker, appearing on panels at San Diego Comic Con, the Tokyo Literary Festival, the New York Times Public Lecture series, Geeks Out; and the Asian American Writers Workshop. Her work has been published internationally, including Germany, France, Japan, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
Ms. Liu was born in Philadelphia, and has lived in numerous cities in the Midwest and Beijing. Prior to writing full-time, she was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.
A dazzling promise of an adventure! Loved this gorgeous graphic novel.
Wingbearer inspires a sense of wonder and adventure. Issakhanian’s illustrations bring to life a vivid and realised world, the details in the art illuminating boundless magic and mysteries unknown. Readers will be swept away from the very first page, intrigued by Zuli’s enchanting home in the Great Tree and intrigued even more to discover that the world beyond everything she ever knew is, in contrast, cold, sad, and devoid of life.
Wingbearer has an unexpected yet welcome leaning towards philosophy, spirituality, and nature, and Zuli’s contrasting perspective on nature compared to other characters will definitely inspire discussion. Indeed, Wingbearer is a compelling fantasy adventure, but it is also a profound story about identity, belonging, and doing what is right. Zuli is also a fantastic protagonist and I enjoyed following her journey from her perspective.
Ultimately, Wingbearer is a faultlessly fun adventure and I had a great time reading it. In fact, Wingbearer made me nostalgic for the visual stories that I read as a kid; the kind of stories with vast new worlds or memorable characters that made me not only want to dive right into the world but also be like the characters embarking on a brave adventure and experiencing wondrous things beyond my imagination.
The art is clean and crisp and engaging, the characters are endearing, and the world building is fascinating. So why only three stars? To be honest, despite this being a YA graphic novel, I was expecting a lot more from Marjorie Liu. The plot was so YA quest by the numbers hero's journey, that the other good aspects of the world and the art dimmed a bit. Still a good book, just not as good as I was hoping.
For some reason I was under the impression that this was a standalone; that is very much not the case.
The story was cute, but the biggest draw of this was the art - it is so bright and beautiful! I absolutely loved spotting some hilarious facial expressions in between the gorgeous art.
I'm gonna be honest, though, and say that I'm not super tempted to continue on with the series. The story is very obviously far from over, but didn't intrigue me enough to keep going.
Wow! A true gem on the juvenile graphic novel shelves, anyone who enjoys comics or amazing fantasy artwork shouldn't miss this one. I wasn't surprised to see the artist has done work for Disney; the emotive characters most strongly resemble their classic creations.
Those who like both graphic novels and fantasy will want to give a try. For those who do not like cliffhangers, my recommendation is to wait for at least the next book (if not the entire series) before reading this.
You know when you are reading a story that is so incredible and you NEVER want it to end? THAT is Wingbearer!!
Evoking the emotions of Fern Gully with the magic of Dungeons & Dragons, this story is so incredible and I could literally read 1000 more pages. This is so obviously a Volume 1, so maybe my wish will be granted. I truly hope so!
Zuli is an INCREDIBLE MC! She is someone to look up to for POC Kids everywhere. Her kindness is only outmatched by her determination to see all the lost bird souls returned to the Tree of Life.
I loved the amazing cast of supporting characters, so I’ll be excited to see how they grow and adapt with the next book.
Thank You to Net Galley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a great start to a series, fingers crossed 🤞🏾. I really loved this, so much mystery and that cliff hanger left me wanting more.
Update 2025: Reread
After reading this story again I just had to bump up the stars. This story was even better the second time. Once again I loved this just as much, actually even better. I can’t wait to read the second one ❤️
I seem to be the lone weirdo who found this one a chore to read. In literature, it seems impossible that there could be too much exposition, and too many conversations between characters, but in a graphic novel . . . yeah, there's such a thing as too much. Despite plenty of action scenes, this book seems to plod along. Perhaps those kids who are enamored of video games where the characters don't do much but walk around and look for things will find joy in this one, I don't know . . .
On the plus side, we've got a strong, fearless gal of color leading the charge. She's an awesome heroine, and really the main reason to check out the book. AND, the artwork by Teny Issakhanian is out of this world!
When I saw Marjorie Liu had both a new middle grade and adult series coming out this year, I knew I had to pick up both of them. And while this one was cute and I had a fun time reading it, it didn't come close to the awesomeness that is The Night Eaters series.
Wingbearer is about Zuli, a young girl raised by mythic spirit birds in an enormous magical tree. She's been sheltered there her whole life and doesn't know where she came from. One day when Zuli learns that the souls of the birds are not returning to the magical tree, she heads out with her owl friend Frowly on a grand adventure to solve the mystery.
The colorful and vibrant art was my favorite part of this graphic novel. And the cast of characters was pretty cute, too! I'm just not sure that I was invested enough in the story to continue. But I'd highly recommend it for middle grade graphic novel readers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced digital copy to read and review.
Zuli was raised by bird spirits in a mystical great tree that is a haven for their souls. Her origin is a mystery and she seems to be the only one of her kind. When bird souls are taken and not allowed to come to the great haven in order to be reborn, Zuli leaves her home to solve the mystery and retrieve the souls.
Accompanied by her owl guardian Frowley, Zuli goes on a journey, gathering unexpected friends and fighting enemies along the way. She discovers her own unexpected gifts, and begins to uncover her identity.
This engaging adventure swept me away to Zuli’s world and I didn’t want the story to end. The artwork is wonderful and fits the tone of the story perfectly. The world building is very well done, complex and immersive, without being confusing. This is fast paced and action-packed but the characters really shine through. Recommended for fans of Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi.
I already knew I would love the story (despite my dislike of birds) because I'm a fan of Liu's Monstress so let me gush about Teny Issakhanian, the artist.
First off, it is so cool to see an Armenian name on the cover of a book. Besides Chris Bohjalian, I can't recall any others, so it really meant something to me as an Armenian hoping to see my own name on a book one day. She also has a super impressive resume. Kudos to a kickass Armenian woman.
Second, Teny's art is GORGEOUS. You can see all the emotions in the art and feel them like the characters do. The world is also so so beautiful. I can't wait to see more.
This would have been five stars except I didn't think much was resolved by the end. Clearly, it is meant to be a series and this first volume acts as background/set up. The reveal in the end was wild, I just wanted more.
4.5 rounded up. It dragged a bit in some places is all. But was DELIGHTFUL! Talk about being true to who you are and supporting others, no matter the differences. Truly grand intro to this world!
This was a captivating story from beginning to end. The characters and the world building was wonderful, and I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2. The illustration style was wonderful as well. I’m ordering a copy for my classroom, and keeping this copy for myself!
Wow wow wow. I loved this graphic novel so much. The illustrations? Stunning. The plot? Had me hooked from start to finish. So full of adventure and extremely well developed. It also explores lots of themes that kids can recognize in the real world very subtly (like racism, stereotyping, judging others before you meet them, etc.) and overall is just so well done.
One of the most fun and satisfying graphic novels I’ve ever read. And that cliffhanger!!!!! I hope there is a sequel soon because I’ll gobble it up as quickly as I read this. I could read this again and again.
This and many other reviews on my blog, TheGrimoireReliquary.com
Marjorie Liu and Teny Issakhanian have created a magical world in *Wingbearer*, the first in a trilogy of graphic novels. I was sent this one (alongside an arc of the second work in the series, *Wingborn*) by Sparkerpoint Studio in return for a review. Their representative reached out to offer me copies of these, for which--thanks, Rylee!
What a kick I'd have gotten with _Wingbearer_ if I read it about twenty years ago when I was a kid! Marjorie Liu doesn't try to go for anything fancy and genre-defying; she creates a narrative that lives by the strength of her character work, worldbuilding, and plotting. The latter taps into the DNA of the quest narrative, whereby protagonist Zuli, grown among the bird spirits, will answer a call to arms and go forth into the real world to discover why it is that the souls of birds can no longer arrive to Bird Heaven.
From this point onward, what we've got is a marvellous adventure with a colourful cast of characters. From a winged goblin boy and his pet weasel to a royal captain astride a winged serpent, Zuli begins a magical education across this fantastic and colourful world. It looks splendid; Teny Issakhanian has done a wonderful job of rendering Zuli and her adventures in storyboard-like panels, so close to frames of an animated film from Disney's golden era that you'd be forgiven for googling *Wingbearer* to see when it hits the cinemas. I have to wonder if a translation from the page onto screen wouldn't be very easy indeed when the source material is already so embroiled in that type of visual design.
Frowly the Owl is my favourite winged companion since Batty the Bat of Ferngully fame! Well, one of them. I can't help but think that Marjorie Liu is tapping into that exact archetype: Frowly is cautious, a little cowardly, but with a heart of gold. He's ready to do anything and everything for his companion. I can't say that I blame him; two-hundred pages of following along Zuli's adventure, and I'd do anything to help that kid, myself. She's a wonderful protagonist, the kind you'd hope your child might latch onto as a role model and emulate. She's brave and kind, forgiving and curious about the world, without being foolhardy. Naive? Perhaps, but only if you equate naivety with hopefulness and a belief in the best nature of those you meet.
The whole of *Wingbearer* is imbued with a special magic of its own, and will no doubt win Marjorie Liu more than one pocket-sized admirer. Zuli's adventure promises to be the best kind, one of those journeys that will see a ruined world bloom once more. The graphic novel captures well the magic and the wonder of fantasy, and Zuli's lack of familiarity with this world works as well as does the reader's own: the experience of discovery is shared, and all the sweeter for it. If you have a nostalgia for simple and beautiful fantastic stories from your childhood, or else you have a kid you want to treat to a magical journey, *Wingbearer* might well be exactly what you need.
This is it- this is my new GOLDEN STANDARD for excellent middle grade graphic novels. The art ✨✨✨✨✨ The story ✨✨✨✨✨ The characters ✨✨✨✨✨ The twists ✨✨✨✨✨ The beautiful world ✨✨✨✨✨ The magical creatures ✨✨✨✨✨
I have no notes other than the mental screenshots I was taking of every single beautiful panel. The writing and dialogue was excellent- prose-like narrative, natural dialogue, great formatting. The art style was dynamic, colorful, balanced, animated
This is truly a master work collaboration between two masters of their craft. I highly recommend it.
My favorite scenes were every time the MC had a special moment with the birds. I adore her.
3.5 Absolutely beautiful drawings. There are many transitions, it felt that it could have been a cartoon show with many 30 min episodes. The protagonist is very sweet and even with all the (sometimes messy) plot points you root for her all the time. I listened to a review and they said it has The Giving Tree vibes and I can see that. I will try to read the next volume because I need a resolution to every-single-thing that’s happening.
Some of the most stunning art I had the pleasure to consume up to this day.
The storyline is quite promising, full of secrets and intrigue. I particularly like Zuli's kindness and determination to do good. There's also a lot of humorous panels, with character's reacting to one another in ways that make you smile.
I may be only giving this four stars, but I think this is one of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read. The plot is so layered. It’s like a written book. I love graphic novels but they usually feel… a tiny bit shallower than novels. Also the physical comedy made this feel like a movie. I could see this as an animation. It would be BEAUTIFUL. I’m excited to read the second volume!
This was a fantastic start to a series. I love the protagonist and I love how she does things even though she afraid. It sends a great message to kids reading this.