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A colorful, unpredictable postapocalyptic world comes alive in Skip, when two unlikely friends, Bloom and Gloopy, find themselves tossed from dimension to dimension. Gloopy is running toward adventure, and away from their home and friends who don't understand their creative talent. Bloom is desperately trying to return home to their lake, and avoid the terrible violence of the city. Instead, both Bloom and Gloopy find what they need in each other, and bravely return home to challenge their fears and create beauty in their own worlds.
As Bloom and Gloopy skip through dimensions and encounter weeping giants, alligator islands, and a topsy turvy 2D world, they find comfort in each other and learn that sometimes, your greatest fear reveals where your strengths lie. Great for fans of Black Mirror.
"Skip is a flurry of bold and vivid cartooning that pulls you through this tender story of friendship at heart-wrenching speeds. Molly layers every page with such a dense whimsicality that it left me wanting to go back and re-read so I could sink my eyes into the details again and again."
--Sloane Leong, creator of Prism Stalker
As Bloom and Gloopy skip through dimensions and encounter weeping giants, alligator islands, and a topsy turvy 2D world, they find comfort in each other and learn that sometimes, your greatest fear reveals where your strengths lie. Great for fans of Black Mirror.
"Skip is a flurry of bold and vivid cartooning that pulls you through this tender story of friendship at heart-wrenching speeds. Molly layers every page with such a dense whimsicality that it left me wanting to go back and re-read so I could sink my eyes into the details again and again."
--Sloane Leong, creator of Prism Stalker
168 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2019
14 people are currently reading
1766 people want to read
About the author
Molly Mendoza
19 books54 followersMolly Mendoza explores the complexities of interpersonal relationships and strives to portray those feelings that we just can't shake through their work. From fiery anger to the roar of joy, they depict emotions through mark and color. Her practice over time has expanded into comics, editorial work, painting, and murals.
Shas a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and is a recipient of the RockStar Games Award from the 2015 Society of Illustrators Student Competition. Her first graphic novel, Skip, was published in 2019.
When Molly isn't telling stories or drawing big tears, she is probably hanging out with her cat, Doodle. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
Shas a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and is a recipient of the RockStar Games Award from the 2015 Society of Illustrators Student Competition. Her first graphic novel, Skip, was published in 2019.
When Molly isn't telling stories or drawing big tears, she is probably hanging out with her cat, Doodle. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 325 reviews
July 26, 2019
animation industry make a movie of this or I'm comin for you
December 10, 2019
A simple story where Bloom, a human, and Gloopy, a creature from another dimension, both in some kind of crisis, meet and skip across dimensions, encountering various fantastical creatures, becoming friends. Gorgeous watercolor? painted? digital artwork is really the main feature of this, the reason to pick it up. Not much story, but so much color!
And you know, it's fantasy, so the artist gets to just invent. Which is essentially what the story is about, since Gloopy, this goofy-looking character, is also some kind of artist. So it's allegorical/autobiographical, maybe. Enhanced by the typically high quality Nobrow hardcover production. I would have rated it two stars for the thin story and character but the art is worth looking at.
And you know, it's fantasy, so the artist gets to just invent. Which is essentially what the story is about, since Gloopy, this goofy-looking character, is also some kind of artist. So it's allegorical/autobiographical, maybe. Enhanced by the typically high quality Nobrow hardcover production. I would have rated it two stars for the thin story and character but the art is worth looking at.
August 6, 2019
This is easily the most visually gorgeous graphic novel that I have ever encountered. The friendship story is effortless and accessible. A true finding yourself, finding your strengths, and then finding others when you feel like you're lost story. Story feels a little Alice in Wonderland while at the same time is NOTHING like Alice in Wonderland. Gender-neutral "they" pronouns are used throughout. Ingram has this as 13 y.o. and up ... but story is clean so I wouldn't hesitate to put this in the hands of a younger student who is interested interested in graphics, art, and design.
September 13, 2023
The art in this book is absolutely gorgeous, and the page layouts are stunning. The story opens with a child, Bloom, and a nonbinary adult, Bee, surviving in a post apocalyptic world. But Bee goes off to help a stranger and then Bloom falls through an Alice-in-Wonderland like rabbit hole into multiple different trippy, strange settings were they are generally much tinier than all the other inhabitants. There's a nice through line about friendship and trusting yourself, but ultimately I found the story too ungrounded and loose to have a deep emotional impact.
December 6, 2024
Molly Mendoza needs to quit making graphic novels and start submitting her works to museums. This is one of the rare times where I think the cover art doesn't do proper justice to the gorgeous work inside; I'm so used to cover arts being more beautiful that the actual contents!
This is by far the most jaw-dropping art style I've ever seen in a graphic novel, and I don't say that lightly. As someone who paints as a hobby, I'd kill to be able to adopt her clever usage of colour. The overall abstract quality to Skip, and the stylistic choices used to convey emotion were phenomenal. Mendoza's art reminded me faintly of the paintings done by Canadian Indigenous Peoples that are hung up in galleries here. I read Skip front-to-back while sitting in a bookstore, and ended up so awestruck by the art alone that I had to buy it and give it to my sister (who wants to pursue art). I think it's the first graphic novel I've ever actually purchased, too!
The story itself felt like a hazy dream. There were some elements of realness tied up in an otherwise experimental fantasy realm, and it felt like I didn't really know what was going on while also loving the strange ride. I will definitely be returning to this graphic novel again and again. I need
This is by far the most jaw-dropping art style I've ever seen in a graphic novel, and I don't say that lightly. As someone who paints as a hobby, I'd kill to be able to adopt her clever usage of colour. The overall abstract quality to Skip, and the stylistic choices used to convey emotion were phenomenal. Mendoza's art reminded me faintly of the paintings done by Canadian Indigenous Peoples that are hung up in galleries here. I read Skip front-to-back while sitting in a bookstore, and ended up so awestruck by the art alone that I had to buy it and give it to my sister (who wants to pursue art). I think it's the first graphic novel I've ever actually purchased, too!
The story itself felt like a hazy dream. There were some elements of realness tied up in an otherwise experimental fantasy realm, and it felt like I didn't really know what was going on while also loving the strange ride. I will definitely be returning to this graphic novel again and again. I need
June 16, 2020
The art is OUTSTANDING!! Especially all of the water (lakes, bubbles, tears, etc.) illustrations. This looks like the kind of graphic novel that would be delightful to make (mostly imaginative scenes with color filling the pages rather than word bubbles).
When I reread this I will take my time really closely viewing the art and completely ignore the dialogue.
When I reread this I will take my time really closely viewing the art and completely ignore the dialogue.
September 25, 2019
Really truly beautiful. Fantastic use of the comics medium for transcendent storytelling. Fascinating interwoven characters and worlds and riveting use of color. Panel wonkery abounds. Bonus points for non-binary representation!
January 20, 2020
A beautifully illustrated portal fantasy. Following Bloom and Gloopy -- the former a young boy from a post-apocalyptic world and the latter, a fantastical being -- the story chronicles their adventures when Bloom accidentally stumbles into Gloopy’s world when he dives into a pond to retrieve an amulet they’ve inherited. The two find themselves on an otherworldly adventure as they hop from world to world while Bloom tries to retrieve the amulet.
Mendoza’s title is thin on plot but makes up for it in spades with her gorgeous illustrations. I wanted to take 90% of the pages in this and have them blown up, printed, and framed. She uses a lush and colourful style, and uses variations of this style when Bloom and Gloopy are hopping between worlds.
While there isn’t much meat to the narrative, it is still there and has some complexity. There’s a thread about creativity and others not always understanding your art, or how your art contributes to society at large. It’s woven in with themes of being a good friend -- more specifically, being present, patient, and conscientious.
This appears to be Mendoza’s first traditionally published work, but I look forward to reading whatever she comes out with next!
Mendoza’s title is thin on plot but makes up for it in spades with her gorgeous illustrations. I wanted to take 90% of the pages in this and have them blown up, printed, and framed. She uses a lush and colourful style, and uses variations of this style when Bloom and Gloopy are hopping between worlds.
While there isn’t much meat to the narrative, it is still there and has some complexity. There’s a thread about creativity and others not always understanding your art, or how your art contributes to society at large. It’s woven in with themes of being a good friend -- more specifically, being present, patient, and conscientious.
This appears to be Mendoza’s first traditionally published work, but I look forward to reading whatever she comes out with next!
October 28, 2020
Now, I love weird, surreal, crazy graphic novels, and beautifully heavily illustrated graphic novels. That's basically my favorite genre, but it's a tricky one: there's a very thin, very fine line between "surreal and challenging" and "too complicated and confusing," and Skip, unfortunately, falls into the latter category.
It starts off well enough; a young child is left behind by his parental figure and elsewhere a young creature feels isolated and misunderstood by their friends (and there's honestly really great nonbinary representation in this). But after they meet and go on their skipping-into-parallel-worlds adventure, it loses me. These worlds are hard to parse, visually, and don't really impact the plot (except one or two). Bloom and Gloopy spend most of their time alternately whining and bolstering each other, regardless of which world they're in, and only spending a few pages/panels in each world. It really feels as though the (pretty basic and predictable) plot is in service to the art, which, like, just make an art book instead.
It starts off well enough; a young child is left behind by his parental figure and elsewhere a young creature feels isolated and misunderstood by their friends (and there's honestly really great nonbinary representation in this). But after they meet and go on their skipping-into-parallel-worlds adventure, it loses me. These worlds are hard to parse, visually, and don't really impact the plot (except one or two). Bloom and Gloopy spend most of their time alternately whining and bolstering each other, regardless of which world they're in, and only spending a few pages/panels in each world. It really feels as though the (pretty basic and predictable) plot is in service to the art, which, like, just make an art book instead.
July 23, 2022
This trippy graphic novel follows a child named Bloom who lives alone with their caretaker, Bee, in a post-apocalyptic landscape. When Bee receives a radio transmission asking for help, they go across the lake, leaving Bloom behind all alone. Bloom is skipping rocks one day and in anger skips the pendant Bee left. Diving below the surface for the pendant, Bloom is thrust into a bizarre world alongside a mushroom-esque creature named Gloopy, and will encounter many more strange landscapes before finding their way back home.
The story was strange and fluid and really unique, but at times the stylized artwork made it difficult to fully understand what was going on although the coloring worked really well. I loved Gloopy's ADD personality and how Bloom and Gloopy's friendship developed through their adventures. The ending was a little bittersweet.
The story was strange and fluid and really unique, but at times the stylized artwork made it difficult to fully understand what was going on although the coloring worked really well. I loved Gloopy's ADD personality and how Bloom and Gloopy's friendship developed through their adventures. The ending was a little bittersweet.
December 7, 2019
Rating: 5 Stars ★★★★★
↠ Skip full review 🌊❤
SKIP is an absolute masterpiece! This is a WONDERFUL graphic novel that needs more hype, please read it you won't be disappointed!! The art is captivating, uses a enchanting rainbow of color, and tells a deeply moving and emotionally-driven journey filled with depth!
Skip by Molly Mendoza is a beautiful tale of friendship, growth, and introspection as Bloom & Gloopy travel across different dimensions looking for a way home!
Honestly I can't even put my thoughts into words about how great this graphic novel was, the art just captivates you in an instant, while Bloom & Gloopy's journey is one filled with emotion, reflection, and what it means to them to find home!
With each and every panel, you see that they are truly works of art! (Even the cover alone)
If you love emotionally-driven and impactful storytelling, surrealist + vibrant art, & a journey of friendship and much more, Molly Mendoza's SKIP is a must-read!!
Rep.: Characters who use they/them pronouns (Bee, Bloom, & Gloopy) & characters who are (to me) meant to be Latinx (brown-skinned) & this is by a Latina illustrator
↠ Skip full review 🌊❤
SKIP is an absolute masterpiece! This is a WONDERFUL graphic novel that needs more hype, please read it you won't be disappointed!! The art is captivating, uses a enchanting rainbow of color, and tells a deeply moving and emotionally-driven journey filled with depth!
Skip by Molly Mendoza is a beautiful tale of friendship, growth, and introspection as Bloom & Gloopy travel across different dimensions looking for a way home!
Honestly I can't even put my thoughts into words about how great this graphic novel was, the art just captivates you in an instant, while Bloom & Gloopy's journey is one filled with emotion, reflection, and what it means to them to find home!
With each and every panel, you see that they are truly works of art! (Even the cover alone)
If you love emotionally-driven and impactful storytelling, surrealist + vibrant art, & a journey of friendship and much more, Molly Mendoza's SKIP is a must-read!!
Rep.: Characters who use they/them pronouns (Bee, Bloom, & Gloopy) & characters who are (to me) meant to be Latinx (brown-skinned) & this is by a Latina illustrator
February 5, 2020
Beautiful, stunning artwork with a less entertaining narrative. This one took me a while to read because I found the artwork competing too much with the story, to the point where I lost interest. Visually it's definitely a 5-star book, but the overall layout (and sometimes color choices) made it difficult to understand what was happening. This cute little story about similar "outsiders" who become friends and journey together back home was lighthearted, but nothing too new or captivating for my interest. Overall an okay narrative - but the art by itself takes the spotlight!
December 13, 2024
i’d never read a graphic novel before but randomly picked this up from the library and woww .. the artwork is just sooo incredibly gorgeous
July 31, 2021
Would’ve give it a 3 stars but the more I think about it, the more I change my mind. The end just passed some messages that I really like. Anyway 3,5 just cause it’s not the type of book I would buy
November 21, 2019
A whimsical and heartwarming tale of a couple of beings from different worlds skipping through other worlds and dimensions until they find their way home and deal with quite difficult situations.
The bright eye-catching hardcover caught my attention from the library shelf. A quick enjoyable read through showed me that these graphics are whimsical, original and enhance the story.
One that you could flick through and enjoy the graphics again and again.
The bright eye-catching hardcover caught my attention from the library shelf. A quick enjoyable read through showed me that these graphics are whimsical, original and enhance the story.
One that you could flick through and enjoy the graphics again and again.
August 30, 2019
I have so many feelings about this stunning graphic novel, and I just love it so, so much in its entirety. The art is incredibly beautiful and the characters and the main friendship are moving and believable and just ... please do yourselves a favour and read this <33 ;W;
April 30, 2020
Gorgeous and vividly dreamy artwork.
September 23, 2025
Between the delightful art style and passionate usage of color, this book told a unique story of friendship, what home means to each of us, and how our differences can become our strengths. Truly, an innovative exploration of parallel worlds and kinship. This story left me with a smile on my face as its final page came to a close.
March 2, 2021
Un dessin époustouflant, une histoire pas incroyable mais qui emporte tout de même. Et après la lecture, une étrange sensation de bien-être.
Une BD a le mérite de s'essayer à l'écriture inclusive (malgré quelques fautes ou maladresses) puisqu'aucun des personnages n'est genré.
Mais enfin c'est surtout une oeuvre d'art, je ne redirai jamais assez à quel point le dessin est magnifique.
Une BD a le mérite de s'essayer à l'écriture inclusive (malgré quelques fautes ou maladresses) puisqu'aucun des personnages n'est genré.
Mais enfin c'est surtout une oeuvre d'art, je ne redirai jamais assez à quel point le dessin est magnifique.
August 3, 2022
3 stars. Not a lot of story here and I would have liked the inter dimensional travel more explored, but it reads more as simple introspection in a post apocalyptic world. The visuals are stunning and the artwork alone is worth picking up this book for.
May 1, 2022
The art is so beautiful, each page could easily be hung up and displayed. I also really enjoyed the story, it just ended a bit abruptly for me.
December 19, 2024
Skip by Molly Mendoza. A cartoony fantastical story with breathtaking artwork with some of the most visually stunning coloring i have seen in some time. For people who look for art over story.
July 19, 2020
A simple story of finding the right person at the right time. Read this for the fever dream visuals— there are so many pages I want to turn into prints.
Read
September 11, 2021this goes absolutely crazy prob thee most visually stunning graphic novel i’ve read to date
October 11, 2019
Utterly amazing artwork that explodes behind your eyes and takes you on an unforgettable journey. So immersive you could stare at each page only for a new surprise to be revealed. Raw emotion. Spectacular bursts of colour & effortless exploration & experimentation. Limited vocabulary but a picture speaks a thousand words. The layering, the framing, the fantabulous transitioning. Wow. A student said on looking at the front cover- “It’s as if creation had taken form and dived into the ocean.” A magnum opus.
January 31, 2023
disclaimer, this was sent to me by nobrow press!
the story was simple and dreamy and easy to follow despite its abstract otherworldliness, and the characters were just delightfully designed. the color and overall art is beyond gorgeous, the way mendoza weaves together abstract and concrete is really really beautiful! there are a bunch of pages from this that could just. go in a museum. i definitely understand the critiques of it being hard to follow, but i tried not to overthink it and let myself absorb the artwork and dialogue, and i really enjoyed it!
i also love a little story where gender simply doesn’t exist 😌
the story was simple and dreamy and easy to follow despite its abstract otherworldliness, and the characters were just delightfully designed. the color and overall art is beyond gorgeous, the way mendoza weaves together abstract and concrete is really really beautiful! there are a bunch of pages from this that could just. go in a museum. i definitely understand the critiques of it being hard to follow, but i tried not to overthink it and let myself absorb the artwork and dialogue, and i really enjoyed it!
i also love a little story where gender simply doesn’t exist 😌
November 6, 2019
3.5*
as plenty others have said: this is simply gorgeous to look at, the art is very unique and emotional. it’s easy to simply stare at a few pages to get all the details in. the story was a unfortunately pretty bland and predictable, but i would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants to read something short and sweet, especially for younger readers
as plenty others have said: this is simply gorgeous to look at, the art is very unique and emotional. it’s easy to simply stare at a few pages to get all the details in. the story was a unfortunately pretty bland and predictable, but i would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants to read something short and sweet, especially for younger readers
May 12, 2019
Bought, read, and got signed at TCAF 2019. A really gorgeous book. A fairly straightforward story about some dimension-hopping youths but with some stunning visuals and solid characterization. It turns out I got her Zine last year and it was also a visual spectacle. Mendoza does not disappoint!
November 13, 2020
I rate this 3 because the art is amazing but I did not find this to be the amazing uplifting etc book that everyone else seems to have read. I found it kind of difficult to follow and maybe lost a little interest in Gloopy and Bloom's adventures together.
March 4, 2021
una historia a la que le falta guión porque quiere dar un bonito mensaje que no sabe como explicar a lo largo de las páginas. Aunque la forma artística de la autora es muy bonita
Más sobre mi opinión en la reseña del blog
https://almalectora.wordpress.com/202...
Más sobre mi opinión en la reseña del blog
https://almalectora.wordpress.com/202...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 325 reviews