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Flutter #1
Flutter, Volume One: Hell Can Wait
Fifteen year-old Lily shape-shifts into a boy to get THE girl. Chaos ensues from pretending to be someone she's not. While coming to terms with who she really is and what she's done, Lily learns that life as a boy is just as difficult.
"A truly thrilling graphic novel." - Gail Simone
"Flutter is one of the year's best LGBT graphic novels." - Jacob Anderson-Minshall, The Advocate
"I'm telling you all to read Flutter. This might just be the most unique comic book I have read since...well, I honestly can't remember because there's nothing to compare it to in my personal lexicon. The art by Jeff McComsey is incredible and suits the story perfectly with great color while Jennie Wood weaves one hell of a yarn."
- Shawn Perry, Bleeding Cool
"A truly thrilling graphic novel." - Gail Simone
"Flutter is one of the year's best LGBT graphic novels." - Jacob Anderson-Minshall, The Advocate
"I'm telling you all to read Flutter. This might just be the most unique comic book I have read since...well, I honestly can't remember because there's nothing to compare it to in my personal lexicon. The art by Jeff McComsey is incredible and suits the story perfectly with great color while Jennie Wood weaves one hell of a yarn."
- Shawn Perry, Bleeding Cool
110 pages, Graphic Novel
First published February 15, 2013
5 people are currently reading
602 people want to read
About the author
Jennie Wood
20 books95 followersJennie Wood is a nonbinary author, comic creator, and musician, currently living in Boston. They created the critically acclaimed, award-winning Flutter graphic novel series. Featured in The New York Times, Boston Globe, and on Law & Order: SVU, Flutter was named one of the best LGBTQ graphic novels of 2013 and 2015 by The Advocate. In November 2018, Dark Horse Comics published The Flutter Collection, all three volumes combined into one book. That collection won the Next Generation Indie Book award for best graphic novel of 2019.
Jennie is also the author of the YA novel, A Boy Like Me, which was a Next Generation Indie Book awards finalist, an INDIEFAB Book of the Year finalist, and one of Foreword Reviews’ 10 Best Indie YA novels for 2014. Their work can also be seen in The New York Times best-selling, award-winning FUBAR anthologies, The New York Times best-selling and Eisner award-winning anthology Love is Love, the Harvey-nominated 27, A Comic Anthology, and John Carpenter's Tales for a HalloweeNight.
More: jenniewood.com
Jennie is also the author of the YA novel, A Boy Like Me, which was a Next Generation Indie Book awards finalist, an INDIEFAB Book of the Year finalist, and one of Foreword Reviews’ 10 Best Indie YA novels for 2014. Their work can also be seen in The New York Times best-selling, award-winning FUBAR anthologies, The New York Times best-selling and Eisner award-winning anthology Love is Love, the Harvey-nominated 27, A Comic Anthology, and John Carpenter's Tales for a HalloweeNight.
More: jenniewood.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 2, 2013
This is a great graphic novel for adults and teenagers. It's all about learning to accept who you are and loving yourself for who you are. It's about a 15 year-old girl who can shape-shift into a boy. She does this to get the girl of her dreams, but she learns that being a boy is just as hard. This is a page turner. The writing is top notch and the art matches the writing perfectly.
May 6, 2013
Jennie Wood's Flutter is exactly what a fantasy graphic novel should be, and how refreshing it is to find that in the world of comics!
There are times when I despair for fantasy as a genre. It seems each trend, even within the indie world, echoes ad nauseum through fiction. The escapist, Tolkien-inspired, D&D fan-fiction-esque Sword and Sorcery, the all-fiction-merged, fractured-fairy-tale noir knock-offs, the gritty, over-narrated superhero origin stories - all of these things have their place and all have at times been written well, but even outside of the mainstream, I sometimes feel so drowned in repetition that it can be difficult to grab on to something original and come up for air. Sometimes I just want a break from zombies.
There is a spy thriller element to Flutter. Its protagonist, Lily, has some extraordinary abilities, including the ability to morph into a boy and some regenerative powers. Neither of these things, however, are at the heart of the story. This is the story about a high school student attempting to find their identity. How Lily's powers came to be is explained with an appropriate sci-fi hand-wave; it's not important how she got them, it's only important because it allows her to live as two different people, both of them outsiders, at times even alienating their friends. Each pulled gun and snapped neck functions the only way a spy thriller in a high school setting can: it simply heightens the tensions within their social dynamic, making each teenage in-fight as life-or-death dramatic as it feels for a high school student.
Sex, gender and LBGT issues are of course prominent, but they are not played as one-note character traits or as adult revelations, but as awkward, groping explorations into identity. Where other graphic novels leer at their characters by dressing them as TV high schoolers instead of real ones, Flutter focuses its angles on their faces and shows their arms curled over their chests, displaying that uncertain, adolescent gait. Instead of dressing in the odd, uniform "clique" gear, what people think goths and punks and jocks look like, these characters are dressed like high school students: unsure of themselves, often in ill-fitting clothing that sags. When the characters start rehearsing in a band, the notes and chords and flow of music are discussed, instead of simply listing bands in attempt to pigeonhole the characters.
In short, Flutter asks that its readers take the tropes of its genre for granted, without obsessing over them or falling to a solipsism of meta-analysis, while it earns its readership where it really counts: its fully realized, teenage characters and their interactions with one-another. We are willing to trust it that Lily can shapeshift, because that's the kind of world this is, but it earns our trust with regard to its humanity.
There are times when I despair for fantasy as a genre. It seems each trend, even within the indie world, echoes ad nauseum through fiction. The escapist, Tolkien-inspired, D&D fan-fiction-esque Sword and Sorcery, the all-fiction-merged, fractured-fairy-tale noir knock-offs, the gritty, over-narrated superhero origin stories - all of these things have their place and all have at times been written well, but even outside of the mainstream, I sometimes feel so drowned in repetition that it can be difficult to grab on to something original and come up for air. Sometimes I just want a break from zombies.
There is a spy thriller element to Flutter. Its protagonist, Lily, has some extraordinary abilities, including the ability to morph into a boy and some regenerative powers. Neither of these things, however, are at the heart of the story. This is the story about a high school student attempting to find their identity. How Lily's powers came to be is explained with an appropriate sci-fi hand-wave; it's not important how she got them, it's only important because it allows her to live as two different people, both of them outsiders, at times even alienating their friends. Each pulled gun and snapped neck functions the only way a spy thriller in a high school setting can: it simply heightens the tensions within their social dynamic, making each teenage in-fight as life-or-death dramatic as it feels for a high school student.
Sex, gender and LBGT issues are of course prominent, but they are not played as one-note character traits or as adult revelations, but as awkward, groping explorations into identity. Where other graphic novels leer at their characters by dressing them as TV high schoolers instead of real ones, Flutter focuses its angles on their faces and shows their arms curled over their chests, displaying that uncertain, adolescent gait. Instead of dressing in the odd, uniform "clique" gear, what people think goths and punks and jocks look like, these characters are dressed like high school students: unsure of themselves, often in ill-fitting clothing that sags. When the characters start rehearsing in a band, the notes and chords and flow of music are discussed, instead of simply listing bands in attempt to pigeonhole the characters.
In short, Flutter asks that its readers take the tropes of its genre for granted, without obsessing over them or falling to a solipsism of meta-analysis, while it earns its readership where it really counts: its fully realized, teenage characters and their interactions with one-another. We are willing to trust it that Lily can shapeshift, because that's the kind of world this is, but it earns our trust with regard to its humanity.
July 8, 2013
The Advocate recently named Flutter one of the year's best LGBT graphic novels and I can see why. (You can read the full review here: http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertai...).
The scope of this graphic novel is ambitious both in story and in art and I think it delivers. While there are subplots involving the FBI and stolen government research, a guilt-ridden shape-shifting mother and well-meaning father, the heart of the story is this: a girl falls for another girl and pretends to be someone she's not. Her journey - learning to be true to herself in order to find true love is something anyone can relate to. It's about growing up and learning that you don't have to be someone you're not. Therefore, I think it's not only one of the year's best LGBT graphic novels, but one of the year's best graphic novels period. As a straight, Midwestern born and raised guy, I can totally relate and can't wait to see where Jeff McComsey and Jennie Wood take volume two.
The scope of this graphic novel is ambitious both in story and in art and I think it delivers. While there are subplots involving the FBI and stolen government research, a guilt-ridden shape-shifting mother and well-meaning father, the heart of the story is this: a girl falls for another girl and pretends to be someone she's not. Her journey - learning to be true to herself in order to find true love is something anyone can relate to. It's about growing up and learning that you don't have to be someone you're not. Therefore, I think it's not only one of the year's best LGBT graphic novels, but one of the year's best graphic novels period. As a straight, Midwestern born and raised guy, I can totally relate and can't wait to see where Jeff McComsey and Jennie Wood take volume two.
April 4, 2013
I really love this graphic novel. I started it late Tuesday night and couldn't put it down. I stayed up until 2am reading it - even though I had to work early the next day. And then I read it again that next morning on the way to work. So my point is that it's a page turner. I've read a lot of graphic novels and this one ranks up there with me. It does not disappoint. I could identify with the main character, not feeling comfortable in her skin, just wanting to fit in and get the girl. I think everyone can. We all pretend to be something we're not at some point growing up. It's a part of growing up. Flutter hits that point home quite nicely.
There's a larger plot, too, that I like so it's not just about teenagers. It's about so much more and that will carry the series through for hopefully many more volumes!
There's a larger plot, too, that I like so it's not just about teenagers. It's about so much more and that will carry the series through for hopefully many more volumes!
June 29, 2013
The internet sold this to me as a fantasy story dealing with transgender issues, and I guess it's kiiind of what this is about, but not really. In reality there's a few graphic novels within this graphic novel, and not all of them work. I'm not sure if I can even put my finger on which is the primary storyline, but if I was elevator-pitching this book, I'd say it was a coming-of-age story about a girl who discovers she can change into a boy, and who does so in order to date another girl that she's in love with.
Which sounds transgender-y and kind of complex, for sure. That's the interesting part, and if left as the sole complication in this teen drama, I could see this being a pretty compelling, even subversive entry into the fantasy YA genre. However, the political and social implications of this simple idea are buried in explaining WHY this girl can change into a boy -- call this the Attack of the Midichlorians, because the most important part of this half of the story is that it's not important at all. There's a bunch of top-secret-military-experiment stuff that's clumsily handled, and I think the girl's mom is trying to kill her dad for some reason, and fight scenes and secret agents I couldn't keep track of and yawwwwn anyway.
The dialogue doesn't carry the plot unless it's doing an information-dump, and the lettering is all in italics with poorly-shaped word balloons and serifs on all the I's. I really, really hate all those things.
But the art is cool, the color palette is nice and the core idea is a worthwhile one. I just don't see later volumes of this going anywhere other than more superpowered-shapeshifter-on-the-run-killing-government-agents, which is absolutely not what the best version of this story ever wanted to be.
Which sounds transgender-y and kind of complex, for sure. That's the interesting part, and if left as the sole complication in this teen drama, I could see this being a pretty compelling, even subversive entry into the fantasy YA genre. However, the political and social implications of this simple idea are buried in explaining WHY this girl can change into a boy -- call this the Attack of the Midichlorians, because the most important part of this half of the story is that it's not important at all. There's a bunch of top-secret-military-experiment stuff that's clumsily handled, and I think the girl's mom is trying to kill her dad for some reason, and fight scenes and secret agents I couldn't keep track of and yawwwwn anyway.
The dialogue doesn't carry the plot unless it's doing an information-dump, and the lettering is all in italics with poorly-shaped word balloons and serifs on all the I's. I really, really hate all those things.
But the art is cool, the color palette is nice and the core idea is a worthwhile one. I just don't see later volumes of this going anywhere other than more superpowered-shapeshifter-on-the-run-killing-government-agents, which is absolutely not what the best version of this story ever wanted to be.
April 29, 2013
I think this is a great LGBT story, great for teens as well as adults. The struggle of the central character is one that all of us can relate to. Who didn't feel uncomfortable in their own skin in high school?
And who doesn't pretend to be someone they are not at least once in his / her life to get something he / she wants? The story is fresh, new, but at the same time very relatable. Great writing with great art to match!
And who doesn't pretend to be someone they are not at least once in his / her life to get something he / she wants? The story is fresh, new, but at the same time very relatable. Great writing with great art to match!
May 21, 2017
The summary sounded interesting. Girl likes girl, but has the power to shape-shift so she becomes a boy to get the girl. A fine premise, but the summary leaves out the bulk of the story: government conspiracies, shady politicians, evil scientists, and so many freakin people with guns kidnapping teenagers trying to make them reveal another teenager's location. If you know who Lily's friends are, can't you just follow Lily? Why are you going after her friends?
So the story wasn't the in depth, self identity struggle I thought it'd be, but that might have been fine. The real problem was, I often didn't know what was going on. Sometimes that was from the convoluted, techno-babble, back-stabby plot that didn't want to give the mystery away lest the reader become disinterested (you want to know why the polar bear's on the island, right? Stay tuned. We might get to that, someday...). Sometimes, I was just flipping back and forth between pages trying to figure out what physically occurred. Like things were one way in one panel, and another in the next, and I don't know how we transitioned. I don't read a lot of graphic novels, but that seems like a fundamentally important thing to get right.
Other times, the dialogue didn't make sense. Or occasionally, I wasn't even sure which character was speaking. Again, I don't read enough graphic novels to know the best tools for keeping that straight, but I also don't recall having trouble with anything else I've read.
By the end, I was left with more questions than answers, and not in a 'can't wait to read the next volume' sort of way. However, the next is sitting on my desk already, so you never know.
So the story wasn't the in depth, self identity struggle I thought it'd be, but that might have been fine. The real problem was, I often didn't know what was going on. Sometimes that was from the convoluted, techno-babble, back-stabby plot that didn't want to give the mystery away lest the reader become disinterested (you want to know why the polar bear's on the island, right? Stay tuned. We might get to that, someday...). Sometimes, I was just flipping back and forth between pages trying to figure out what physically occurred. Like things were one way in one panel, and another in the next, and I don't know how we transitioned. I don't read a lot of graphic novels, but that seems like a fundamentally important thing to get right.
Other times, the dialogue didn't make sense. Or occasionally, I wasn't even sure which character was speaking. Again, I don't read enough graphic novels to know the best tools for keeping that straight, but I also don't recall having trouble with anything else I've read.
By the end, I was left with more questions than answers, and not in a 'can't wait to read the next volume' sort of way. However, the next is sitting on my desk already, so you never know.
July 8, 2013
I really liked this graphic novel and can't wait for the second volume. I love how the story is told, how everything is set up and love the characters, especially Lily and Penelope. I think it does what all good first volumes should do – creates a world that I can’t wait to get back to. Please hurry with volume two!
December 30, 2015
The premise I bought this on, that a girl would change into a boy to get a girl, sounds like something I am wholly interested in. Perhaps I've read too many fantasy or dystopian tales, but I was willing to buy at face value that she had these powers and was ready to get into a great teen drama about identity. Instead, I learned early on that just as important to this story was the source of these powers and the military conspiracy and/or science poachers (?) who are hunting Lily and her dad and possibly her mom (?) who are hiding from spies and killing people willy-nilly and I spent some time wondering when I might go back to the high school for more teen drama.
Maybe it's me, but the part of the story spawning the above run-on sentence wasn't well explained, and since I think the artist may suffer from what I've heard called, "twelve face syndrome," I'm having trouble telling people apart (especially if they keep changing faces, or worse, barely changing faces and then just telling me it's a different character). I'm willing to buy the next volume to see how it goes, but I'd like to come out of it less confused and more satisfaction on the teen drama front (which felt a little shafted while trying to get me up to speed on the secret science).
Maybe it's me, but the part of the story spawning the above run-on sentence wasn't well explained, and since I think the artist may suffer from what I've heard called, "twelve face syndrome," I'm having trouble telling people apart (especially if they keep changing faces, or worse, barely changing faces and then just telling me it's a different character). I'm willing to buy the next volume to see how it goes, but I'd like to come out of it less confused and more satisfaction on the teen drama front (which felt a little shafted while trying to get me up to speed on the secret science).
October 5, 2014
I'll admit, I was more than a little confused at times reading this graphic novel. It starts with a literal bang, a deadly explosion, but the reason for that explosion is never explained. Still, once we do get to the main characters (a gender-shifting, shape-shifting teen, her love interests, and her parent/parental surrogates), Wood's story re-engaged my interest. Too many people die without much reaction from our heroine, and I'm still unsure as to who is who among the parties interested in Lily's powers, but that can all be explained as first-issue bumps in the road. We'll see if Volume 2 answers my questions, smooths out those bumps, and keeps me reading.
May 21, 2015
Such a smart and touching story, so true in its strangeness and the spaces in the text for the reader to walk through, fill in, and relate to. The illustrations are beyond gorgeous as well.
January 6, 2021
I'm going to have to agree with some other reviews here & say this didn't read like a book about a gender fluid kid. Like them, I also came into this expecting a bit more of a Trans story, but got a bit more of a confusing action/adventure sci-fi Roswell type story with a main character who presents as a boy to get the girl she wants story instead...
Graphic novel wise, I thought the storytelling (framing) was super choppy and confusing, jumping from one aspect of the story to another with no segue or flow in paneling. On one page Lily sees the sketching (a drawing of a cute but made-up boy) of a pretty girl (Saffron), so she decides to become those sketches of the "perfect make-believe boy" to date her. It's unclear in the beginning how/when Lily makes the choice to become Jesse or how long it goes on for (the very next page Jesse is in school with Saffron). The reveal of Lily to Jesse (or rather when we see Jesse turn back into Lily for the first time) is supposed to shock and excite, but I was still stuck on the fact that Lily changed her face to look like a made-up person drawing & Saffron was totally OK with it & became friends with this stranger anyway.
Also, the first page of the book starts off with Lily's dad pulling her out of school & them moving. So we have to assume Jesse enrolls into his new school mid semester, which isn't addressed/doesn't seem to affect anything at all in the way Jesse is integrated and accepted. There's just a lot this story asks us to take for granted. We're supposed to accept Lily likes Saffron, but why? Is it just attraction or is there any more depth to their relationship? Jesse and Saffron are an item, why? I don't recall one conversation written between them.
The storytelling was just super shoddy at parts, and I sadly couldn't get passed it.
The bad guys/spies super distracted from the story. + Lily's mother is seemingly a conservative politician who can also shape shift and comes to protect Lily at the end, I think. I can imagine the story gets a bit more flushed out in the next volumes, but I can't say I have any real desire to read them.
2.5
Graphic novel wise, I thought the storytelling (framing) was super choppy and confusing, jumping from one aspect of the story to another with no segue or flow in paneling. On one page Lily sees the sketching (a drawing of a cute but made-up boy) of a pretty girl (Saffron), so she decides to become those sketches of the "perfect make-believe boy" to date her. It's unclear in the beginning how/when Lily makes the choice to become Jesse or how long it goes on for (the very next page Jesse is in school with Saffron). The reveal of Lily to Jesse (or rather when we see Jesse turn back into Lily for the first time) is supposed to shock and excite, but I was still stuck on the fact that Lily changed her face to look like a made-up person drawing & Saffron was totally OK with it & became friends with this stranger anyway.
Also, the first page of the book starts off with Lily's dad pulling her out of school & them moving. So we have to assume Jesse enrolls into his new school mid semester, which isn't addressed/doesn't seem to affect anything at all in the way Jesse is integrated and accepted. There's just a lot this story asks us to take for granted. We're supposed to accept Lily likes Saffron, but why? Is it just attraction or is there any more depth to their relationship? Jesse and Saffron are an item, why? I don't recall one conversation written between them.
The storytelling was just super shoddy at parts, and I sadly couldn't get passed it.
The bad guys/spies super distracted from the story. + Lily's mother is seemingly a conservative politician who can also shape shift and comes to protect Lily at the end, I think. I can imagine the story gets a bit more flushed out in the next volumes, but I can't say I have any real desire to read them.
2.5
September 3, 2021
Note to self: scene changes every 1-2 pages is waaay too fast, and no reader can know what's going on when 90% of the book is high school drama with characters who, save coloration, are indistinguishable, and the other 10% is some kind of top secret superhero/spy operation. I was still very lost after reading the synopsis.
November 16, 2017
While at some times a bit confusing and the story taking a small adjustment period to really get the grip of this ends up a really nice F/F romance with some deeper roots to pull at. There is a lot going on and I look forward to checking out future volumes.
April 1, 2021
Il y a quand même un truc super important en bd. Le dessin. Et j'ai détesté le dessin direct. C'était mal barré. Mais l'histoire n'était pas ouf non plus, le rythme...
J'ai vraiment pas aimé. Je n'ai même pas fini le tome. Nope. Pas pour moi.
Après les goûts les couleurs 🤷♀️
J'ai vraiment pas aimé. Je n'ai même pas fini le tome. Nope. Pas pour moi.
Après les goûts les couleurs 🤷♀️
December 12, 2017
This is an exceptional LGBTQ graphic novel from a terrific team of collaborators! Jennie Wood's writing is incredibly socially relevant! Jeff's artwork takes those words and makes them leap off the page!
I was fortunate enough to have Jennie sign a copy of Flutter Vol. 1 at MICE (Massachusetts, Independent Comic Expo).
Moreover, she has also been my mentor and friend in the world of writing.
I hope her voice continues to be heard loud and proud in the world of LGBTQ comics!
Peace and Cheerwine :)
I was fortunate enough to have Jennie sign a copy of Flutter Vol. 1 at MICE (Massachusetts, Independent Comic Expo).
Moreover, she has also been my mentor and friend in the world of writing.
I hope her voice continues to be heard loud and proud in the world of LGBTQ comics!
Peace and Cheerwine :)
November 22, 2017
A metric-ton of world building jammed into a short book!
September 7, 2020
Teens with super powers? Government conspiracy? Love triangles? SOLD!
March 26, 2017
Rough around the edges but full of heart, FLUTTER is the type of graphic novel that needs to be read more than once. It's not a book that will grab one from the onset. In fact, it's quite the opposite. FLUTTER starts slow and is composed of many oddly-shaped pieces that never quite fit. Fortunately, the story does find something halfway close to what might be termed a rhythm, digs in its heels, and leans on the efforts of its stronger characters to give the narrative life.
Lily isn't quite human. She has an abnormally high tolerance for pain/injury, a remarkable immune system, and thanks to some pre-natal genetics flimflammery, Lily has the capacity to shapeshift (into other human forms). Now, the fact that she's living with a fugitive scientist, is doted upon by a mystery woman who is now dead, and is hounded by a fearmongering conservative politician whom may or may not be her biological mother . . . while all these additional notes are salient plot points, they're ultimately dust the wind.
The only facet of FLUTTER done remotely well is the binding together of the frequently errant and erroneously frequent misconceptions of heart and deed native to teenage romance (and its requisite corollaries).
It feels cheesy and unfortunate, on one level, for Lily's love triangle to be the best part about this book. However, that the intertwining of affection and confusion is done so effectively deserves praise.
Lily finds herself drawn to a classmate, Saffron, and so fancies shapeshifting into a guy (Saffron's dream guy) so as to win the girl's favor. Except, it's not really working out. The two of them don't really connect. Lily thought it would be easy, simply taking on the guise of the man her crush likes most; but as readers surely know, teen love isn't eternal (much less a teen love based on a sketch from a diary or a journal).
Slowly, Lily drifts away from Saffron and toward her chem-lab partner, Penelope, exchanging wholesome and humorous (Saffron) for biting wit and emotional distance (Penelope). And it's working out. Sort of. Penelope is a lesbian, and only knows Lily as "Jesse," who is still dating-not-dating Saffron. Kids these days.
As a story, FLUTTER isn't particularly well oriented. The first two chapters are a messy back-and-forth smattering of characters and events whose discernable connection is lucid, confusing, and generally markedly tenuous. This jumpy and asynchronous headstart doesn't slow down until, interestingly, Lily's relational triangle speeds up.
And it's just as well, because there's a lot lurking beneath the surface of this title: domestic violence, government agents, and plenty of horrible parenting to go around (Lily's guardian, the rogue scientist, doesn't step into his role as a surrogate father figure until it's clear the girl's personal life is knee-deep in indecision. Sex discussion, anyone?).
Lily's affection for Penelope, whose devil-may-care nature and wily intellect are her primary assets, appears to be winning out, and just in time. With no family, no friends, and little understanding of what makes her who she is, Lily's affection for the loner girl who can play guitar is right on the mark. Lily and Penelope can probably find happiness together. But that's not the challenge. The challenge of FLUTTER concerns the consequences of a weird, shapeshifter girl falling in love with the loner guitar girl. Dead bodies are turning up. The government is closing in. And for goodness sakes, that scientist-dad character sure has a lot of secrets, doesn't he?
Lily isn't quite human. She has an abnormally high tolerance for pain/injury, a remarkable immune system, and thanks to some pre-natal genetics flimflammery, Lily has the capacity to shapeshift (into other human forms). Now, the fact that she's living with a fugitive scientist, is doted upon by a mystery woman who is now dead, and is hounded by a fearmongering conservative politician whom may or may not be her biological mother . . . while all these additional notes are salient plot points, they're ultimately dust the wind.
The only facet of FLUTTER done remotely well is the binding together of the frequently errant and erroneously frequent misconceptions of heart and deed native to teenage romance (and its requisite corollaries).
It feels cheesy and unfortunate, on one level, for Lily's love triangle to be the best part about this book. However, that the intertwining of affection and confusion is done so effectively deserves praise.
Lily finds herself drawn to a classmate, Saffron, and so fancies shapeshifting into a guy (Saffron's dream guy) so as to win the girl's favor. Except, it's not really working out. The two of them don't really connect. Lily thought it would be easy, simply taking on the guise of the man her crush likes most; but as readers surely know, teen love isn't eternal (much less a teen love based on a sketch from a diary or a journal).
Slowly, Lily drifts away from Saffron and toward her chem-lab partner, Penelope, exchanging wholesome and humorous (Saffron) for biting wit and emotional distance (Penelope). And it's working out. Sort of. Penelope is a lesbian, and only knows Lily as "Jesse," who is still dating-not-dating Saffron. Kids these days.
As a story, FLUTTER isn't particularly well oriented. The first two chapters are a messy back-and-forth smattering of characters and events whose discernable connection is lucid, confusing, and generally markedly tenuous. This jumpy and asynchronous headstart doesn't slow down until, interestingly, Lily's relational triangle speeds up.
And it's just as well, because there's a lot lurking beneath the surface of this title: domestic violence, government agents, and plenty of horrible parenting to go around (Lily's guardian, the rogue scientist, doesn't step into his role as a surrogate father figure until it's clear the girl's personal life is knee-deep in indecision. Sex discussion, anyone?).
Lily's affection for Penelope, whose devil-may-care nature and wily intellect are her primary assets, appears to be winning out, and just in time. With no family, no friends, and little understanding of what makes her who she is, Lily's affection for the loner girl who can play guitar is right on the mark. Lily and Penelope can probably find happiness together. But that's not the challenge. The challenge of FLUTTER concerns the consequences of a weird, shapeshifter girl falling in love with the loner guitar girl. Dead bodies are turning up. The government is closing in. And for goodness sakes, that scientist-dad character sure has a lot of secrets, doesn't he?
June 20, 2013
I met the author of this ambitious adventure (graphic) novel at a comics release party. I was attracted by the central plot, which features high school student Lily, who attempts to get the girl by becoming the boy of her dreams -at least physically.
Overall, I felt author and illustrator both did a good job of addressing the central storyline. What left me confused was the sub-plot featuring Lily's father, her conservative politician mother (also possesses the Lily's somewhat conventionally-derived magic powers), and some baddies whose goals are never clear to me. I sometimes struggled to sympathize with Lily due to her consistently annoyed or dismissive treatment of her father -who seems mostly cheerful, caring, and disarming. The illustrator, Jeff McComsey, has a compelling style but seemed to get lost once in a while -there are a number of panels that depict characters sort of standing around, but without the emotional intensity that would otherwise drive the story forward.
As a long-time reader of comics and graphic novels, I appreciated the racial diversity of the cast and definitely look forward to more from author Jennie Wood.
Overall, I felt author and illustrator both did a good job of addressing the central storyline. What left me confused was the sub-plot featuring Lily's father, her conservative politician mother (also possesses the Lily's somewhat conventionally-derived magic powers), and some baddies whose goals are never clear to me. I sometimes struggled to sympathize with Lily due to her consistently annoyed or dismissive treatment of her father -who seems mostly cheerful, caring, and disarming. The illustrator, Jeff McComsey, has a compelling style but seemed to get lost once in a while -there are a number of panels that depict characters sort of standing around, but without the emotional intensity that would otherwise drive the story forward.
As a long-time reader of comics and graphic novels, I appreciated the racial diversity of the cast and definitely look forward to more from author Jennie Wood.
September 10, 2014
I enjoyed this graphic novel and can't wait for volume two next year. McComsey and Wood have started an ambitious, epic story here. It's not a personal, intimate story. It's a female superhero in the middle of a big story. The plot spins a wide yarn as Lily deals with who she is and what she can do. Don't think intimate story here. Think Y: The Last Man.
The story also tackles environmental issues as Lily and her father are on the run and he continues his research. We need more female super heroes and this is one, a different kind of superhero. But don't take my word for it. Here's a review via Bleeding Cool that gets what Flutter is all about: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/08/1...
The story also tackles environmental issues as Lily and her father are on the run and he continues his research. We need more female super heroes and this is one, a different kind of superhero. But don't take my word for it. Here's a review via Bleeding Cool that gets what Flutter is all about: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/08/1...
November 16, 2014
I really wanted to like this more. It had so much going for it, but overall it just felt like a disappointment.
Great story although after awhile the storylines all merge and everything is confusing. One of the things I really didn't like was how rushed it felt. Each page is pretty much a new scene, which makes for a fast paced graphic novel, but at the same time doesn't go much into detail about anything.
The dialogue also felt rushed. All the charactes were complex but I don't think any of them got adequate air-time, because too much focus was on continuing the plot rather than filling out the story already given.
Great story although after awhile the storylines all merge and everything is confusing. One of the things I really didn't like was how rushed it felt. Each page is pretty much a new scene, which makes for a fast paced graphic novel, but at the same time doesn't go much into detail about anything.
The dialogue also felt rushed. All the charactes were complex but I don't think any of them got adequate air-time, because too much focus was on continuing the plot rather than filling out the story already given.
July 30, 2016
Saw this volume at Comic Con and it was eyecatching. The description seemed equally intriguing. However, I was pretty confused for most of it, in regard to who was who and the entire political spy intrigue bit. I completely lost track of what was happening and only got a little from the actual relationships that Lily's able to have. Rather than a story of somone trying to figure out who they are in their teenaged years, it was snippets of Lily amidst al the other plot points.
I did like the coloring schemes, which were beautiful. The drawings were rather minimal but the style also wasn't my favorite.
Disappointing, unfortunately, as I wanted to be hooked!
I did like the coloring schemes, which were beautiful. The drawings were rather minimal but the style also wasn't my favorite.
Disappointing, unfortunately, as I wanted to be hooked!
February 4, 2016
Okay story about a girl with shape-shifting powers who masquerades as a boy to get the girl. There is a subplot about how she and her dad are on the run from some organization, or something, that never really comes together (though this is just the first volume). Still, whenever the baddies were "on screen" I often thought, "Who cares?" The focus on Lily's relationships is what really drives the story. Interesting gender-bending and food for thought, but nothing mind-blowing. Art lacks definition. Still a nice read.
April 10, 2013
Interesting story about teenagers not fitting in and figuring out who they are while entwined in a spy caper. Gritty art. My main complaint is that the art was uneven. In places it was clean whereas other places the ink obliterated a good bit of the color. Sometimes this unevenness seemed intentional but mostly it seemed happenstance.
November 4, 2015
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I was expecting some "meh" little read that I'd slog through and then put out of my mind due to the emphasis on romance in the summary I'd read. So glad to be wrong! Very exciting and I'm eager to read the second volume. Only subtracting a star because the panels are all weirdly blurry and it bugged me constantly.
July 21, 2014
I really enjoyed this graphic novel, the characters, the story, the pace. I think McComsey and Wood make a great team. They cover a lot of ground in this first volume and have leave plenty of room for volume two. I can't wait for the next volume!
February 13, 2016
This was a pretty decent read with an interesting concept. However, the art wasn't my favorite and got a bit sloppy at times while the story sometimes didn't flow very well from one frame to the next.
It was worth the read and I'm hoping for better things to come in volume 2.
It was worth the read and I'm hoping for better things to come in volume 2.
February 17, 2016
Fun read with great sci-fi elements!
March 27, 2016
Though I had a little trouble keeping track of some of the supporting characters on my first read through, I thoroughly enjoyed this YA LGBT graphic novel. I look forward to reading more!
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