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Explorer #2
The Lost Islands
The highly anticipated second volume to the critically acclaimed Explorer series, The Lost Islands is a collection of seven all-new stories written and illustrated by an award-winning roster of comics artists, with each story centered around the theme of hidden places. Edited by the New York Times bestselling comics creator Kazu Kibuishi, this graphic anthology includes well-written, beautifully illustrated stories by Kazu (the Amulet series), Jason Caffoe (the Flight series), Raina Telgemeier (Drama and Smile), Dave Roman (the Astronaut Academy series), Jake Parker (the Missile Mouse series), Michel Gagné (The Saga of Rex), Katie and Steven Shanahan (the Flight series), and up-and-coming new artist Chrystin Garland.
Praise for Explorer 2: The Lost Islands
STARRED REVIEWS
"A second gathering of new graphic tales, diverse of plot and atmosphere but thematically linked by island settings and every bit as stellar as its predecessor…First rate."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"With this second showcase Kibuishi affirms his editorial savvy for amassing talented creators and providing a vehicle to let them do what they do best: use comics to tell funny, thoughtful, and just plain good stories."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Lost Islands is a great sequel to The Mystery Boxes (Abrams, 2012) that is masterfully told and beautifully drawn. A must-have for any collection."
--School Library Journal, starred review
"This sophomore effort’s solid artwork, dialogue, and stories will still be a great introductory title for young or struggling middle-school readers starting to explore the world of graphic novels."
--Booklist
"Variety of style is the real draw of Kibuishi’s graphic anthologies, and tweens reluctant to stray from their comic-book favorites will find the gamut of visual presentations eye-opening."
--The Bulletin of The Center for Children’s Books
"Another satisfying anthology that will leave readers eager for the next."
--The Horn Book
Praise for Explorer 2: The Lost Islands
STARRED REVIEWS
"A second gathering of new graphic tales, diverse of plot and atmosphere but thematically linked by island settings and every bit as stellar as its predecessor…First rate."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"With this second showcase Kibuishi affirms his editorial savvy for amassing talented creators and providing a vehicle to let them do what they do best: use comics to tell funny, thoughtful, and just plain good stories."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Lost Islands is a great sequel to The Mystery Boxes (Abrams, 2012) that is masterfully told and beautifully drawn. A must-have for any collection."
--School Library Journal, starred review
"This sophomore effort’s solid artwork, dialogue, and stories will still be a great introductory title for young or struggling middle-school readers starting to explore the world of graphic novels."
--Booklist
"Variety of style is the real draw of Kibuishi’s graphic anthologies, and tweens reluctant to stray from their comic-book favorites will find the gamut of visual presentations eye-opening."
--The Bulletin of The Center for Children’s Books
"Another satisfying anthology that will leave readers eager for the next."
--The Horn Book
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2013
24 people are currently reading
1194 people want to read
About the author
Kazu Kibuishi
73 books3,436 followersKazu Kibuishi (born 1978) is an American graphic novel author and illustrator. He is best known for being the creator and editor of the comic anthology Flight and for creating the webcomic Copper. He has also written (drawn) the Amulet series. The webcomic artist and noted critic Scott McCloud has said that some of Kazu Kibuishi's work is so beautifully drawn that "it hurts my hands when I look at it".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews
February 12, 2018
These weren't as amazing as the first one in the series, but I'm still looking forward to more.
November 27, 2022
Not until we are lost can we begin to understand ourselves, thus I understand that I mostly did not enjoy this one.
The team is back for a second assemblage of seven new graphic tales, diverse in both plot and atmosphere, the motif... hidden place settings which falls well short of its predecessor (I wish I read this a lot sooner, 2013 sooner). The art is full of rich, clean colours, with each tale’s art depicted in a different style with easy to read figures, background details, dialogue and narrative. Each also ends with a rescue or a promising development, which gives the entire collection a buoyant tone.
Rabbit Island ⭐️
A rabbit who builds a robot to help with the days chores. The neighbours soon find out about the advantages of the robot to which the kind rabbit obliges and builds extra parts to accommodate the diverse projects. Then the whole town joined in. An anecdote on how well the proceedings went and a reminded to not underscore the value of hard work.
A man was waiting for his wife to give birth when the doctor came in and informed the dad that his son was born without a torso, arms, or legs. The son had only a head! The dad loved his son anyway, raised him as well as he could, with love and compassion. After 18 years, the son was old enough for his first drink. Dad took him to the bar and ordered up the biggest, strongest drink for his boy. With all the bar patrons looking on curiously, and the bartender shaking his head in disbelief, the boy took his first sip of alcohol. Swoop! A torso popped out of the bottom of the son's head! The bar was deadly silent; then burst into a whoop of joy. The father, shocked, begged his son to drink again. The patrons began chanting, "Take another drink!" The bartender stood still, shaking his head in amazement. Swoop! Two arms popped out. The bar went wild. The father, crying and wailing, cried for his son to drink again. The patrons continued their chant. By now the boy was getting tipsy, he reached down and guzzled the last of the drink. Swoop! Two legs popped out. By now the bar was in chaos. The boy stood up on his new legs and stumbled to the left, then to the right, then right through the front door, and into the street, where a truck ran smack into him, killing him instantly. The bar fell silent. The father began to softly moan in grief. The bartender picked up the boy's empty glass, and began to clean it, muttering, "That boy should have quit while he was a head."
The Mask Dance ⭐️⭐️
A rendering of a young islander’s terrifying nocturnal encounter with shamanic spirits, from the page of Moana, the day of the dead festival taken a little bit to literal.
Carapace ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One young castaway meets a crab ghost with a massive, dare I say it... carapace. Both stranded on a deserted island, both itching for the endless confines of the ocean, both unable to move. The ghost trains the castaway in the ways of the island. Feeding, fishing, analysing and surviving. Isolation is never impossible without the help of Wilson crab ghost.
Desert Island Playist ⭐️⭐️
Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier’s fable, about a castaway girl who is confronted by her past and future. Who is taking these keepsake polaroid's of her slamming the door on her parents or getting rejected? And more importantly, if you were stuck on an island with only 3 songs stuck on repeat, which would they be?
Loah ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If the little mermaid was a fish instead this tale would be it. In prehistoric times a paradise is suddenly being torn apart, hell fire is rising from its core and Loah the flying fish is the only one that can save them (along with the help of Flounder of course) they 'human centipeded' themselves out of the way from the imminent threat of disaster.
Radio Adrift ⭐️
Wiya, a mage in training has trouble hatching a pixie egg. Not to worry, just like plants, pixie eggs respond to sounds. A concept about finding one’s niche, this one just wasn't mine.
The Fisherman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In what seems to be Vigo Light's origin story before he became stone keeper. A perfect storm like obsession with catching the big one leads a sailor and his crew into a cave that turns out to have an ulterior motive. Hello Exogorth.
As Always...
3 Stars
The team is back for a second assemblage of seven new graphic tales, diverse in both plot and atmosphere, the motif... hidden place settings which falls well short of its predecessor (I wish I read this a lot sooner, 2013 sooner). The art is full of rich, clean colours, with each tale’s art depicted in a different style with easy to read figures, background details, dialogue and narrative. Each also ends with a rescue or a promising development, which gives the entire collection a buoyant tone.
Rabbit Island ⭐️
A rabbit who builds a robot to help with the days chores. The neighbours soon find out about the advantages of the robot to which the kind rabbit obliges and builds extra parts to accommodate the diverse projects. Then the whole town joined in. An anecdote on how well the proceedings went and a reminded to not underscore the value of hard work.
A man was waiting for his wife to give birth when the doctor came in and informed the dad that his son was born without a torso, arms, or legs. The son had only a head! The dad loved his son anyway, raised him as well as he could, with love and compassion. After 18 years, the son was old enough for his first drink. Dad took him to the bar and ordered up the biggest, strongest drink for his boy. With all the bar patrons looking on curiously, and the bartender shaking his head in disbelief, the boy took his first sip of alcohol. Swoop! A torso popped out of the bottom of the son's head! The bar was deadly silent; then burst into a whoop of joy. The father, shocked, begged his son to drink again. The patrons began chanting, "Take another drink!" The bartender stood still, shaking his head in amazement. Swoop! Two arms popped out. The bar went wild. The father, crying and wailing, cried for his son to drink again. The patrons continued their chant. By now the boy was getting tipsy, he reached down and guzzled the last of the drink. Swoop! Two legs popped out. By now the bar was in chaos. The boy stood up on his new legs and stumbled to the left, then to the right, then right through the front door, and into the street, where a truck ran smack into him, killing him instantly. The bar fell silent. The father began to softly moan in grief. The bartender picked up the boy's empty glass, and began to clean it, muttering, "That boy should have quit while he was a head."
The Mask Dance ⭐️⭐️
A rendering of a young islander’s terrifying nocturnal encounter with shamanic spirits, from the page of Moana, the day of the dead festival taken a little bit to literal.
Carapace ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One young castaway meets a crab ghost with a massive, dare I say it... carapace. Both stranded on a deserted island, both itching for the endless confines of the ocean, both unable to move. The ghost trains the castaway in the ways of the island. Feeding, fishing, analysing and surviving. Isolation is never impossible without the help of
Desert Island Playist ⭐️⭐️
Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier’s fable, about a castaway girl who is confronted by her past and future. Who is taking these keepsake polaroid's of her slamming the door on her parents or getting rejected? And more importantly, if you were stuck on an island with only 3 songs stuck on repeat, which would they be?
Loah ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If the little mermaid was a fish instead this tale would be it. In prehistoric times a paradise is suddenly being torn apart, hell fire is rising from its core and Loah the flying fish is the only one that can save them (along with the help of Flounder of course) they 'human centipeded' themselves out of the way from the imminent threat of disaster.
Radio Adrift ⭐️
Wiya, a mage in training has trouble hatching a pixie egg. Not to worry, just like plants, pixie eggs respond to sounds. A concept about finding one’s niche, this one just wasn't mine.
The Fisherman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In what seems to be Vigo Light's origin story before he became stone keeper. A perfect storm like obsession with catching the big one leads a sailor and his crew into a cave that turns out to have an ulterior motive. Hello Exogorth.
As Always...
3 Stars
May 4, 2020
May 3, morning ~~ Adding to the review asap pile.
Evening ~~ The second Explorer book of my Insomnia Hour Saturday night, this one had a theme of islands. Seven stories again, and each one beautiful and interesting.
Rabbit Island shows the dangers of relying on something other than your own self for chores.
Carapace introduced me to a unique partnership between a castaway and a ghost. And the ghost's shell.
Desert Island Playlist was a deep story about learning to be who you are. Loah was another favorite that I had to read three times before I was willing to leave its delicate artwork.
All in all, a great success, and I know I will be reading through these stories many more times.
Thanks to editor Kazu Kibuishi for putting together this lovely collection!
Evening ~~ The second Explorer book of my Insomnia Hour Saturday night, this one had a theme of islands. Seven stories again, and each one beautiful and interesting.
Rabbit Island shows the dangers of relying on something other than your own self for chores.
Carapace introduced me to a unique partnership between a castaway and a ghost. And the ghost's shell.
Desert Island Playlist was a deep story about learning to be who you are. Loah was another favorite that I had to read three times before I was willing to leave its delicate artwork.
All in all, a great success, and I know I will be reading through these stories many more times.
Thanks to editor Kazu Kibuishi for putting together this lovely collection!
March 29, 2016
I've been reading Kibuishi's Amulet series with my nephew and I saw we had these Explorer collections, as well. They're like the Flight collections only for the 8-12-year-old group. I figured I'd give 'em a go.
I liked this one better than The Mystery Boxes.
Rabbit Island by Jake Parker is a parable about what happens when machines make for a lazy populace.
The Mask Dance by Chrystin Garland is a cautionary tale about what happens when you run off to the party instead of waiting for your dad, as originally planned. I liked the art in this one quite well.
Carapace by Jason Caffoe is an example of helpfulness and selflessness. Also, there are super cute crab ghosts. I liked this one a lot.
Desert Island Playlist by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier is a little mystical and meta-cal. I didn't love it for the same reason I didn't love "The Escape Option" in the first volume of Explorers.
Loah by Michel Gagné shows what we can accomplish if we work together. This one is super pretty and I enjoyed that aspect of this story immensely.
Radio Adrift by Katie Shanahan and Steven Shanahan is the most light-hearted and least teachy/preachy of the lot. A mage-in-training is the last in her class to hatch a pixie egg until she finally finds just the right sound to help her out. It's pretty cute.
The Fisherman by Kazu Kibuishi is the The Old Man and the Sea-lite and with a more plainly didactic ending.
I liked more of the stories in this collection but it's still light and fluffy and no-too-memorable when all is said and done.
I liked this one better than The Mystery Boxes.
Rabbit Island by Jake Parker is a parable about what happens when machines make for a lazy populace.
The Mask Dance by Chrystin Garland is a cautionary tale about what happens when you run off to the party instead of waiting for your dad, as originally planned. I liked the art in this one quite well.
Carapace by Jason Caffoe is an example of helpfulness and selflessness. Also, there are super cute crab ghosts. I liked this one a lot.
Desert Island Playlist by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier is a little mystical and meta-cal. I didn't love it for the same reason I didn't love "The Escape Option" in the first volume of Explorers.
Loah by Michel Gagné shows what we can accomplish if we work together. This one is super pretty and I enjoyed that aspect of this story immensely.
Radio Adrift by Katie Shanahan and Steven Shanahan is the most light-hearted and least teachy/preachy of the lot. A mage-in-training is the last in her class to hatch a pixie egg until she finally finds just the right sound to help her out. It's pretty cute.
The Fisherman by Kazu Kibuishi is the The Old Man and the Sea-lite and with a more plainly didactic ending.
I liked more of the stories in this collection but it's still light and fluffy and no-too-memorable when all is said and done.
September 26, 2017
Good mix of stories about lost islands or being stranded on solitary islands. Nothing here groundbreaking or really worth reading a second time. These were quick, enjoyable first reads though.
June 8, 2015
I have been interested in this graphic novel series for a while now so when I saw this one in the library I thought I’d give it a go.
Explorer: The Lost Islands is a short story collection in graphic novel form, each story written by different artists and illustrators.
I have to say I was extremely disappointed. The stories were too short so overall they all lacked depth and although I enjoyed the artwork in a few of them, this didn’t make up for the lack of content. I feel that this would have been better with less author contributions but longer stories as I just think that 20 pages for a graphic novel isn’t really enough.
Honestly, I couldn’t recommend this collection. I was thinking of giving it 2 stars because I like some of the artwork but I have to say that this was a great disappointment and I feel that the artwork doesn’t make up for the lack of story.
Explorer: The Lost Islands is a short story collection in graphic novel form, each story written by different artists and illustrators.
I have to say I was extremely disappointed. The stories were too short so overall they all lacked depth and although I enjoyed the artwork in a few of them, this didn’t make up for the lack of content. I feel that this would have been better with less author contributions but longer stories as I just think that 20 pages for a graphic novel isn’t really enough.
Honestly, I couldn’t recommend this collection. I was thinking of giving it 2 stars because I like some of the artwork but I have to say that this was a great disappointment and I feel that the artwork doesn’t make up for the lack of story.
Read
January 29, 2015It's a graphic novel with 4 or 5 stories in it. There is one where this boy is on this island and he finds a giant dead crap. The ghost of the crap is near by and they meet. The ghost said all his family and friends are at the ocean and he never made it. So the boy makes a canal from the crap to the ocean. The ghost wakes up and sees it and then the boy pulls this rope and releases the dam. The skeleton went all the way to the sea. The little ghost was happy.
January 5, 2016
Compared to the first installment this one was lacking. Some of the short stories were super predictable while others didn't make any sense.
Rabbit Island by Jake Parker
3 Stars
The Mask Dance by Chrystin Garland
3.5 Stars
Carapace by Jason Caffoe
3 Stars
Desert Island Playlist by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier
3.5 Stars
Loah by Michel Gagne
4 Stars
Radio Adrift by Katie Shanahan and Steven Shanahan
4 Stars
The Fishermen by Kazu Kibuishi
2 Stars
Rabbit Island by Jake Parker
3 Stars
The Mask Dance by Chrystin Garland
3.5 Stars
Carapace by Jason Caffoe
3 Stars
Desert Island Playlist by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier
3.5 Stars
Loah by Michel Gagne
4 Stars
Radio Adrift by Katie Shanahan and Steven Shanahan
4 Stars
The Fishermen by Kazu Kibuishi
2 Stars
December 23, 2013
I loved these stories!
January 7, 2019
This anthology was boring and just didn't work for me. I struggled to get through it and was relieved when it was over. I don't think I'll be reading the next one.
November 29, 2023
This was a cute little anthology. They were fun vignettes, but most of them felt like incomplete stories and inconsequential. Out of all of them, I enjoyed
The Mask Dance, Chrystin Garland- loved how mysterious and dangerous the story was. The bold and dark colors really enhanced the atmospheric setting and exciting adventure.
Carapace, Jason Coffee- this crab ghost has my whole heart.
Radio Adrift, Katie & Steven Shanahan- what a fun story that actually felt like it had a solid beginning and end.
The Fishermen, Kazu Kibuishi- I. Love. Seamen. I'm a sucker for a story about an old man and the sea, a quest for the supernatural, seeking adventure, ominous warnings. Bonus points if there are zoom-in shots of squinting eyes. This short story has IT ALL-PLUS GORGEOUS art. Shout-out to the colorist, Jason Caffoe because the coloring work on the waves was truly gorgeous for this little comic. (This story is featured on the cover).
The other stories were fine but they just weren't much to write home about. This book was a nice afternoon read, themed with characters either discovering mysterious islands or living on them.
The Mask Dance, Chrystin Garland- loved how mysterious and dangerous the story was. The bold and dark colors really enhanced the atmospheric setting and exciting adventure.
Carapace, Jason Coffee- this crab ghost has my whole heart.
Radio Adrift, Katie & Steven Shanahan- what a fun story that actually felt like it had a solid beginning and end.
The Fishermen, Kazu Kibuishi- I. Love. Seamen. I'm a sucker for a story about an old man and the sea, a quest for the supernatural, seeking adventure, ominous warnings. Bonus points if there are zoom-in shots of squinting eyes. This short story has IT ALL-PLUS GORGEOUS art. Shout-out to the colorist, Jason Caffoe because the coloring work on the waves was truly gorgeous for this little comic. (This story is featured on the cover).
The other stories were fine but they just weren't much to write home about. This book was a nice afternoon read, themed with characters either discovering mysterious islands or living on them.
January 27, 2025
Overall, not as great as the first volume.
My favorite stories: Carapace, Desert Island Playlist, The Fishermen
Related Works: Fergus Crane, Robot Dreams
Favorite Passages:
Desert Island Playlist
"With self-awareness of past, present, and future . . .
we reconnect to find a way forward."
The Fishermen
I'll have you know we've caught tuna the size of a horse with this boat!!
Well, I'm telling you this fish is bigger than a horse. And it's not a tuna.
My favorite stories: Carapace, Desert Island Playlist, The Fishermen
Related Works: Fergus Crane, Robot Dreams
Favorite Passages:
Desert Island Playlist
"With self-awareness of past, present, and future . . .
we reconnect to find a way forward."
The Fishermen
I'll have you know we've caught tuna the size of a horse with this boat!!
Well, I'm telling you this fish is bigger than a horse. And it's not a tuna.
September 29, 2018
Graphic novel anthology edited by Amulet creator Kazu Kabuishi.
This is an anthology of fantasy stories loosely themed around the idea of islands. It opens with Jake Parker's cute fable about an island of hardworking rabbitfolk and the discovery of a useful robot who proves to be a bit too useful.
A pair of stories hit the "stranded on a desert island" idea."Carapace" by Jason Caffoe is a cute tale of the friendship that develops between a castaway and the ghost of a giant crab. Featuring giant crab theology! Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier's "Desert Island Playlist" is an oddly surreal story that plays around with nonlinear time.
Michel Gagne's "Loah" is a mythic story of ancient fish seeking a way to escape disaster.
The amusing "Radio Adrift" by Katie Shanahan and Steve Shanahan involves a mage-in-training working to complete her pixie-hatching project and an unusual radio station that she tunes in to.
Editor Kazu Kibuishi contributes a classic fish story with "The Fishermen" that does a nice job of character development in the short space it has to work with.
My personal favorite was the very creepy "The Mask Dance" by Chrystin Garland.
All of these stories were good, and the artwork, while varied in style, was all fantastically colorful and imaginative. The tone of the stories varies a lot with the broad theme, but if you enjoy a general sense of myth and wonder, you will definitely find a lot to like in this volume.
This is an anthology of fantasy stories loosely themed around the idea of islands. It opens with Jake Parker's cute fable about an island of hardworking rabbitfolk and the discovery of a useful robot who proves to be a bit too useful.
A pair of stories hit the "stranded on a desert island" idea."Carapace" by Jason Caffoe is a cute tale of the friendship that develops between a castaway and the ghost of a giant crab. Featuring giant crab theology! Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier's "Desert Island Playlist" is an oddly surreal story that plays around with nonlinear time.
Michel Gagne's "Loah" is a mythic story of ancient fish seeking a way to escape disaster.
The amusing "Radio Adrift" by Katie Shanahan and Steve Shanahan involves a mage-in-training working to complete her pixie-hatching project and an unusual radio station that she tunes in to.
Editor Kazu Kibuishi contributes a classic fish story with "The Fishermen" that does a nice job of character development in the short space it has to work with.
My personal favorite was the very creepy "The Mask Dance" by Chrystin Garland.
All of these stories were good, and the artwork, while varied in style, was all fantastically colorful and imaginative. The tone of the stories varies a lot with the broad theme, but if you enjoy a general sense of myth and wonder, you will definitely find a lot to like in this volume.
October 16, 2020
I think the first book (mystery boxes) was far more better than this one. I loved some of the stories in here, but some were very average. I still had a great read with some of the stories that's why I'm rating it 3.5/5.
I'm hoping the next books in this series get better from here! ☺️
I'm hoping the next books in this series get better from here! ☺️
April 12, 2024
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/ucu_j9xQO0U
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/ucu_j9xQO0U
Enjoy!
August 18, 2025
This was a cute fantasy graphic novel anthology, which is on par with Kibuishi's other graphic novel anthologies.
November 6, 2019
3.5 stars.
I didn't enjoy this as much as I did the first book in the series, but it still made for a fun little read. Best artwork was probably in The Mask Dance and in Loah. My favourite story was probably Radio Adrift, although I also had a soft spot for Carapace and Desert Island Playlist.
I would recommend it for anyone in need or want of a decent middle-grade comics anthology. I already have the next of the series checked out of the library.
I didn't enjoy this as much as I did the first book in the series, but it still made for a fun little read. Best artwork was probably in The Mask Dance and in Loah. My favourite story was probably Radio Adrift, although I also had a soft spot for Carapace and Desert Island Playlist.
I would recommend it for anyone in need or want of a decent middle-grade comics anthology. I already have the next of the series checked out of the library.
June 2, 2024
This is a lovely collection of stories by some of my favourite creators!
1. Rabbit Island (Jake Parker)
An island of rabbit people who work industriously during the week, then relax on the beach on the weekend, except for one tinkerer. The tinkerer rabbit discovers a robot, which he fixes up to be able to do basic chores. The other rabbits find out about the robot and ask the tinkerer if it can do different chores. He enables the robot to do all of the chores, but it starts to do them badly; meanwhile, the other rabbits have spent their days on the beach relaxing, granted the time freed up by the robot doing all of their work. The robot eventually fails, and the rabbits have to return to work again.
This is an adorable, fun story (despite the freeloading rabbits, haha). I feel like this is ideally* the way society would go if everything boring became automated; at the same time, I don't think it would be a full binary of work or goof off, since loads of people still want to accomplish things with their lives. (Also, there still need to be people who can manage the automation.)
*I do say "ideally" because there are still people invested in having some degree of control over other people, and they would not be willing to hand over the reins of freedom from tedium so easily as that. Sigh.
2. The Mask Dance (Chrystin Garland)
A girl wants to go to the festival with her father but has work to do; however, a passing ferry driver invites her to go to the festival with him, since he claims that he has already taken her father there hours ago. She believes the ferry driver and goes, only to nearly be claimed by the festival-goers who are .
I hate to say this is probably my least favourite story in the book, but because it's so dark compared to the other stories. It's still good! The others are just more uplifting. Definitely would fit in a spooky-themed anthology, too!
3. Carapace (Jason Caffoe)
A boy is stranded on an island and discovers the carapace of a deceased crab. As he decides to make a shelter out of the carapace, the ghost of the crab interrupts him and says it's rude to talk about camping out in someone else's body. They start talking, and the crab admits to being lonely, since others of his kind manage to be washed away before dying, so they can share the afterlife with the other crab ghosts at sea. The boy learns to survive on the island, thanks to the ghost crab's knowledge, and he decides to repay the favour by taking what he's learned and making an irrigation system that will knock the carapace free and wash it out to sea. To their surprise, .
A lovely story about friendship, AND beautifully drawn!
4. Desert Island Playlist (Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier)
A girl finds herself stranded on an island with some improbable items—a backpack with one book and an MP3 player with only three songs on it. (How the book and player survived however it was that she washed ashore is a mystery that isn't answered, since the backpack doesn't look particularly waterproof.) As she wanders the island, the girl finds an abandoned baby and, later, an old woman in a shack. At this point, the story becomes unclear, since the old woman not only has a "lifetime" supply of chocolate but also has a well-worn copy of the very same book the girl has, which the girl says only came out "a few weeks ago." They then find a boat (or, rather, the baby sees the boat) and escape the island together.
I want to say this is metaphorical? Otherwise, the ending line doesn't make sense (or the chocolate and well-worn, recently published book). It's thought-provoking as a metaphor, confusing when taken at face value.
5. Loah (Michel Gagné)
By far the most beautiful story! (Sorry, I'm biased! Gagné's art has always been stunningly gorgeous!) Adding the fact it's about tropical fish—almost always a beautiful subject of illustration—living in what is turning into an active volcano, and the story is well worth the cost of the anthology by itself! I can even see it animated in my head, thanks to The Saga of Rex! (spoiler for the same)
6. Radio Adrift (Katie Shanahan, Steven Shanahan)
A magic school student (Wiya) has an assignment to find the sound that makes her pixie egg hatch. Through some experimentation, she discovers that a radio DJ's voice causes a reaction in the pixie egg, but because the show is ending soon, she runs to find the station to get the DJ (Bert) to talk some more. There, she finds out that the station is called Radio Adrift because Bert sawed off the land his station was on to make a floating island that would let him drift along to other places and meet new people... people like Wiya. Wiya's egg hatches, and she listens to Bert's show until the station drifts too far away for her radio to pick up anymore.
This is a cute story, but I feel like Bert could benefit from having a podcast instead, haha. Granted, stories with magic as a part of the setting tend to be "low-tech" as a general rule, so I suppose it's a wonder they even have radio!
7. The Fishermen (Kazu Kibuishi)
The captain of a fishing boat pulls a Captain Ahab in his pursuit of the large fish that is scaring one of his crew members. Despite the crew's warnings, the captain steers them toward a mysterious island he says the fish "led" him to find, and it's only when they discover .
I want to say it's on par with Kibuishi's work. His art is consistently fantastic (especially with Caffoe's colouring), and his stories have a very familiar feel to them, like I've read them before even if I haven't. Always great seeing more!
I think overall I like this collection just the littlest bit more than other anthologies, if only because each story gets its own title page spread before the story begins. Sometimes that's confusing in anthologies, where the stories sometimes blend together enough that the beginning of a different story almost but not quite fits with the end of the prior one. Maybe I just read too fast, though, haha. Recommended for young readers, especially ones who are fans of any of the contributing creators!
1. Rabbit Island (Jake Parker)
An island of rabbit people who work industriously during the week, then relax on the beach on the weekend, except for one tinkerer. The tinkerer rabbit discovers a robot, which he fixes up to be able to do basic chores. The other rabbits find out about the robot and ask the tinkerer if it can do different chores. He enables the robot to do all of the chores, but it starts to do them badly; meanwhile, the other rabbits have spent their days on the beach relaxing, granted the time freed up by the robot doing all of their work. The robot eventually fails, and the rabbits have to return to work again.
This is an adorable, fun story (despite the freeloading rabbits, haha). I feel like this is ideally* the way society would go if everything boring became automated; at the same time, I don't think it would be a full binary of work or goof off, since loads of people still want to accomplish things with their lives. (Also, there still need to be people who can manage the automation.)
*I do say "ideally" because there are still people invested in having some degree of control over other people, and they would not be willing to hand over the reins of freedom from tedium so easily as that. Sigh.
2. The Mask Dance (Chrystin Garland)
A girl wants to go to the festival with her father but has work to do; however, a passing ferry driver invites her to go to the festival with him, since he claims that he has already taken her father there hours ago. She believes the ferry driver and goes, only to nearly be claimed by the festival-goers who are .
I hate to say this is probably my least favourite story in the book, but because it's so dark compared to the other stories. It's still good! The others are just more uplifting. Definitely would fit in a spooky-themed anthology, too!
3. Carapace (Jason Caffoe)
A boy is stranded on an island and discovers the carapace of a deceased crab. As he decides to make a shelter out of the carapace, the ghost of the crab interrupts him and says it's rude to talk about camping out in someone else's body. They start talking, and the crab admits to being lonely, since others of his kind manage to be washed away before dying, so they can share the afterlife with the other crab ghosts at sea. The boy learns to survive on the island, thanks to the ghost crab's knowledge, and he decides to repay the favour by taking what he's learned and making an irrigation system that will knock the carapace free and wash it out to sea. To their surprise, .
A lovely story about friendship, AND beautifully drawn!
4. Desert Island Playlist (Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier)
A girl finds herself stranded on an island with some improbable items—a backpack with one book and an MP3 player with only three songs on it. (How the book and player survived however it was that she washed ashore is a mystery that isn't answered, since the backpack doesn't look particularly waterproof.) As she wanders the island, the girl finds an abandoned baby and, later, an old woman in a shack. At this point, the story becomes unclear, since the old woman not only has a "lifetime" supply of chocolate but also has a well-worn copy of the very same book the girl has, which the girl says only came out "a few weeks ago." They then find a boat (or, rather, the baby sees the boat) and escape the island together.
I want to say this is metaphorical? Otherwise, the ending line doesn't make sense (or the chocolate and well-worn, recently published book). It's thought-provoking as a metaphor, confusing when taken at face value.
5. Loah (Michel Gagné)
By far the most beautiful story! (Sorry, I'm biased! Gagné's art has always been stunningly gorgeous!) Adding the fact it's about tropical fish—almost always a beautiful subject of illustration—living in what is turning into an active volcano, and the story is well worth the cost of the anthology by itself! I can even see it animated in my head, thanks to The Saga of Rex! (spoiler for the same)
6. Radio Adrift (Katie Shanahan, Steven Shanahan)
A magic school student (Wiya) has an assignment to find the sound that makes her pixie egg hatch. Through some experimentation, she discovers that a radio DJ's voice causes a reaction in the pixie egg, but because the show is ending soon, she runs to find the station to get the DJ (Bert) to talk some more. There, she finds out that the station is called Radio Adrift because Bert sawed off the land his station was on to make a floating island that would let him drift along to other places and meet new people... people like Wiya. Wiya's egg hatches, and she listens to Bert's show until the station drifts too far away for her radio to pick up anymore.
This is a cute story, but I feel like Bert could benefit from having a podcast instead, haha. Granted, stories with magic as a part of the setting tend to be "low-tech" as a general rule, so I suppose it's a wonder they even have radio!
7. The Fishermen (Kazu Kibuishi)
The captain of a fishing boat pulls a Captain Ahab in his pursuit of the large fish that is scaring one of his crew members. Despite the crew's warnings, the captain steers them toward a mysterious island he says the fish "led" him to find, and it's only when they discover .
I want to say it's on par with Kibuishi's work. His art is consistently fantastic (especially with Caffoe's colouring), and his stories have a very familiar feel to them, like I've read them before even if I haven't. Always great seeing more!
I think overall I like this collection just the littlest bit more than other anthologies, if only because each story gets its own title page spread before the story begins. Sometimes that's confusing in anthologies, where the stories sometimes blend together enough that the beginning of a different story almost but not quite fits with the end of the prior one. Maybe I just read too fast, though, haha. Recommended for young readers, especially ones who are fans of any of the contributing creators!
November 3, 2013
My Review: Explorer The Lost Islands is a collection of seven graphic short stories.
The Rabbit Island by Jake Parker, an island inhabited by rabbits where every rabbit has a job to do until one rabbit decided to build a robot that did all the work until it catch on fire.
The Mask Dance by Chrystin Garland, about a little girl who disordered her father and decided to follow a stranger to the festival.
Carapace by Jason Caffoe is a short story about a boy who woke up on an island looking for food to eat when he came across the exoskeleton of a crab and the crab’s ghost who showed him how to find food.
DesertIsland Playist by Dave Roman and Raina Telegemeier was by far the best story. The story is about a young girl who found herself on a deserted island (so she thinks) with only a backpack with a few keepsakes and scattered memories.
I found all seven stories interesting but short and I expected more. The illustrations are beautiful and different in style. The colors are vibrant and bold with help to tell the stories.
FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of these books from Abrams in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.
The Rabbit Island by Jake Parker, an island inhabited by rabbits where every rabbit has a job to do until one rabbit decided to build a robot that did all the work until it catch on fire.
The Mask Dance by Chrystin Garland, about a little girl who disordered her father and decided to follow a stranger to the festival.
Carapace by Jason Caffoe is a short story about a boy who woke up on an island looking for food to eat when he came across the exoskeleton of a crab and the crab’s ghost who showed him how to find food.
DesertIsland Playist by Dave Roman and Raina Telegemeier was by far the best story. The story is about a young girl who found herself on a deserted island (so she thinks) with only a backpack with a few keepsakes and scattered memories.
I found all seven stories interesting but short and I expected more. The illustrations are beautiful and different in style. The colors are vibrant and bold with help to tell the stories.
FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of these books from Abrams in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.
November 25, 2014
Really enjoyed this little treasure trove of island-related stories. It takes less than an hour to read, and the stories are all unique. I love compilations of related graphic novels because I love the different voices and different hands that put them all together. It gives me a chance to experience a variety of talents in one slim volume, and when they all take off of one theme, it really expands what that theme can be to different people. I enjoyed this - not quite as much as I enjoyed Explorer: The Mystery Boxes, but Islands wasn't far behind.
Rabbit Island - Jake Parker
The Mask Dance - Chrystin Garland
Carapace - Jason Caffoe
Desert Island Playlist - Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier
Loah - Michel Gagne
Radio Adrift - Katie Shanahan and Steven Shanahan
The Fishermen - Kazu Kibuishi
Rabbit Island - Jake Parker
The Mask Dance - Chrystin Garland
Carapace - Jason Caffoe
Desert Island Playlist - Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier
Loah - Michel Gagne
Radio Adrift - Katie Shanahan and Steven Shanahan
The Fishermen - Kazu Kibuishi
June 18, 2015
As a whole, I found most of the stories in this anthology to be of a higher quality than those in Explorer: The Mystery Boxes. And they all had astonishingly beautiful artwork, especially The Mask Dance, Carapace, Loah, and The Fishermen. The Mask Dance was hands-down my favorite of these stories. The style was interesting, the colors exquisite, and the Great Unmasking genuinely startled me--wasn't expecting that!
Very fun little way to spend half an hour or so. Can't wait for more installments.
Very fun little way to spend half an hour or so. Can't wait for more installments.
May 28, 2023
My thoughts on this series as a whole is that it's a wonderfully entertaining concept - the varying art styles and stories linked by the concept of an island work together beautifully. Like volume 1, I haven't read these books in a long while, so I greatly enjoyed diving back into these worlds. I remember this being my least favorite of the trilogy growing up, but that's not a critique of this book - just a praise of the other two.
April 7, 2016
These are always a mixed bag for me. Some of the stories are really good and some I have no idea what is going on. Standouts were Kibuishi's The Fishermen and Katie and Steve Shanahan's Radio Adrift.
April 30, 2016
Rabbit Island by Jake Parker: 2/5
The Mask Dance by Chrystin Garland: 3/5
Carapace by Jason Caffoe: 4/5
Desert Island Playlist by Dave Roman & Raina Telgemeier: 3/5
Loah by Michel Gagne: 4/5
Radio Adrift by Katie Shanahan & Steven Shanahan: 5/5
The Fishermen by Kazu Kibuishi: 3/5
The Mask Dance by Chrystin Garland: 3/5
Carapace by Jason Caffoe: 4/5
Desert Island Playlist by Dave Roman & Raina Telgemeier: 3/5
Loah by Michel Gagne: 4/5
Radio Adrift by Katie Shanahan & Steven Shanahan: 5/5
The Fishermen by Kazu Kibuishi: 3/5
February 8, 2014
This is a collection of seven graphic short stories, each one centered around the theme of places on hidden islands. I loved the variety of artwork in the different stories.
February 16, 2014
Great stories and wonderful pictures. Another stunner collected by Kazu Kibuishi.
March 7, 2014
I liked that there was a bunch of graphic novel stories by different authors. My favorite was Loah. I would recommend this to other 7year olds.
February 19, 2015
I only picked this up from the library because I adore Kazu Kibuishi's artwork. He's the star of this compilation. The rest of the stories are 'meh' at best.
May 9, 2015
I loved the first collection...these were kind of silly and not nearly as good.
July 15, 2022
Rating - 4 Stars
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I didn't realize it in the last book, but there are morals in each story.
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I didn't realize it in the last book, but there are morals in each story.
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