The Hidden Doors

Explorer #3

by Kazu Kibuishi, Jen Wang (Contributor), Steve Hamaker (Contributor)

Edited by New York Times bestselling comics creator Kazu Kibuishi, who is also a contributor, The Hidden Doors —the third volume in the highly praised series—gathers some of the foremost and fastest-rising talents in comics for kids.

A bullied boy discovers a door guarded by a sly monster . . . A painting of a door opens in a forgotten Egyptian tomb . . . A portal in the park promises to turn you into a much cooler 2.0 version—if you can just get the bugs out . . . and much more . . .

Contributors
Jen Wang ( Koko Be Good ), Johane Matte ( The Mystery Boxes ), Steve Hamaker (colorist of Jeff Smith’s Bone series), Faith Erin Hicks ( Friends with Boys ), Doug Holgate (Zack Proton series), and Jason Caffoe ( The Lost Islands and Flight ).

Readers may never walk into a room the same way again.

The Explorer
The Mystery Boxes (#1)
The Lost Islands (#2)
The Hidden Doors (#3)

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Middle Grade, Short Stories, Childrens, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2014

About the author

Kazu 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".

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

May 3, morning ~~ Review asap. No reading allowed until the review pile is gone! lol

Evening ~~ Last but not least, the third Explorer title in the series, the third of the graphic novels read during my Insomnia Hour Saturday Night, and the fifth in my Review Asap pile. So when I get done here I can all myself All Caught Up!

This time the explorers were to write about doors. Hidden doors. Seven stories again, just like in the other two volumes, and each one by a different author/artist, which gave a universal feel to the book.

The first story, Asteria Crane, was the most intense. Asteria was helping a young boy face his realities, but she was inside his mind with him. I never could decide if he was sick or had an accident or was simply trying to shut himself down. Fascinating concept, and I would love to see more of this character somewhere!

The Giant's Kitchen, Luis 2.0 and Two Person Door were all excellent as well. You just never know when, where or with whom you will discover the door to knowledge, you know? So you have to be ready to jump through.....or not.

I think my two favorites were Mastaba, about an ancient Egyptian deity in his tomb, and the final story in the book When Is A Door Not A Door?, which was wickedly clever.

I enjoyed my sleepless night in the company of these fine graphic novelists, and I am looking forward to reading all three volumes many more times in the future.

And now, this is All Caught Up signing off. Good night and good reading!

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

This one is my favorite.

Asteria Crane by Kazu Kibuishi is darker and deeper than I'd expected for one of these collections. It's about a doctor trying to help a boy out of his nightmares by going in after him.

The Giant's Kitchen by Jason Caffoe is a fun bit of twist on the typical adventure tale. A mage and a warrior follow a spirit to find treasure. The warrior finds nothing, the mage finds confidence, which is a pretty cool treasure, really.

Luis 2.0 by Jen Wang speaks to the painfully shy, the introverts, those who regret every little embarrassing thing they've ever done and how great it would be to change into someone cooler.

Two-Person Door by Faith Erin Hicks is another tip-it-on-its-side adventure in which a kid whose super cool mother (I really liked her) sends him out to get kindling and he gets teased for being a poor kid so he runs off to find his way in the world but, instead, finds friendship. This one was my favorite.

Fish N Chips in Spring Cleaning by Steve Hamaker feels like it comes from a larger story. There's probably a whole Fish N Chips storyline out there that I don't know about. As a result, though, I felt out of place with this story, like I was missing something important.

Mastaba by Johane Matte is probably the most humorous tale as it concerns the panicking spirit of a long-dead pharoah worrying over tomb robbers. Also, there's an adorable and clever kangaroo rat which is actually probably a jerboa since I don't think kangaroo rats live in Egypt, not even ancient Egypt.

When is a Door Not a Door? by Jen Breach and Douglas Holgate is a more traditional adventure tale but in a Nordic setting. A young girl goes on one of her daily expeditions and has to outwit some nasty ogres with the help of a door and a riddle.

I liked the stories in this one more than I had for the previous two volumes, both because of content and art. I'll even remember some of these ones fondly!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Explorer: The Hidden Doors is a collection of short stories filled with fun, friendship and adventure. A book that reminded me of a door in my life.

I’ve lived in old, bats-in-the-attic, New England houses pretty much my whole life. Houses alive with history and ghosts in every creak and crack. As a kid, my room had two doors. One to move in & out of and one to…how do I explain this? Once upon a time, my bedroom had another room off of it, but was torn down for some reason or another. All that remained was the old black door. I named it my door to nowhere. But it did go somewhere. I used that door for inspiration and imagination—everyone asked about it eventually. I spun quite a few spooky tales about that door. :D My niece still gets the creeps when I mention it. So I knew a long time ago that doors could take you anywhere—adventure, opportunity, and wonder. Even locked, blocked and nailed shut doors can take us places.

I enjoyed this fast paced graphic novel. Every tale was packed with meaning, color and characters. Strong female characters ruled the show! My favorite was Two-Person Door by Faith Erin Hicks.

Go open a door. See what you find. It’s a book that made me reflect on the decisions we make and don’t make in life.

Recommended.

[Madelene G · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three first stories were the best, overall very cute and I loved the art for all the stories!

[Talia Messina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m always down for a collection of short stories about doors and other worlds :)

[Skye Elder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like a bunch of short stories that make up a story. Which is really cool!
This was a very fun read. I would definitely recommend this to everyone!
Now I think I’m going to start book 3…

[Kiran ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'\̵͇̿̿\з= ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) =ε/̵͇̿̿/’̿’̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic was pretty good, if you enjoy reading short stories, I HIGLY recommend this book to you.

[Selene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asteria Crane by Kazu Kibuishi
4 Stars
The Giants Kitchen by Jason Caffoe
4 Stars
Luis 2.0 by Jen Wang
4 Stars
Two-Person Door by Faith Erin Hicks
3.5 Stars
Fish N Chips in Spring Cleaning by Steve Hamaker
3 Stars
Mastaba by Johane Matte
2 Stars
When is a Door Not a Door? by Jen Breach and Douglas Holgate
2.5 Stars

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really fantastic stories in this one.

My absolute favorite was Luis 2.0 by Jen Wang, what a creative and sweet way to deliver a timeless message about being yourself and embracing who you are.

The Giant's Kitchen by Jason Caffoe is not what the title implies, less "Fee Fi Fo Fum" and more Food Network. Although the librarian in me couldn't help but be unsettled by the disregard for books.

Two-Person Door by Faith Erin Hicks was also great, again I was taken in an unexpected direction. I really appreciated the themes of family and friendship.

The only story I didn't much care for was Fish and Chips in Spring Cleaning by Steve Hamaker. I didn't think it made much of the anthology theme (hidden doors). Plus it seems like these are established characters, I felt like I was missing a piece of the story.

Overall, this is a great collection of quick fun stories.

[Keisha | A Book Like You · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was right up there with the first book in the series for me. I might actually like it more, but it’s been a while since I read the first one, so I don’t want to make that call.

My favorite stories from this collection were Asteria Crane and The Giant’s Kitchen! My favorite illustrations were from Asteria Crane, but I also really liked the art from The Giant’s Kitchen and When Is A Door Not A Door?

[mawadda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, but i must say out of all 3 books so far, i find the first book as the best. my favourite story in the hidden doors is luis 2.0 by jen wang cuz its really inspiring and talks about just being yourself and knowing that there is other people too who feel embarrassed sometimes or just lonely. my least favourite was mastaba by Johane matte cuz it didnt make much sense to me and i didnt like the graphics that much.

the explorer series are becoming one of my favourites

[Julie Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books (gn) are full of mini stories, all with a “door” theme. How we use them, literally and metaphorically. It’s good fun but while half the stories were well illustrated with a great story line, half were kinda meh.

[Loretta Marchize · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are so enjoyable, with different stories and art styles.
I especially liked the first and last little stories.

[Derick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very GOOD

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Asteria Crane: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Giant’s Kitchen: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Luis 2.0: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two-Person Door: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fish N Chips in Spring Cleaning: ⭐️⭐️
Mastaba: ⭐️
When Is A Door Not A Door:⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3,5

Favorite story: Mastaba by Johane Matte.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/ZPUM6MjhmhQ

Enjoy!

[Mister Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MerryMeerkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Self Purchase, paperback
 
4 Stars, buy it
 
Overall very cute and fun. I pretty much love all of collected edition books by Kazu Kibuishi. I think this one is a bit short and maybe not quite as good as some of the other collections but I still enjoyed this a lot and don’t regret purchasing it for my collection. Recommend for all ages.
 
Asteria Crane- This is the story of a kid trapped in a nightmare and a doctor, Asteria Crane goes in via some medical contraption to save him. This one is by the editor, Kazu Kibuishi who does the Amulet series. I love most of what he does. Love the art and really like the story. 4 Stars
 
The Giant’s Kitchen-Cute story of a kid who is too dependent on his spell book. He/She not sure, goes through a hidden door and learns that he/she does not need the book. 4 Stars
 
Luis 2.0 - This is the story of a kid who is picked on. He goes through a hidden door and becomes someone he isn’t. A tad predictable but cute and sweet anyway. I like the art. 4 Stars
 
Two Person Door-Another cute story about a young man who is poor. He discovers a door in the forest but the door guardian says there has to be two people to go through, a boy and a girl. The young man finds a girl to go through the door with them but she teaches him that his mom would miss him and they become friends. Cute and I like the art but not as much as I liked the first 3 stories 3 Stars.
 
Fish N Chips- Not much to say about this one. I did not like the story, not a fan of robots. 2 Stars for story, 4 for art (so I liked the art and not the story). Overall 3 stars
 
Mastaba- My favorite story of the book. It’s a story of a lonely ancient Egyptian ghost who is lonely. But then robbers try to rob the tomb and little bit of chaos ensues. Very funny and love the art. 5 Stars.
 
When is a door not a door?- Cute but not fantastic. Story was fine but the art was not great. It particular I found it to be too dark and therefore some of the action was hard to follow. It does have a cute ending. overall 3 stars

[Austin Phadoungsyavong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book but look like full story just like fairly tales other about this book and I know was good story and different story from kind of idea or art.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in this series is so excellent (Explorer: The Mystery Boxes), but the subsequent books have been very lackluster. Jen Wang's contribution was lovely (duh) and was really the only one that was visually different. I mean, it makes sense that Jason Caffoe's work looks like Kazu Kibuishi's because he's worked as his colorist for ages. So maybe don't put those two right next to each other? The bulk of these stories suffer from every-story-has-a-Lesson-itis and completely lacks subtlety. Oof. Just read the Mystery Boxes instead.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first "Explorer" and I'll have to go back and read the first two as I fair enjoyed this. Now I'd only read a couple of the author/illustrators before but both Kibuishi and Canadian Faith Erin Hicks are favourites of mine. Anthologies are best when they have a solid theme and this one's "Hidden Doors" is an intriguing one. Each story does have a physical door in it, but the differences end there. Each story took the theme in a unique direction; Kazu Kibuishi's offering was my favourite by far though.

[Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was always my favorite of the bunch - although I wish that there were more of these books, this was a great note to end on. The stories - all with different art styles and plot lines - are wonderfully fantastical, but most of them have the fantastic message of finding adventure and acceptance within yourself, not with some door.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved meeting new illustrators and storytellers in this edition of the Explorer graphic novel series. Each creator riffed on a theme of doors. The collection was intriguing. Only one story was downright disappointing. I'd love to see more.

[Krystle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series. My favorite in this volume is "Two Person Door."

[Wrenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hard to explain because there are all these little stories in it at once. I enjoyed it.

[sumayyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art styles in all three books were really good. I wished some were in cartoons. This one was by far my favorite.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hidden Doors (Explorer #3) is a series of short stories all with a theme about doors, for example, the doors to ones mind, the door to another world, the door to self image and realization, a door to an ancient crypt, or any door that leads to something out of the ordinary. Each story is told and illustrated by a different author. If you are a fan of Kazu Kibuishi and Jason Caffoe from the Amulet series then you will be thoroughly pleased with any of the books in the Explorer series including Hidden Doors.

While I love all of the Explorer books, this one was my least favorite. I loved the first three stories, but for some reason I didn't really care much for any of the stories that followed.

For example The Two Person Door kept me intrigued wondering what was behind the door and how the boy was going to get through the door, but the same idea that intrigued me also left me with an empty feeling at the end of the story. I understand that there are so many stories like that where one goes through the door into the unknown world and that this author was trying to be brave and do the exact opposite and give reasons for not going through to the other world, but it just left me feeling empty at the end of the story, wanting more but knowing that wish will be unfulfilled.

By far Fish Nichps was my least favorite story. I didn't care for the art style and I definitely thought the story was stupid and very cartoony. I also felt that this story fit in the least with the theme. In fact the story was more about what was behind the door than the door itself and I just didn't feel as if it fit with the theme as much as the others. But mainly I just thought the story was stupid and that killer robots have just been done waay too much.

To end on a good note I'll talk about my three favorite stories. First of all I love anything by Kazu Kibuishi because his illustrations are just very attractive and pleasing to the eye (beautiful shading, coloring and round features on the characters) and not to mention his stories are always creative and unique. They always leave me with questions and wondering how things will end. I love Jason Caffoe's story and Jen Wang's story just as equally because they both gave a very happy and pleasant feeling at the end and you come away knowing that the characters in each story grew a little and learned something that they didn't know before.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a fan of reading reviews with synopsis' but I see this one doesn't have it for the book so I will state them after my review - for those who DONT WANT TO READ IT. No spoilers.

Ps. I am judging how I enjoyed the drawing style but in no way/shape/form am I judging THEIR ART STYLE. I think anyone who can draw, do an amazing job - it just doesn't fit my taste.

Asteria Crane: I enjoyed this story. It is better than his story in the first one, in my opinion. I was thinking it was going to go one way and I was a bit disappointed it didn't go that way but it was still good regardless.
Story/Moral: ♥♥♥♥♥
Drawing Style: ♥♥♥♥

The Giant's Kitchen: It was cute and enjoyable and I really liked the moral.
Story/Moral: ♥♥♥♥
Drawing Style: ♥♥♥♥

Luis 2.0: I thought it was okay... the moral was good but... not executed right in my opinion. Not the right way to give the moral. You should do things for yourself not for/because/with other people.
Story/Moral: ♥♥♥
Drawing Style: ♥♥♥♥♥

Two-Person Door: I did not like the boy main character, at all. Even after everything. But I did like and feel for the girl character.
Story/Moral: ♥♥
Drawing Style: ♥

Fish N Chips in Spring Cleaning: Uhm...I don't get the purpose/enjoyment of this story at all. I think it was aiming to be at least funny, and I am someone who laughs easily but I just didn't get it.
Story/Moral: ♥
Drawing Style: ♥♥♥♥

Mastaba: I liked the moral.. but the actual story was kind of un-entertaining maybe if it was told by the other creatures perspective it could have been better. I did not like the main creature.
Story/Moral: ♥♥
Drawing Style: ♥♥♥

When is a Door not a Door: This was cute and witty. All the characters were great. The story was entertaining although I could be a bit bias because the one I'm inclined to like all stories surrounding them.
Story/Moral: ♥♥♥♥♥
Drawing Style: ♥♥♥




Asteria Crane: A doctors tries to see if they can save a child from something.
The Giant's Kitchen: An amateur magicians learns a lesson in the kitchen.
Luis 2.0: A boy changes himself to be more likable to others.
Two-Person Door: A boy will do anything for power/money and a girl who is happy with anything simple.
Fish N Chips in Spring Cleaning: A fish and cat find a cat suit behind the door. (sorry I can't give more than that, it wasn't much of a story)
Mastaba: An owl wants friends and it comes when and where he least expects it.
When is a Door not a Door: A girl finds a door with a magical being, something gets loose and she makes the ultimate escape.