Flight is an anthology of episodic comics, written and drawn by a variety of artists and edited by Kazu Kibushi (author of Amulet, Copper and Daisy Kutter). The collected works range from lighthearted and irreverent to deeply introspective and melodramatic; art styles run the gamut from simplistic or cartoonish to realistic or painterly; and the content of the stories ranges from bizarre to moderately sane. Known for its inventive compilation of different styles, Flight has been well-received by critics and readers alike. To date eight volumes have been released, with the earliest in 2004 and the latest in 2011.
Flight provides examples of:
- An Aesop: Amy Kim Ganter's "Food From the Sea:" pointless competition is bad.
- Animal Motifs: From the above story: Gladys Perna sells fresh clams. Sandy Balgan sells fresh fish. This is taken to an extreme later when the two transform into their products.
- Armor-Piercing Question: In Svetlana Chmakova's "Show and Tell", after Nathan's bullying of Jeannie results in her accidentally badly injuring herself, Nathan encounters Jeannie's father at the hospital and tries to deal with his guilt by shifting the blame to Jeannie's eccentricities - "It wasn't my fault!! She's crazy! She thinks she's from Pluto!" Her father simply gives the boy a sad look and asks "Why does that matter?" Nathan is still thinking about this weeks later when Jeannie has recovered enough to return to school, and ultimately starts making an awkward but sincere effort to be nice to her and make amends even as she persists in her fantastical claims.
- Badass Normal: Sandy Balgan when she was human.
- Body Horror: "Food From the Sea", in which the protagonist and her rival become so obsessed with their businesses(Fish and Clam), that they start to morph into them.
- Cool Old Lady: The face Gladys Perna wears for her customers.
- Driven by Envy: Sandy Balgan is an ambitious young fisherwoman who's jealous of Gladys Perna's clam market, and tries to compete with her fresh fish. It doesn't end well for either of them.
- Mood Whiplash: Sweet, lighthearted cartoons can be placed right next to bloody Speculative Fiction and down-to-Earth drama.
- Spoof Aesop: "The Maiden and the River Spirit
" by Derek Kirk Kim directly references the eponymous fairy tale, then completely subverts it. - Tragic Monster: Sandy Balgan wanted to share her love of fish with the world and it ended up costing her humanity.
