The Mystery Boxes (Explorer, #1) (2024)

Wow! I really enjoyed this. It was my first graphic novel anthology and it was fantastic. I think my favorite stories were Under the Floorboards by Emily Carroll and The Keeper's Treasure.

The initial attraction for this series for most people is that it is edited by Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), but the main reason I got it at the library is that Emily Carroll wrote and drew the first story, "Under the Floorboards,"which is by far the best one in the volume, a creepy (but not too terrifying?) nightmare story of a girl who finds a doll in a box who gradually takes over her life, sort of replacing her mother. I'm fast becoming an obsessive Carroll fan-boy completist, so watch out, reviewer readers.

The premise is that all artists are invited to write a story about someone who finds a box with some kind of wonders in it.

I am not a fan of any of the other stories but I very much like the art in Rad Sechrist's "The Butter Thief."

Strong 5 out of 10

This book consists of seven short graphic novel stories each written and drawn by various different artists. I recognized a few of the artists which were nice. The stories were definitely very hit or miss for me. Some were really good, like the first one, and the third one. Some weren't good, for example, the fourth one.

The beginning of this book started off really well. The middle got very dull. The ending, (which the book was hyping all this time) was kind of a dud. The second to last story was good though. In my opinion, only about half of this book was entertaining. It was nice to see lesser-known graphic novel artists, but most of this book was mediocre, (obviously, it's not terrible by any means). I'm going to read the sequel, and I hope to see some better direction, but I couldn't really recommend this one.

2022

A mystery box is the catalyst for imagination.

Seven stories are contained within and focus on a central theme, a mystery box. This volume eloquently demonstrates how well short stories work in the comics medium, by cleverly applying the thematic catalyst, fending off staleness. With eye popping full colour art and palettes ranging from candy coloured to ethereal earth tones, this is both a visual feast for the eyes and a healthy helping of thought for the soul.

Under the Floorboards ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spooky is described in blurb and this one created by upcoming writer Emily Carroll takes the cake. A dark and creepy yarn about a tiny friendly golem doll that comes alive and becomes a little less tiny and a lot less friendly with a sinister purpose. Twins, someone's way of saying, one of you is the rough draft and unfortunately our 'Warner Brothers' mother is blinded to the fact.

Spring Cleaning ⭐️⭐️

A light and sweet, (especially Aunt Ellen), replete of two kids trying to keep a mystery transportation device away from a cast of hot pursuit wizards, and reunited love. If I were in this, I would have gone for the bat wings, missed opportunity Oliver. I'm Batman.

The Keeper's Treasure ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A young explorer has travelled thousands of miles, survived the deadliest trials, fought through battles you can't even dream (they aren't on the map), for a taste of such treasures. Sword and map are all that he's had, to conquer the evil over the land (map didn't help), but the beacon of light at the end of their schemes, was the thought of the treasure in the endless empty labyrinth. A troll he encounters (Smaug the name), helps him traverse the maze and claim the mystery prize he has waited forever to see. A wonderfully creative ending, all the stars I can give.

The Butter Thief ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Featuring, a thief in the daytime (Arrietty is that you?), a guardian samurai, a kind heart, the pillars of doom, and... the old wrinkly one. A trap uncovered and Melphador is on the revenge, what he seeks, the Thusela. A quest he must endure to acquire his prize. Adventure through the forest of the yard, through the hidden path into Moria and fight through a Tom and Jerry sequence, for the Thusela is the ultimate prize. With a unique Japanese inspired style design, this one is top notch.

The soldier's Daughter ⭐️⭐️

This one had a lot of potential to be great, but like me it is full of sorrow that can never be filled. Profound mortality and a ending that had no reason to be there, rendered this tale mute. What I can say is the art is pristine.

Whatzit ⭐️

A Megamind like comic, a crew of extra-terrestrials ship a replica of the complete solar system. Deet has been newly hired to sort out Hanger 3, *insert Indiana jones warehouse here*, a mighty task and he has only hours to do so. Unfortunately his new found promotion doesn't sit all to well to the rest of the crew. Let the catastrophe begin. Again the art was appealing however, it would be ideal for that of a younger audience.

The Escape Option ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A more abstract piece of meditation of the end of the world. James is literally bubbled up into a mysterious cubed aircraft, and shown the future, Earth has two millennia to live. He has upon himself the ultimate decision, travel to Requius (the home planet of this unknown entity) and live the rest of his days in comfort or save Earth from utter annihilation. With the unique art design of the Amulet, Kibuishi really brings home the last of the tales in Explorer: The Mystery Boxes and thus, to its final conclusion.

As Always...
4 Stars
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2020
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A world full of stories, but this is just one combined by little threads and common grounds.

7 stories. One idea. A mystery box.

Under the floorboards, the first short story is most definitely the best one, very creative, great but extremely evil. And Kibuishi blew my mind once more... again. Also keepers treasure is a hidden gem which you just don’t know what you are missing.
4 Stars.

Introduction: I'm making up a pathfinder for good introductory graphic novel titles for older children (6-12 years; I also hope that it could be used as a list of core titles for librarians who might want some guidance) and I've found that it's actually an area in graphic novels I'm not very knowledgeable in. This title caught my eye it was edited by Kazu Kibuishi (of Amulet fame, which I have not read), and I've never read a graphic novel comprised of stand-alone short stories either, so I decided to give it a go and see if it would be a good pick for my pathfinder.

Under the Floorboards by Emily Carroll
This was deliciously creepy, but not so scary that it would scare off the intended audience (older children). The story kind of reminded me of a condensed version of Anya's Ghost I love Carroll's artstyle -- imagine Kate Beaton and Noelle Stephenson's artstyles having a love-child. (4/5)

Spring Cleaning by David Roman and Raina Telgemeier
I wanted to like this one more (I'm a fan of Telgemeier's work), but this one didn't grab me. In terms of tone and art style, it's quite different from the story that came just before it which was slightly jarring, and the narrative felt much more frantically paced and rushed. As always, I enjoyed Telgemeier's signature colourful and expressive art style, but a part of me was anticipating her doing something a little darker. (2.5/5)

The Keeper's Treasure by Jason Kafoe
This is a nice little fantasy piece that has a good dose of humour. I was a little torn on the art -- the line art for the protag was a little lacking, but the ogre-like character was wonderfully drawn and coloured. The backgrounds were also gorgeous, really bringing this little snapshot of the world to life. I was slightly confused by the "message" of the ending, but it was cute nonetheless. (3.5/5)

The Butter Thief by Rob Sechrist
Ohmigosh, the art in this story is CRAZY GOOD and beautiful to look at (though I wish there had been a bit more contrast in the colour and values). The story is very cute, though I am not at all familiar with the mythology it was based on (if it even was based on any real-world mythology, I'm not even `00% sure.) (4/5)

The Solder's Daughter by Stuart Livingston with Stephanie Ramirez
While the art in this was pretty solid, I wasn't so fond of the writing; it had an air of melodrama to it that felt too forced and almost laughable. The message of "WAR IS BAD FOR EVERYONE" is trite and overdone, though it may feel fresh and subversive for younger readers who haven't encountered these kinds of narratives yet. (2.5/5)

Whatzit by Joanne Matte with Saymone Phanekham
Loved the colourful and exaggerated art-style; it's wonderfully cartoony, clean and very professional. I am not at all surprised she did storyboards for Dreamworks (How to Drain Your Dragon) and Nickolodeon (Avatar: The Last Airbender). The story was super cute, and I loved the idea of everything in the universe being contained in boxes. It was impressive the amount of world-building Matte managed to fit into this short piece and without even really saying anything. (4/5)

The Escape Option by Kazu Kibuishi
Didn't really feel this one. I liked the art (it reminded me a lot of Kafoe's), but the story felt *too* clipped. Still, what Kibuishi managed to cram into such a short amount was impressive. (3/5)

Conclusion: For me, this collection was a little uneven (a risk all anthologies encounter), but I didn't despise any of the stories and I quite enjoyed others. The art was consistently solid, and the content was appropriate for the intended audience (while rarely being pandering or condescending). I'm still debating whether I'm going to include this on my pathfinder, but I think it's a good example of short stories in the graphic novel form.

May 3, morning ~~ Read this one and the next two in the series early this morning during Insomnia Library Hour. Review asap.

Evening ~~ Had another of my insomnia nights and after finishing Citizen Tom Paine I decided to read the three Explorer titles. I had ordered them after reading Flight Volume 1. I was and am so impressed with editor Kazu Kibuishi and the talented authors and artists he included in these books. I had a delightful night and didn't even really miss my sleep!

There are seven stories here, and like many other reviewers, I thought the first one, Under The Floorboards, was devilishly clever. You may think it would be fun to have a little friend, but some little friends are great big trouble and the young lady of our story finds that out the hard way.

Other favorites were The Keeper's Treasure (that Keeper is no fool!) and The Butter Thief (with a pretty scary granny) and also Whatzit for sheer if slightly bizarre imagination.

Good stories that are fun to read, with lovely artwork to dawdle over. What else does a person need at three in the morning?

The next volume in the series, that's what!

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 and recognized several of the artists/storytellers from the Flight books.

This one was cute. I liked it just fine.

Under the Floorboards by Emily Carroll is about a sassypants asshole doll found in a box. Vaguely creepy. Not much dialogue. Clever ending.

Spring Cleaning by Dave Roman & Raina Telgemeier is about a weird puzzle box some kid finds in his closet and tries to sell online. Turns out, it's a pretty fancy object, as we see when the kid visits his eclectic aunt's house.

The Keeper's Treasure by Jason Caffoe is about a young explorer who looks for treasure but never really realizes how much more treasure is available in your own backyard.

The Butter Thief by Rad Sechrist is about a girl who gets caught up in her grandmother's kitchen-spirit-trapping-in-boxes machinations. This one was my favorite, mostly because of the illustrations.

The Soldier's Daughter by Stuart Livingston with Stephanie Ramirez seems like it should be an adaptation of The Highwayman but isn't. I wanted it to be. Rather, it's about a girl whose father was killed in war and she goes to avenge him, calling her stay-behind brother a coward because he won't join her. She meets a stranger with a mysterious box who helps her figure things out.

Whatzit by Johane Matte with Saymone Phanekham is cute with a sassy twist at the end. A little guy is promoted by his grandfather and his co-workers suspect nepotism so prank him with a box of mischief.

The Escape Option by Kazu Kibuishi is pure Kibuishi. There's some deep meaning crap going on and I'm not a fan but it's nice enough and I'm sure kids will like it.

All in all, I was entertained, I liked looking at the pictures, and I doubt I'll remember any of these stories.

This collection of short stories is part of a series. I'm excited to see if each new book in the series has a different theme. This book was about strange boxes. I liked 3/5 of the stories. All of the stories had beautiful illustrations. This series is edited by Kazu Kibuishi so I didn't expect anything less.

More thoughts to come.

I said more thoughts to come, and now I'm able to talk about my thoughts lol. I borrowed this book from the library and had to return it, but before I did that I video taped the book and all the story titles. WINNING! I said above that I enjoyed 3/5 of the stories, now I can talk about them.

The first story that I really liked was the 'Butter Thief' by Rad Sechrist. It's about a little girl who overhears her grandmother shouting at a box near the butter dish. Her mom tells her basically that grandma is crazy and thinks she has captured a butter thief. The girl is of course curious and looks in the box where this so called butter thief is being held. Shenanigans pursue. Super cute. Loved it.

The next story I really enjoyed was 'Spring Cleaning' by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier. It's about a little boy who is supposed to clean up his room and finds this weird box. Once the box is found a bunch of people start popping up at his door wanting to buy the box. It was pretty funny.

My favorite story of Explorer was definitely 'Whatzit' by Johane Matte and Saymone Phanekham. This one was bright and fun and strange. It's about an alien department that puts items in boxes. Each box has a picture or shape of what is inside it and our main character is new to the "assembly line" LOL lots of bad stuff happen when he tries to put the right items in the correct boxes.

Glad I video taped the book lol. I'm really looking forward to the other two graphic novels in this series.

Under the Floorboards is my absolute favorite from this compilation. I love when short stories are presented around one common theme and this graphic novel depicts that concept well! I'm looking forward to reading the others.

This was my first anthology graphic novel read. I liked seeing the different styles of art between the authors and artists.
My favorite ratings are:
Under the Floorboards by Emily Carroll
5 Stars
Spring Cleaning by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier
4 Stars
The Keepers Treasure by Jason Caffoe
5 Stars
The Butter Thief by Rad Sechrist
3 Stars
The Soldier's Daughter by Stuart Livingston
3.5 Stars
Whatzit by Johane Matte
4 Stars
The Escape Option by Kazu Kibuishi
3 Stars

This mostly just made me wish there were 8 more volumes of Flight! Just like Flight Kibuishi collects here contributions from various graphic storytellers themed around the titular concept. The illustrations in every piece were gorgeous - I just wish it was longer.

שבעה סיפורי קומיקס מיוצרים שונים ובסגנונות שונים כשהמשותף לכולם הוא קופסה מסתורית.

נחמד ומהיר לקריאה. מעניין לראות איך כל יוצר לקח את תבנית העלילה לכיוון שונה.

To find all my reviews: http://dancinginth3dark.blogspot.com

When it comes to Kazu Kibuishi I have to read everything that he has written because I absolutely love his storytelling and his illustrations. I remember I bought Amulet when it first came out through my school and I had no clue about the book and yet I fell in love with the story. I did not know it was a series at the time and sold it years ago which I regret now but that is a whole different topic. I have always wanted to read this graphic novel but somehow something would get in my way from getting this book into my hands until now.

The library had this book recently and it was on my request list for a very long time but luckily this week it finally arrived and I was able to check it out. I did not know at the time that this was a collection of short stories but I figured that wasn't going to be problem because Kazu Kibuishi produces only the best especially Emily Carroll and countless others.

Surprisingly I would say 90% of the writers and illustrators in these short stories I have never heard of their name or any works they have published and thanks to Kazu Kibuishi I desperately want to research their works and consume it asap. The illustrations on every story was phenomenal between the design and the use of colors and I will admit that Jason Caffoe illustrations is extremely similar to Kazu Kibuishi so I can definitely see them working together soon.

I believe what made me hooked into this graphic novel is how most of the stories incorporated elements of Supernatural, Sci-Fi, Horror and made it spooky for kids which I was not expecting and since tomorrow is Halloween this book felt perfectly for the occasion. I am not going to give any details about individuals stories because I believe some were spectacular than others but in the end they mashed up so well that it felt like I was reading this one big story with different characters and adventures.

If you are looking for a cute, sweet and short book to stuff your halloween cravings then I highly recommend this book and may it bring joy to you as much as it has done for me. Happy Halloween everyone!

Interesting collection of comic short stories. All are on one topic, what's in the box? And from then every author and artist goes their way. We get some that are more cartoon/childish (not my favorite), but we get some fantasy, some horror and some nice science-fiction as well. Very interesting in overall even with lower one, its inevitable in every type of anthology. I like it and might check out to find one volume two of this Explorer series (I think each one is on a different topic).

Under the Floorboards ★★★★☆
Spring Cleaning ★★★★☆
The Keeper's Treasure ★★★☆☆
The Butter Thief ★★★☆☆
The Soldier's Daughter ★★☆☆☆
Whatzit ★★★☆☆
The Escape Option ★★★☆☆

Average: 3.14

Findthis review and more fantastical things at The Leaning Tower of Tomes.

The review:

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes is a really cool graphic anthology that features seven different stories revolving around a box of some kind. Kazu Kibuishi of the Amulet series edited this collection as well as contributed to it, and this anthology additionally features the works of Emily Carroll, Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, Jason Caffoe, Rad Sechrist, Stuart Livingston, Stephanie Ramirez, Johane Matte, and Saymone Phanekham. Let’s talk about the individual graphic stories in here.

1. Emily Carroll’s story, Under the Floorboards, is by far the best of the bunch. It’s creepy and dark, but ultimately fulfilling and satisfying in the end. It goes deeper than some of the other stories do, and the illustrations are colored darkly to make the story even spookier. Emily Carroll later became acclaimed for her phenomenal book Through the Woods. It seems she really likes writing and illustrating horror stories…

2. The second story is called Spring Cleaning and is by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier. It’s fun, funny, and upbeat, filled with magicians and overflowing closets and basem*nts. It has vibrant colors and is one of the more cartoonishly drawn stories.

3. The third story is by Jason Caffoe and is titled The Keeper’s Treasure. It’s mystical and makes you smile, and is slightly similar in tone and style to Kazu Kibuishi’s works. (I’m not familiar with Jason Caffoe’s work so I’m sorry for the comparison.) I really loved the imaginative troll (I think? He looked like a troll, but a nice one), and the message relayed in this story is sweet.

4. The fourth story is The Butter Thief and is by Rad Sechrist. This hilarious heist over some much-needed butter is very original, with a incredibly unique artwork and lively, electric colors. This is probably my favorite story of the bunch in terms of the art style and coloring.

5. Story five is The Soldier’s Daughter by Stuart Livingston with Stephanie Ramirez. I liked how the pictures were laid out and chopped up (I’m sure there’s a term for that but I don’t know it right now). It’s about a soldier’s daughter going out to avenge her father — only she instead learns a sad, important truth.

6. The sixth story is a really fun tale called Whatzit and is by Johane Matte with Saymone Phanekham. Also more cartoon-y, this energetic story is about the hilarious chaos that ensues in a cargo hangar when one little worker curiously opens up a box that isn’t listed in the computer database.

7. And the last story in the book, by the master Kazu Kibuishi, is called The Escape Option. (The book’s cover is a scene from this story. Gorgeous, right?) I love Kazu’s art style and colors, as well as his use of different typefaces and speech bubbles for different types of characters.

The stories aren’t all stellar, but all the artwork is magnificent. I could stare at the illustrations all day. If I had to rank the stories in order of favorite to least favorite, they’d go: Under the Floorboards (absolutely creeptastic!), The Keeper’s Treasure (because of that lovable troll!), The Butter Thief (because of the breathtaking art and colors), Whatzit (because it’s just so fun), The Escape Option (pretty but not that exciting), Spring Cleaning (cute enough but lacking substance), and then The Soldier’s Daughter (definitely the least memorable of the bunch).

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes is a quick and enjoyable read, and the way the stories remain cohesive through the “box” theme was a nice touch. It’s not a particularly strong graphic anthology, but if I see the other two books in the series floating around I’ll definitely grab ’em so I can look at all the stunning artwork. ♦

So tell me...

Have you read Explorer: The Mystery Boxes? If you haven’t, would you be interested to? What’s your favorite graphic novel? Or, who’s your favorite illustrator? And have you read any graphic anthologies before? Comment below letting me know! And, as always, happy reading!

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After reading this graphic anthology, I ordered the rest of this series from my library, as well as all 8 volumes of the Flight, Vol. 1 anthologies, so I guess I enjoyed it quite a bit!

I picked up this book intending to just flip through it and see what it was about. I ended up reading the entire thing.

Essentially, this is a graphic novel short story collection all on the same theme: mystery boxes. Each story has a different author/artist and style, but all have an element of fantasy to them. Including lots of unicorns. There are seven stories:

Under the Floorboards by Emily Carroll - A wax doll comes to life, helping and hindering a girl in her chores.
Spring Cleaning by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier - A puzzle box is found in a messy closet, and some wizards are willing to pay a lot of money for it. But why?
The Keeper's Treasure by Jason Caffoe - A treasure hunter seeks a treasure inside a labyrinth, and is curious about what is inside the treasure box.
The Butter Thief by Rad Sechrist - A spirit is stealing butter, so grandma traps the spirit and buries it in the backyard. Her grandmother is curious and investigates the box.
The Soldier's Daughter by Stuart Livingston - A girl goes on a quest to avenge her father's death, but a magical box shows her some truths about life and war.
Whatzit by Johane Matte - A little alien is put in charge of a a checklist for shipping boxes, but he opens one that makes his job a little harder.
The Escape Option by Kazu Kibuishi - A boy is sucked into a spaceship box and told of a choice he must make to save the world.

The stories are short and cute, but they also have some interesting depth to them. The artwork is beautiful in some stories and brilliant in others, as there is a nice variety in styles and tones. Some stories feel dark, some epic, and some just fun. My favorite was ​Spring Cleaning ​because I enjoy Raina Telgemeier's art and I liked the fun tone of the story. I also liked the ending to ​The Escape Option​ because I didn't see the twist coming. It's good when a 15-page story can give me a twist ending, that's not an easy feat -- especially with a graphic novel.

FINAL GRADE: C I give it a C based on my personal taste (it was average), but a B for my library and my students. This is not a book I read for me, but one I read for my kids. Boys and girls alike with appreciate this little collection. They will love it, like they love all graphic novels! But this one will surely stayed checked out more than it's on my shelf. I also like the potential for using this as a jumping off point for a writing exercise, since each story takes on a common theme, kids could write their own story about a mysterious box. I might even be inspired to do so!

​What would your story about a mysterious box be?

Overall 3.5- A great diverse collection. Love the theme of mystery boxes! Quick read.
Under the Floorboards- 4 Stars- While not the most original concept, the story unfolds visually and manages to be very haunting and suspenseful despite its brevity.

Spring Cleaning- 3 stars- This was a cute. The art is not my favorite but I love an understated love story.

The Keeper's Treasure- 5 stars- Very funny, seemingly simple but with a number of unexpected turns.

The Butter Thief – 3 stars- This story had the most sublet use of the box theme which I appreciated. Over all not a huge fan of ‘spirit world’ stories but this one was done well. Kudos to the author for being able to create a mythology in such a short space.

The Soldier's Daughter- 2 stars- This one bordered on being a bit didactic. When compared with the others it is lacking in character development and plot. The story was really just a means to a moral end.

Whatzit- 3 stars- Very cute, humorous, and an interesting box concept. Felt very comic strip compared to the others and I appreciated the lightheartedness juxtaposition.

The Escape Option- 5 stars- My favorite of the bunch (the story featured on the cover). Great art! A fantastically simple story that packs a big punch at the end and leaves the reader thinking and feeling, perfectly done!

Meh.. none of the stories were that great. A lot of them I found pointless and served no purpose in this collection of short graphic stories. However, I did enjoy the artwork quite a bit. I have the next two volumes in this series checked out from the library, however, I plan on returning them without reading them. I just don't have an interest to continue.

Originally picked up for Emily Carroll's piece, 'Under the Floorboards' which was amazing. Most of the other stories were quite enjoyable. Although, I did skip one or two due either to theme or art style.

it was good exiting and a total wow. it had a bunch of story's in one. the disappointing part is that the story on the cover is last.

Through seven different stories, secrets and mysteries get unraveled. Expect the unexpected: lost treasure, talking objects, butter, and even aliens. In this puzzling graphic novel, lessons of community and compassion are taught as each character ventures into a world of the unknown. Two of the stories feature illustrations by Raina Telgemeier and Kazu Kibuishi, respectively known for Smile and the Amulet series.

“Under the Floorboards,” by Emily Carroll, follows the journey of a girl and the mystery under the floorboards. After meeting a new friend, the girl realizes how scary greed can overcome a being. She will never forget the words in the letter she saw: “What’s mine is yours, what’s yours is mine.”

In Jason Caffoe’s “The Keeper’s Treasure,” an amateur treasure hunter encounters a strange creature. By befriending the creature, the hunter could find the treasure more quickly. Through an expedition full of wonder and irony, the hunter learns about the gloomy upbringing of the creature. With sympathy, the hunter thinks to himself, “He doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

“The Soldier’s Daughter”, by Stuart Livingston, sends us a reminder of the importance of family. After a tragedy, two children of a fallen soldier find themselves in the middle of a fight. The question of “What is doing the right thing?” is explored as one of the children embarks on a trip of revenge. Before all goes wrong, a friendly word of advice that “War takes no sides…” reconciles the two children.

Although some parts were less satisfying than the authors built them to be, the book is well-written with the accompaniment of illustrations. I enjoyed reading the different stories, and looking at the corresponding images helped me follow along with the story. Of the stories, my favorite one was “The Keeper’s Treasure”. With the right mix of comedy and mystery, I was able to immerse myself in the story. By the end, it felt like I had been a part of the treasure hunt too.

I recommend this for fans of mystery, graphic novels, and plot twists. As a fan of Smile and the Amulet series, I relived a familiar experience when reading “Spring Cleaning” and “The Escape Option.” Even though the topic and genre of the stories are so different, the graphic styling was just as I remembered. After reading this collection, I am curious to see what new stories I will find in the rest of the Explorer series.

85%

"I've spent so much time imagining what things are like outside these walls, there's just no way it could live up to my expectations." - a true story about the dangers of having an imagination (and reading XP)

In order of preference:
1.) Whatzit: a funny little creation story about our world, featuring what happened to unicorns and why the moon exists
2.) Butter Thief: in the spirit world parallel to our own, butter is worth risking your life. I can relate to this concept if the butter is unsalted Kerrygold. I only wish that the foreign language (Japanese, perhaps?) had translations on the bottom of the page or something
3.) Spring Cleaning: a story about finding mysterious artefacts while cleaning out your closet, involving alternate dimensions and wizards
4.) Under the Floorboards: a good little spooky story, reminiscent of "The Snowman", if the Snowman was evil
5.) Keeper's Treasure: a story about differing values and the power of imagination
6.) Escape Option: a story about compelling people to save the world before it's too late. beautiful background art, terrible human facial expression art
7.) Soldier's Daughter: a story about how violence isn't the answer. this did not feel like a particularly inspired story, compared to the rest

I quite enjoyed this collection of one-shot stories. I particularly liked the first one with the wax doll, both in terms of art and story. Kazu Kibuishi also did a phenomenal job. His art style is so unique and his storytelling adds just the right amount of mystery, heroism, darkness, and... something else that I'm not quite sure how to describe. 'Charm' maybe...

The Mystery boxes is a collection of short stories told by multiple artists. Each one has a different tone and not only is each story unique the art is beautifully done, usually with full color and each artist has a great grasp on telling stories.

My favorite follows a story about some kids who find a mystery box from another dimension and some wizards are fighting eachother to get it back. It's very comedic and good. Some of it is set in the kid's house, then the grandmothers as they fight for the box.

Overall definitely recommend this book, its short and the stories are all cute with their own little twists and turns.

One can never tell what is going to be inside the box until it's opened, and when it is, the truth could very well change the world around you - or the way you see the world. Kibuishi provides an intriguing collection of short stories surrounding the mystery of boxes that will please fans and entertain newcomers. Just what could be in these boxes, and where will their contents take you?

A fresh take on themed anthologies! Loved to see a focus on mystery for young readers.

I grabbed this one for Emily Carroll’s opener, but my favourite ended up being “The Butter Thief” by Rad Sechrist.

Under the Floorboards: 5/5
Spring Cleaning: 4/5
The Keeper’s Treasure: 4/5
The Butter Thief: 5/5
The Soldier’s Daughter: 2/5
Whatzit: 4/5
The Escape Option: 3/5

This book contains a series of short stories, and though I thought I'd be disappointed, I was actually quite surprised. All the short stories were great and I couldn't stop turning the pages. This is a good series if you want a quick read, it only takes 20 minutes to read these graphic novels. This book made me smile and giggle, and I'm so happy I came across it!

This was cute. Not what I expected though. Its a collection of short graphic novel stories all with a different theme. I was hoping more for a nature themed graphic novel. But these were still decent.