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The Flutter Collection
The entire Flutter saga in a single volume for the first time!Fifteen-year-old Lily shape-shifts into a boy to get the girl, and chaos ensues when she pretends to be someone she's not. While coming to terms with who she is and what she has done, Lily learns that life as a boy is just as difficult, and that she can't just run away from her problems. With her loved ones in danger, she returns to St. Charles to live as Jesse and protect them. But knowing what she's capable of, can Lily be content as a popular high school varsity quarterback? Then, Lily gets stuck in a body while shape-shifting, but not just any body--her mother's. Forced to see the world through the eyes of her estranged mother, Lily must accept that she'll never life a "normal life" in order to fulfill her true destiny.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2018
5 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Jennie Wood
20Ìýbooks94ÌýfollowersJennie Wood is a nonbinary author, comic creator, and musician, currently living in Boston. They created the critically acclaimed, award-winning Flutter graphic novel series. Featured in The New York Times, Boston Globe, and on Law & Order: SVU, Flutter was named one of the best LGBTQ graphic novels of 2013 and 2015 by The Advocate. In November 2018, Dark Horse Comics published The Flutter Collection, all three volumes combined into one book. That collection won the Next Generation Indie Book award for best graphic novel of 2019.
Jennie is also the author of the YA novel, A Boy Like Me, which was a Next Generation Indie Book awards finalist, an INDIEFAB Book of the Year finalist, and one of Foreword Reviews� 10 Best Indie YA novels for 2014. Their work can also be seen in The New York Times best-selling, award-winning FUBAR anthologies, The New York Times best-selling and Eisner award-winning anthology Love is Love, the Harvey-nominated 27, A Comic Anthology, and John Carpenter's Tales for a HalloweeNight.
More: jenniewood.com
Jennie is also the author of the YA novel, A Boy Like Me, which was a Next Generation Indie Book awards finalist, an INDIEFAB Book of the Year finalist, and one of Foreword Reviews� 10 Best Indie YA novels for 2014. Their work can also be seen in The New York Times best-selling, award-winning FUBAR anthologies, The New York Times best-selling and Eisner award-winning anthology Love is Love, the Harvey-nominated 27, A Comic Anthology, and John Carpenter's Tales for a HalloweeNight.
More: jenniewood.com
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 21, 2018
The story of a young girl who discovers she can change shape. She literally runs into a cute girl whose drawings of the ideal boy spill out. When she accidentally turns into the boy she decides to enroll in school as a boy. Lily / Jesse are also on the run from the FBI due to the experimentation done on her / him by her father. These pronouns are going to get super confusing in this review.
There are elements of this story I really like. How Wood explores gender identity and teenage uncertainty is very compelling. That's where the story works best. Where it gets crazy is the stuff with Lily / Jesse's mom. It's inconsistent, often confusing and out of context. The book really goes off the rails in the 3rd volume with the president. A lot of it didn't make a lot of sense logically.
The art in this is terrible. I think that's were a lot of the confusion comes in. The characters are sketchy and lumpy and often look the same. It's a real shame the interior art isn't as striking as that cover. That's what caught my eye with this book in the first place.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. Al thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
There are elements of this story I really like. How Wood explores gender identity and teenage uncertainty is very compelling. That's where the story works best. Where it gets crazy is the stuff with Lily / Jesse's mom. It's inconsistent, often confusing and out of context. The book really goes off the rails in the 3rd volume with the president. A lot of it didn't make a lot of sense logically.
The art in this is terrible. I think that's were a lot of the confusion comes in. The characters are sketchy and lumpy and often look the same. It's a real shame the interior art isn't as striking as that cover. That's what caught my eye with this book in the first place.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. Al thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
March 3, 2022
This book is all ideas with no discipline to help mold them, giving us a vague, confusing, and meandering mess of dumb coincidences and unlikely turns. And the central concept is one my least favorite: the Big Lie. The protagonist is a shapeshifter who romances another girl by taking on a male form. You'd think the book would wrestle with that, but instead moves on to silly action and adventure stuff, though tossing in a Black Like Me aside that is obviously well-intentioned if super awkward.
The art is also messy -- rough-hewn and with a semblance to the style of Matt Kindt -- making it hard to distinguish characters, something fairly important in a book about shapeshifters.
The art is also messy -- rough-hewn and with a semblance to the style of Matt Kindt -- making it hard to distinguish characters, something fairly important in a book about shapeshifters.
January 13, 2024
The idea was sooooooo interesting!! But the execution?? No thanks� the politics also just sounded like when you’re a teenager and realize how bad climate change, racism, and sexism are.
October 7, 2022
Good to reread this soon-t0-be-classic graphic novel with three parts collected into one. It opens with being on the run from the government with some sinistral agenda, and other nefarious agents with dastardly plans of their own. Just can’t trust so many people. The three people on the run were, the mother, the scientist, and the daughter. The two have shape-shifting abilities. The daughter, going to school the first time, ran accidentally into another girl, suddenly had hots for her. She spotted one of the sketches laid scattered around, she guessed correctly of a “dream� boy. She changed to a boy. She figured it guys would have it easy at school. She couldn’t be more wrong. And things got complicated with the “girlfriend� she crashed into. The story’s well written, and characters are believable. (Except for the bombers not getting suspicious enough. Readers will have to read the story’s later developments to find that out.) Still, overall, a very good story, a damned good story. Recommended. Except for those hung up on gay themes, unless one has balls to get past them.
August 3, 2023
I don't know what to think after reading this collection-- it popped up on my radar and I wanted to check it out because it's rated as teen, but it's an upper-level YA, one that includes quite a bit of violence both in part because of Lily/Jesse's shapeshifting as a result of their dad's experimentation, but also with its social commentary and intricate storytelling. There were elements of the story that escaped me and I was trying hard to pull it altogether. With my other hang-up about the art style which worked, but wasn't stellar because visually it felt average rather than stellar especially with some of the action sequences.
I'm indifferent when I think about it because it's not for an average reader. The linear story is hard to follow in the same way the adaptation that was done with Levithan's Every Day didn't quite measure up to the original when there is shapeshifting involved.
I'm indifferent when I think about it because it's not for an average reader. The linear story is hard to follow in the same way the adaptation that was done with Levithan's Every Day didn't quite measure up to the original when there is shapeshifting involved.
November 3, 2019
The story of a girl with shapeshifting powers who becomes a boy to get the girl she's fallen in love with. And things proceed to escalate quickly.
This story is full of twists as it morphs from high school drama to science fiction political thriller, with bits of horror and superhero flavor along with way.
The characters are complex, and the story manages to constantly go in directions that are unexpected, but at the same time are logical repercussions of the (often bad) decisions by the characters.
Writer Jennie Wood tackles a a range of current political issues, especially as the story reaches its climax, and handles them without going astray from the strong character-driven narrative.
This story is full of twists as it morphs from high school drama to science fiction political thriller, with bits of horror and superhero flavor along with way.
The characters are complex, and the story manages to constantly go in directions that are unexpected, but at the same time are logical repercussions of the (often bad) decisions by the characters.
Writer Jennie Wood tackles a a range of current political issues, especially as the story reaches its climax, and handles them without going astray from the strong character-driven narrative.
February 22, 2019
I love the exploration of how girls and boys are treated differently, and I can relate to wanting to become someone or something else for love. But this isn’t just a book that focuses on teenagers in love. Big issues are confronted head on such as sexism and racism and women in power. This is the kind of book that gets better as it goes and doesn’t disappoint. Fully realized characters in a epic story � one of my favorites. I came across the series when 215 Ink published the single volumes. Each volume grew stronger, more intense. Chris Goodwin's colors are a welcome edition in volumes 2 and 3. I'm so happy that DHC picked it up and put it out in a collected edition.
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June 6, 2019DNF at 53 pages in.
The art was so bad I couldn't tell people apart. Throw in shape changing and it was even harder. It was difficult to connect to the characters because of how fast-paced things went, and how many characters were involved who I didn't even really know.
The "pretend to be a guy to get the girl" thing... in this book, she changes her entire physical form into that of a guy. It makes it feel less like "girl dressing up as a boy" and more like this is a trans narrative, since except when she's at home, she lives full-time as male.
Idk, wasn't really impressed. :/ No star rating cause I barely made it 1/3 of the way through.
The art was so bad I couldn't tell people apart. Throw in shape changing and it was even harder. It was difficult to connect to the characters because of how fast-paced things went, and how many characters were involved who I didn't even really know.
The "pretend to be a guy to get the girl" thing... in this book, she changes her entire physical form into that of a guy. It makes it feel less like "girl dressing up as a boy" and more like this is a trans narrative, since except when she's at home, she lives full-time as male.
Idk, wasn't really impressed. :/ No star rating cause I barely made it 1/3 of the way through.
November 8, 2023
When I first picked up this collection, I was prepared for young adult antics, especially with a plot that revolves around a girl turning into the girl she likes� dream boy. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the depth and courage to discuss hot button topics that this country (the United States) faces on a daily basis while also making it digestible enough for any level of reader. I think its story is perfect for fans of X-Men, strong female-led comics, and stories that discuss politics, and is very much one that I will be on my recommendation list.
May 9, 2019
Not my favorite art style - the interiors are far less detailed than this cover - but the story is convoluted and weird in all the best ways, so totally worth it. Identity, relationships, shape-shifting, the idea of two-spirits and Trans people, all mixed in with the horrors of late high school and government conspiracies. I think this is all of it, and it does end neatly and messily at the same time, making it quite the ride.
January 2, 2019
This is one of those indie titles that just..... its not bad..... but really, its not good. Its overstuffed, the art makes it hard to tell characters apart much less build emotional attachments to them. There is some good stuff in here, particularly in the back third where you can see the team get into a groove, but overall I find it underwhelming.
January 14, 2019
I love this series and I'm so happy that Dark Horse compiled it into one book. The exploration of gender is though-provoking. I also love the whole sci-fi backstory as to why / how Lily can shape shift. This series not only deals with gender and sexuality, but also racism and today's political climate. Such an amazing work!
February 4, 2021
Shapeshifting, dorastanie, problemy rodzinne i miłosne. Tak w skrócie można opisać ten komiks.Rozczarowanie może nie totalne ale jak na tak dobre rysunki, fabuła trochę ssie, a to ponad 300 stron komiksu.
na skalach:
goodreads: 2,8/5
lubimyczytać: 5,6/10
u mnie: 56/100
na skalach:
goodreads: 2,8/5
lubimyczytać: 5,6/10
u mnie: 56/100
September 18, 2019
3.5 stars. Story was awesome, art made it hard to distinguish between the characters at times and made some of the plot difficult to follow.
March 15, 2021
I liked the main characters and the sci-fi aspects.
January 12, 2022
40%
This kinda felt like the Heroes tv show (2006-2010) in graphic novel format.
There were two major issues with it for me:
1.) the lack of character differences made them hard to distinguish from one another, both visually and in their speech. I regularly was flipping pages back and forth trying to figure out what the hell was going on and who was talking.
2.) the last 1/3 of the book or so felt very random and unrelated to the story. In the author's note, they mention that it was written after the 2016 election and the author felt the need to vent some frustration, so they shredded the original ending and wrote a new one. And that's pretty much what it felt like; venting. I'm curious what the original ending was like, as the new one felt out of place with the rest of the story, both in terms of plot and pacing.
This kinda felt like the Heroes tv show (2006-2010) in graphic novel format.
There were two major issues with it for me:
1.) the lack of character differences made them hard to distinguish from one another, both visually and in their speech. I regularly was flipping pages back and forth trying to figure out what the hell was going on and who was talking.
2.) the last 1/3 of the book or so felt very random and unrelated to the story. In the author's note, they mention that it was written after the 2016 election and the author felt the need to vent some frustration, so they shredded the original ending and wrote a new one. And that's pretty much what it felt like; venting. I'm curious what the original ending was like, as the new one felt out of place with the rest of the story, both in terms of plot and pacing.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
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