Flight: Vol. 8

The latest collection in the long-running anthology series takes readers on more than a dozen journeys to imaginative, beautifully created worlds. As in previous volumes, the skill of the artists and the remarkable variety of styles presented are the book's main appeal. Each short story, ranging in length from about 10 to 20 pages, takes readers to new worlds of wonder. While there's no direct connection between the tales, there is a general underlying theme of characters pushing themselves to achieve great things. Some stories, such as Tony Cliff's "The Black Fountain," explore the darker side of this ambitious drive, while others, like Scott Campbell's "Igloo Head and Tree Head in Accomplishments," bring a much lighter approach, with the rest falling somewhere between those two. Visually, the stories range from sumptuous fantasy settings to exaggerated cartoonish animals, elegantly simple medieval horror stories to vibrant manga-influenced action comedies. All readers are likely to find a tale they'll love within its pages. (June)