Staff Picks (November): The Dream Of The Butterfly

What if Studio Ghibli produced a Kamandi movie? What if you mashed up Alice in Wonderland with Planet of the Apes? Well I think it might look something like Lion Forge’s Dream of the Butterfly.

While lost in a snowstorm, our spunky heroine Tutu stumbles upon a strange city at the bottom of a lost valley.  Immediately she is beset on by the secret police, who just happen to be rabbits, for it seems the arrival of a little girl has caused great panic and fear – Children are illegal! To keep an eye on her the Emperor of the valley orders her placed under a kind of house arrest with “host family” who force her to work in a factory. Tutu now finds herself trapped in a work that seems in perpetual winter where heat is created by massive hamster wheel farms and ritualistic festivals are held to try and lure back spring.  Soon she realizes she must quickly hatch a plan to escape. Befriending a talking cat she leans of a kite-thief who just might have the secret to finding her way back home.

French writer Richard Marazano was discovered by Moebius who got him his start in the industry. Marazano at times calls up echoes of Studio Ghibli, Wizard of Oz, and V For Vendetta and weaves them seamlessly into his storytelling. Chinese artist Luo Yin’s work is bright and interesting and propels the narrative forward at an energetic pace. Fans of Spirited Away will find much to like here.   

—Jim Fallone

Publisher: Lion Forge
Item Code: NOV171768
Release Date: 1/10/18
SRP: $12.99