As a big fan of the Amulet series, I decided to track down some of Kibuishi’s earlier works. Daisy Kutter came from a sketch he drew of a cowgirl that got posted to an online illustration forum years ago. Her world eventually developed into this graphic novel.
Story overview:
Daisy Kutter–an expert train robber and gunslinger–isn’t as young as she used to be. Leaving her old life of crime, she finds discontentment in her new trade: a storeowner. The old desires for adventure still flow through her veins.
When two strangers show up and ask her to join them on one final mission, she turns them down. It isn’t until she gets beaten in a poker game by the “boss” of these men that she is forced to go along with the job.
The job? To rob the train of the owner himself. Why? Because he wants to test out his new security system. When her close friend, Tom, tags along, Daisy learns that there may be more to the job than was advertised.
My thoughts:
This story combines an interesting mix of Western and SF: revolvers and robots. As an earlier work of Kibuishi, I thought the story was pretty good. Not great, but good–not to the level of Amulet. I like how Kibuishi interwove the Texas Hold’em Poker game into the story as a whole. Good character development. Worth a read, but not mandatory.
Things to consider:
I was surprised by the amount of curse words that were present. Surprised because Kibuishi’s Amulet series has none (that I can remember). There are also a few bloody scenes. Clearly, this is meant for an older audience. I’d suggest this for the age of fifteen at the earliest, or perhaps older depending on the individual–most fitting for Young Adults. Equally balanced for boys and girls.
Opportunities for discussion:
I liked how Daisy’s old partner in crime, Tom, chose to use his skills as a sheriff instead of a criminal. While Daisy tried to become a storeowner, something inside her still burned for her old life. It wasn’t until she took on that role once again that she was able to see its folly. There are times in our lives when we know what’s right, but do the wrong thing anyway. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way (when that’s the only way to extinguish the flame), but it’s always better to follow Tom’s example instead of Daisy’s. Ask your children when the last time it was they did something they knew they should not. Ask them how it made them feel in the end. Remind them that applying a little self-control can help them to avoid a great deal of pain and regret in the future. Self-control is, after all, a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Books For Youth 
This story has a really good plot. A pity about the language, though.