Space Invader

March 20, 2023
Spaceships, dinosaurs, lessons about friendship, and a smidge of danger populate this insightful and adventuresome graphic novel series launch by Lepp (the Rust series). Green alien Jeff is determined to arrive on—and swiftly conquer—Earth, before obtaining some chicken nuggets and returning to the Academy of Space Exploration, where he will proclaim his victory to his classmates and finally receive the accolades Jeff believes he deserves. When Jeff crash-lands on a prehistoric Earth, it’s not the contemporary planet he’d been anticipating. He nevertheless demands that the resident dinosaurs “take me to your elected or self-elected ruler, mortal deity, or principal organism,” only to learn that no one is in charge, chicken nuggets haven’t been invented yet, and the Wi-Fi is horrendous. He befriends talking dinosaurs Carl, Hungry, and Spike, who take him to the only plausible leader they know: Trevor, a walking, talking fish who speaks in proverbs and clichés. Lepp leverages bright colors and thick lines to make characters pop, and their cartoonish proportions and equally animated dialogue jives well with the story’s tone. By exploring what it means to make and keep friends while highlighting issues of bullying and forgiveness, Lepp delivers a madcap, message-forward story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Ages 7–10.

April 1, 2023
An extraterrestrial with a chip on his shoulder learns about friendship from an empathetic group of dinosaurs. Jeff crash-lands his spacecraft on prehistoric Earth and declares himself ruler only to be met with laughter and Pterodactyl poop. He meets Carl and Hungry, two talking dinosaurs who tolerate his demands to meet their leader, as well as petlike Spike. Spike drools and cannot speak, but Carl and Hungry love him and include him in decision-making. As Jeff learns more about the flora and fauna of Earth, he becomes both comfortable leading a cooking lesson and impatient with Earth's less-evolved population. Jeff represents a technologically advanced but selfish, status-driven perspective, while the dinosaurs are in touch with nature and their feelings and do not take Jeff's insults personally, regarding him indulgently, as one would a cranky toddler. The biomes and landscapes, such as forest, swamp, canyon, and lakeshore, are visually distinct and help separate the group's adventure into geographical segments. Likewise, each of the species on Earth bears a unique silhouette and color. Everyone stands out, including (literally and hilariously) a fish with feet. The laughs are as dependable as the moral. With the exception of Sara, a dinosaur who, along with her babies, enjoys Jeff's cooking lesson, the cast reads entirely male. The backmatter includes instructions for drawing Jeff and Carl and a guide to Jeff's alien alphabet. The funniest, most heartwarming alien invasion this side of the Jurassic Period. (Graphic fiction. 7-10)

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