Once Upon a Space-Time!

Once Upon a Space-Time #1

by Jeffrey Brown

Jide and Petra are just two normal kids until they are selected to leave Earth and join their new alien classmates on an intergalactic research mission to Mars. Too bad Petra has no idea how she ended up in the program, seeing as the closest she wants to get to space is being a sci-fi writer. Jide, on the other hand, is the brains of the mission, but his helicopter parents make it clear he hasn't left their gravitational pull behind quite yet.

What is meant to be an intra-species bonding experience soon turns to hijinx as the kids discover The Potato orbiting around their new space classroom and accidentally launch a mission of their own without any adult commanders around to supervise--or help!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Comics

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 2, 2020

About the author

Jeffrey Brown was born in 1975 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up reading comic books with dreams of someday drawing them, only to abandon them and focus on becoming a 'fine artist.' While earning his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Brown abandoned painting and began drawing comics with his first autobiographical book 'Clumsy' in 2001. Since then he's drawn a dozen books for publishers including TopShelf, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, McSweeney's and Chronicle Books. Simon & Schuster published his latest graphic memoir 'Funny Misshapen Body.' In addition to directing an animated video for the band Death Cab For Cutie, Brown has had his work featured on NPR's 'This American Life' His art has been shown at galleries in New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Paris. Jeffrey's work has also appeared in the Best American Comics series and received the Ignatz Award in 2003 for 'Outstanding Minicomic.'
He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Jennifer and their son Oscar.

Reviews

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

A new series from Jeffrey Brown is something to look forward to – if you're of a certain age, and with a certain interest in space travel and sci-fi. Me, I've tried him before now and found him much more miss than hit – an ungainly mix of worthy and exciting for the reluctant reader, and little else for anyone more discerning. And the same is the case here. Here, a bunch of clones of the same standard stereotyped alien called Tobey give us some of their secrets, and get to establish an academy that eventually picks two young students to go to Mars. Such highly logical ideas have a secret purpose, surely?

Well, no. The series really doesn't get going nearly as far as that. (It's so loose with the narrative it seems to be doing the same thing, at the end of a space elevator, twice, and I still can't work out why we needed it to dock more than once.) There are good patches – the early montage of scenes from the kids' training days, and the equivalent when they first land on the red planet. But it also takes it upon itself to preach to the converted – no child who isn't a fan of sci-fi will stumble here, yet will still be expected to be surprised at how a space rocket works. I found one of this creator's Young Jedi efforts rather worthy about bullying etc, and a needless bonus here from another of his franchises, about how early people made early boats, shows he hasn't got the Reithian values of edutainment down at all. I won't be returning to this waste of space/time – at least the first sequel kind of drops the self-descriptive hint in its very title.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This rating/review is based on an ARC from Netgalley and Crown books for young readers.

Not the best but not the worst. I am generally a really big fan of Jeffrey Brown’s comics, especially his cat comics and Lucy & Andy Neanderthal. The Lucy & Andy series in particular is really compelling because of the brilliant mixing of science and fiction with these perfect interjections of real science and anthropology. This one is neither as fun/funny as those nor as informative. I know this one is straight fiction, and there were definitely some imaginative elements, but overall I was a bit bored. While I wasn’t super captivated, I will still definitely promote this title to children (once the library can safely reopen). It’s not my favorite of his comics for kids, but it is still light years better than the Wimpy Kid books. I would happily punt that series into space and contribute to the space junk preventing Tobey (et al.) from putting in a space elevator on earth.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I figured out what Jeffrey Brown's sense of humor and pacing style makes me think of: it's like he's writing for The Office, but if The Office was for a late elementary/early middle school audience. It's funny! And also relentlessly stare-into-the-camera-lens, how-long-will-this-awkward-moment-strech, someone's-being-too-literal-and-that's-the-joke. There's no real beginning, middle, and end cycle, just funny things that keep happening as time passes. For me, that's only enjoyable in small doses.

[Robin Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent graphic book about 2 kids, Petra and Jide, who get to become astronauts. They attend the Earth School for Space Mission Preparation. The Commander G and an alien named Tobey come to the school to choose 2 students for the mission. Tobey is a from a planet of clones, he is funny and silly throughout the book, and even though technically he's an adult, apparently he is too immature and irresponsible to be considered an adult to operate the spaceship later in the book.
Along with Tobey and Commander G, they travel to Mars where they get to stay in an underground habitat. There they meet an interesting menagerie of child aliens from different planets in the galaxy, and the robot named Kay. They get to partake in various "mission designations" such as cartography, gardening (they learn Martian soil is toxic to humans because it has perchlorates in it), exercise (to prevent bone deterioration become Mars has 1/3 the gravity of Earth), science experiments, biology, chemistry, math, geological survey on the surface looking at rocks and sediment patterns.
For the next part of the mission, everyone is to go up a giant elevator to board the Potato spaceship, which is built inside an asteroid. The book ends with the ship taking off as they are on the way to visit the planets of the other alien kids.
Petra and Jide never read the entire mission briefing manual, so keep getting surprised by everything they experience.
The book has a lot of science embedded in the story, making it educational. It explains concepts such as centrifugal force, gravity, artificial gravity, gyroscopic, and the Alcubierre drive/warp speed theory. Also lots of descriptions of the technology, and well drawn maps and configurations of the habitat and spaceship, etc.
Very creative science fiction space themed story with very talented comic drawings, with excellent details of expressions. Sometimes funny with a few corny jokes.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laughs will start right away in this hilarious new graphic novel by Jeffrey Brown! Earth is visited by aliens named Tobey (all of them are named Tobey) to help prepare humans to join the galactic civilization. Instead of choosing highly trained astronauts to be the first humans to venture outside of the solar system, the aliens send the most unlikely kids for the mission. Choc full of humor as well as information about relativity, rocket science, and more, young readers will want join along for Petra and Jide's wild ride - especially the budding cosmonauts.

[gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this one with my son (8) who cannot get enough of graphic novels. While I'd prefer color my son could care less. I loved the variety of aliens and Tobey is a hoot. I can't wait to read the second book with my son. I've never cared for stories set in space but since he reads so many of them they might be growing on me :) Plus I appreciate how smart the characters are. There are so many big words that I don't think my third grader has been exposed to yet.

[Ms. Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two kids get the chance to go into space after aliens make contact with Earth. Can they overcome issues with gravity, jealous adult astronauts, Martian soil, boredom, and pranks from a supposedly grown-up extraterrestrial to make their space dreams come true? If you like science fiction, science fact (the book is chock-full of actual information!), or silly, The Office-like humor, then you'll enjoy this. The first in a graphic novel series.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten years ago, an alien race of clones named Tobey introduced Earth to the wonders of technology needed to become galactic travelers. Now, Tobey thinks they are ready to embark on their first mission. Except he doesn't choose the adult astronauts who have been in training for the last decade. He chooses two kids still in school!

[Bexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could see middle school boys liking this, but it was just so much on every single page with potty humor and helicopter parents that it became overwhelming and I couldn't focus on the story. Petra and Jide pass astronaut training and get to Mars. They don't read the mission briefing ever and stumble into everything. I'm just not sure what it is trying to be.

[Rowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

ZOOOOOOOME
























































































































































ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid kids graphic novel. The beginning was stronger that the very cliff hanger ended. It’s obviously a series starter. The humor is all age appropriate and even made me chuckle a few times. I would certainly hand this to a kid that wanted a funny sci-fi story.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book about two kids that go into space. In space they make new friends with different species of aliens! The end leaves off on a cliffhanger, thank goodness there is a sequel! I would definitely read this book again.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny. Kids will love it!

[Josh Newhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC not finalized but humor and fun definitively is! Kids will love, especially those who like sci-fi in the vein of Catstronauts. Can’t wait to out the finished copy in my kids hands!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really love Jeffrey Brown’s humor, but this is simply too long and too-text heavy for the typical middle grade graphic novel audience.

[Loz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. Not my style of art or humor, but definitely kid friendly and I could see the appeal for others

[Rob S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the 2020 FCBD edition

[sladynoire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petra is really annoying. Tobey is cute and funny tbh though

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super silly story about two kids sent to space and their adventures alongside numerous aliens. It's exactly what I would expect from Jeffrey Brown.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book one of 2021.
Lots of humor.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny action and sci-fi adventure. Will definitely appeal to fans of his other books.

[Wina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny science fiction for ages 8-12. Appealing artwork, though in grayscale. Book 1 in a series, includes preview of another series at the end.

[Laila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both my son and I laughed out loud more than a few times while reading this fun middle grade graphic novel.

[David Mcmullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son and I chipped away at this one over time. It was amusing. He laughed several times.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the future we learn we are not alone and everything changes. The alien technology changes our world and so much is now possible. Our main characters are kids at an institute just for space exploration, but they are the misfits of the school. But that doesn’t stop them! Told in Brown’s funny fashion, this sci-fi graphic novel is going to be a huge hit with students!

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.