The Space Cat

Previous collaborators Okorafor and Ford (LaGuardia) spin an elaborate tale told through the fictionalized perspective of the author’s real-life temperamental and territorial cat Pumpernickel Pickle Periwinkle Chukwu Okorafor, or Periwinkle, imagined as hailing from Neptune. By day, Periwinkle enjoys chowing down on chicken fillets and running so fast on his cat wheel it would make his “ancestors proud.” At night, the feline sneaks through a portal hidden at the back of a closet that leads to his secret space-cat lair, where he parks his spaceship. Entering his cruiser, Periwinkle soars through the cosmos and engages in literal flights of fancy with an enigmatic space cat he calls Orange Meow. Life seems perfect for the precocious pet until he relocates with his human family to their native Nigeria. Slice-of-life-feeling comics loosely braid together a story of transition and exploration as Periwinkle acclimates to this new landscape (“Birds different. Trees different. Cats different. I excite!”). But when he’s disparaged by local humans and learns of an impending alien invasion, Periwinkle’s expectation of carefree adventure goes sideways. The graphic novel’s neo-impressionist art style imparts a moody, ethereal feel to the feisty feline’s free-wheeling space opera. Ages 8–12. (Aug.)