Cosmic Cadets (Book One): Contact!

by Ben Crane, Mimi Alves (Illustrator)

Overview

Our parents can’t stop a galactic war… but maybe we can? Strap in for a colorful and action-packed space adventure about friendship, family, and fear of the unknown!

Humanity has gone to the stars, and the ESS Khonsu and its crew are leading the charge to explore the galaxy. As the son of the ship’s captain, Jimmil might not always live up to his mom’s expectations… but right now he and his friends might be the galaxy’s only hope.

After they’re stranded on a strange alien planet, they’ll have to do what their parents couldn’t: explore the surface, discover the secrets of the terrifying race that lives there, and try to prevent a full-scale war!

Working together, these Cadets will discover that sometimes being a hero means learning to see new perspectives, and sometimes bravery means admitting when you’re wrong.

In their debut graphic novel, Ben Crane and Mimi Alves serve up a heartfelt, thrilling, and vividly colorful and escapade about kids taking the lead, for middle-grade readers who are ready to seek out new life of their own!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603095204
Publisher:	IDW Publishing
Publication date:	04/25/2023
Series:	Cosmic Cadets , #1
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,053,757
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.39(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ben was almost a mathematician, but instead went into visual storytelling. He has lived in North Carolina, Connecticut, South Korea, and now Los Angeles, where he works in film development. In his spare time he plays board games with Mimi or walks their two dogs.

Mimi is a multi-talented artist who has been drawing and creating stories since they were first able to hold a pen. They were the artist for the long-running webcomic Rapture Burgers, and have created illustrations, storyboards, or animations for clients ranging from self-published books to The Disney Channel. They live in Los Angeles with their husband and co-creator Ben and their two dogs.

Editorial Reviews

04/10/2023

In their debut graphic novel, Crane and Alves craft a rambunctious space adventure about a group of tweens intent on stopping a galactic war. Jimmil and his mother live on the ESS Khonsu, an interstellar exploration craft. But with his mother as the captain, Jimmil experiences pressure to follow in her footsteps and often feels isolated from the crew. When a mysterious entity attacks a scout team exploring the surface of a purportedly uninhabited planet, Jimmil and his classmates hijack a space shuttle to save them. Upon crash-landing, rather than encountering the missing scouts, the group instead stumbles onto intelligent life that seems mostly friendly. But the kids have no way to communicate with the adults aboard the Khonsu, prompting the space-bound crew to engage in drastic measures to retrieve Jimmil and his pals, inciting a conflict of otherworldly proportions in the process. Alves’s jaunty illustrations render interplanetary flora and fauna via kaleidoscopic hues and free-flowing line art, and populate the narrative with a racially diverse cast. Crane’s use of familiar sci-fi tropes to explore mature themes of hostility, reconciliation, and peace skillfully complement Jimmil’s desire to prove himself and be seen as his own person. Ages 9–12. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Alves’ bold artwork really captures the intensity of the situation and the anxiety of the characters expertly. A stellar choice for middle-grade comics fans." —Booklist

"An irresistible and charming planetary escapade for all ages.” —SPACE.com

"A rambunctious space adventure." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher