Zine Reviews: Outer Space Animals

Megan Jones paints sloths that are really, really bad at doing things. 12 of these paintings are featured in “Sloths Are (Still) Bad At Things”, the 2nd volume in a series.

Each painting is accompanied by a sentence or two of flash fiction about the many failed exploits of these slow-moving sweeties. From running a marathon, to writing the next great novel, these sloths seem to fail at just about everything… except for warming your heart! It’s cheesy but true: this is a zine that will put a smile on your face. The paintings are whimsical, and the stories even more so.

”Space Duck” by Gabrielle Brandini has a total twist ending that I didn’t see coming. (Let’s just say that Space Duck isn’t exactly the hero of this story. 🤭) All told, this mini is a good lil’ allegory about the importance of setting boundaries.

Get to know Ugolyok, Martine, and Ham! You’ll meet these critters and more in Debbie Fong’s “Animals in Space”, an informative zine about the creatures sent skyward during the twentieth century Space Race. 🪐✨

12 animal astronauts are profiled through short biographies and illustrated portraits. Fong depicts them in spacesuits, clutching bubble helmets, looking as steely-eyed and proud as their human counterparts.

Having grown up knowing the story of poor Laika, the Russian cosmopup who was sent on a one-way mission with no return, I long assumed that all of the animals who were launched into space died during their missions, scared and alone. And so I was delighted to learn about the many animals who survived! I especially loved reading about Tsygan, another Russian cosmopup who went on two successful space missions and was later adopted by a Soviet physicist. Imagine having a pet that has seen Earth from outerspace… a pet who’s sailed amongst the stars! 🚀