Star Cat: A Turnip in Time

Imagine the outlandish style of Futurama, the bizarre vibe of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the pure zaniness of Red Dwarf crossed with infantile toilet humour and hop aboard the Star Cat.

This galactically goofy space opera for kids is a star in the Phoenix Comics firmament, having been awarded Young Peoples Comic Award Winner at the British Comic Awards in 2015.

David Fickling Books now offer more adventures to enjoy in bound comic book format. Star Cat: A Turnip in Time comes packaged in twelve bite sized chapter acts. Sneaky learning is part of its vortex as it explores STEM in an entertaining way.

Tubular twists and pithy puns abound as Captain Spaceington and his mismatched crew get into more scrapes in space caused mainly by their inept alien officer Plixx who longs to be recognised as a scientific genius. All the while his nemesis Dark Rectangle dogs their every step.

The Space Race in Chapter 6 is a stupendously silly segment reminiscent of the Hanna Barbara cartoon Wacky Races while Mission Impossible will delight Captain Underpants fans and The Time Turnip gets to the cake matter of time travel.

Turner’s witty text is peppered with alluring alliteration like treacherous tetragon and polygonal potentate and scientific allusions like Professor Nematocyst and the University of the Floppy Nebula.

Bursting with eye popping primary colours and wacky shapes, the art of Netherlands born Yasmin Sheikh is inspired by her background in animation and video games.

With quirky chapter headings, sly in jokes and witty word play it’s an entertaining journey which works on multiple levels appealing to visual readers and Science Fiction fans.

Extra tuition comes in the accessible step by step drawing guides at the back which will encourage children to attempt their own cartoons.

From DNA gone wild to mutated rodents, spy shenanigans, parasitical infestations, edgy experiments and the science of smelly socks, Star Cat is the gift that keeps on giving.