Starred Review:

The Postman from Space

A galactic mail carrier is forced to switch from his usual route, resulting in a day of misadventures and excitement, in Guillaume Perreault’s delightful graphic novel The Postman from Space.

Bob is an ordinary human, a space postman, and a creature of habit who enjoys his everyday routine. Arriving at work, he’s not happy to learn that he’s been reassigned to a brand new route. Through five deliveries to various planets, Bob meets an alien giant, an old alien lady, dogs who end up with his sandwich, a man who demands that Bob draw him a picture of a sheep, and tiny duck-like aliens who attack his spacecraft. He battles bad weather, asteroids, hunger, getting lost, and other obstacles as well.

Despite his difficulties, a strange thing happens on Bob’s return trip: as he passes his previous stops, he reevaluates the day and finds the people he’s met, and his experiences, rather to his liking.

Translated from the original French, the text is direct, appealing, and playful, contrasting “spacial” versus “special,” for example. Its humor is universal: Bob’s scruffy appearance and spacesuit; a panel of him looking up at the giant, an old alien lady in a rocking chair; and a planet of every mailman’s traditional enemy, dogs, are all humorous, even without any text at all. Another highlight is a cutaway view of a long package as Bob imagines what could be inside, shown in successive panels: a loaf of French bread, a pool stick, or a snake.

Light and spirited, the book dazzles, especially in its final pages, which carry a warm optimism about life that’s cheery and instructive. The Postman from Space is a brilliant, funny, and heartwarming tale.

Reviewed by Peter Dabbene

Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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