Binky, a charming and chunky black-and-white house cat, isn’t your average feline. He’s a space cat, a card-carrying member of F.U.R.S.T (Felines of the Universe Ready for Space Travel). Binky is also the self-appointed protector of his household.

When Binky’s beloved owners, “one big human” (a woman) and “one small human” (a boy), leave Binky at home alone, the cosmic kitty gets busy. If he isn’t preoccupied with the day to day rhythms of cat existence (e.g., raiding his bag of kibble), he’s fending off the pesky aliens who have descended upon his otherwise peaceful home. In truth, these aliens are bugs, common house flies often pictured buzzing around Binky, his food bowl, his litter box, or worse, the heads of his human owners. He makes a plan to fight the aliens on their own turf, but in the end decides that outer space – which in Binky’s mind is the space outside a house – is a dangerous place for an indoor cat, so he stays put.

Ashley Spires’ tale is full of humour. The artwork, rendered in ink and watercolour, mostly consists of neutral colours that are nicely balanced by the animated and expressive features of Binky and his owners.

Binky the Space Cat is the first in a new graphic novel series that aims to introduce a younger audience to the genre. The tone of the prose and the visuals probably skews a little younger than its intended audience – many 10-year-olds are already eye-deep in manga – but all the same, Binky’s misadventures are a delight.