Alf: Mission to Mars

Alf

by Robert Loren Fleming, Ken Kimmelman (Illustrator)

Alf, the space-alien living with the Tanners, threatens to fly to Mars when he is told to do more work around the house.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Picture Books

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Robert L. Fleming is an American comic book writer. He is best known as the co-creator of Thriller with Trevor Von Eeden and for his collaborations with Keith Giffen.

Reviews

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alf, TV's most independent Muppet, had a line up of kids books to tie in with the hit show. In case you didn't know, Alf is the acronym for Alien Life Form (in Alf's case it shoulda been for Altered Lemur Furball!) and stays at the Tanner House with Dad Willie, Mom Kate, daughter Lynn and son Brian. Fans were drawn (somehow) by the brash yet cuddly alien....THING that likes eating pussy(ahem, CATS) and lotsa guys (like me admittedly) stuck around since this was the sci fi sitcom where the heavenly body was the teen daughter, the beautiful Andrea Elson. Buuut back to our review of the book. This adventure has Alf lounging around and making a mess of the Tanner residence. Yknow, the usual. But Willie can't take it no more, so he threatens Alfie (my name for the little guy) with grounding and hard work on the living room, or else! Feeling unwanted in his self absorbed way, Alfie finds a casting call in the want ads for a new movie being filmed, Mission to Mars, asking who would play a convincing alien being. Why Alfie is already one so getting into the Hollywood system should be easy. But when he gets to the studio, already the director not only accepts him on the spot, he suggests "improvements" by painting him green, figuring aliens as a rule are green furry things ...with antennae! Dammit Jim! He's a fuzzball alien mutant, not a Cootie Bug! So Alf ditches Hollywood and all things related to sci fi generated stigma. Meanwhile, at home, Kate the mom watches a rocket go off, then notices Amy's goodbye note, puts two and two together, and comes up with a number higher than 4, and her math is way off. Could it be that Alfie ran away to go on an ACTUAL MARS MISSION? Will he ever come back to his loving (hiccup) family? It's enough for an episode of a dumb sitcom. Which ALF kinda is, but I kinda like it that way. PS: There is a real movie called Mission to Mars, only no furball creature with a trashy mouth....except for Gary Sinise! Psych!
Three stars
Put the VCR on pause! Read the ALF book instead! Hah!

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story in which ALF fails to be held accountable for behavior that harms others.

[Shannon Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE me some Alf!