What do you think?
Rate this book
Space Academy 123
Classroom crushes, school plays, gym class, all-knowing Grandfather Computer, maintenance guy scouring planets for resources, you know, typical school stuff.
Surviving school is tough; now imagine peer pressure and midterms while hurtling through the vacuum of space. Mickey Zacchilli blends Starfleet with Degrassi to make a classroom saga that recalls manga, Sunday funnies and composition book epics scrawled while ignoring the periodic table.
MICKEY ZACCHILLI was born in 1983 and lives in Providence, RI. She is a massage therapist and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Zacchilli’s sprawling, wild and woolly, romance, adventure epic RAV was published in two collections by Youth in Decline.
Surviving school is tough; now imagine peer pressure and midterms while hurtling through the vacuum of space. Mickey Zacchilli blends Starfleet with Degrassi to make a classroom saga that recalls manga, Sunday funnies and composition book epics scrawled while ignoring the periodic table.
MICKEY ZACCHILLI was born in 1983 and lives in Providence, RI. She is a massage therapist and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Zacchilli’s sprawling, wild and woolly, romance, adventure epic RAV was published in two collections by Youth in Decline.
216 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2018
46 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 22, 2019
I wrote a review for The Comics Journal online: http://www.tcj.com/reviews/space-acad...
What makes a perfect comic? When people say about the perfect comic, it seems that they mean a great comic that's enjoyable. I suspect them overusing the term because almost every North American mainstream comic including Kirby and Ditko is hard to read. On the other hand, I cannot stand almost every manga both mainstream and alternative due to its deep-rooted misogyny. Sexism is so casual in Japanese society. I can't distance from it because it's too close to my experience. What I'm trying to say is that I don't agree with a lot of people when they say some work is a perfect comic. Too often it's not enjoyable or great. Too often it's just some meh entertainment people enjoyed in their youth. What I'm saying is that the fact they enjoyed something in their teens or even right now does not make it naturally a perfect comic.
I rambled about a perfect comic because I think this is a perfect comic. It is funny and easy to read. It is beautiful to look at and read. The characters are alive and the narrative is amazing. The theme is deep. It doesn't pretend to be something GREAT or some HIGH ART but it is a great work of art. Without any pretension, it is great in its form and contents.
Anyone interested in art comics knows how singular Zacchilli's art is. When the work was serialized on Instagram, the style looked a bit simpler than usual -- which I did not have any complaint against because it was a free daily comic --. However, seeing the art bigger & in more detail on a page, I realized how subtle each 'mark' Zacchilli draws. Because it's simpler than usual, you can see how each line makes a huge difference. Zacchilli's previous lines, combined in thousands, felt like a current. Now each different shades of mark build a subtle texture that elevates the work more amicable.
The structure of each page's narrative -- or joke -- and some characters show that Zacchilli's clearly influenced by manga. But this does not mean that the work is copycat or tries to be manga. Zacchilli knows what make manga so popular: readability, narrative, and characters. With her exceptional style, she made a great comic which is enjoyable.
also the paper is great & a perfect match!!!!!!!!
What makes a perfect comic? When people say about the perfect comic, it seems that they mean a great comic that's enjoyable. I suspect them overusing the term because almost every North American mainstream comic including Kirby and Ditko is hard to read. On the other hand, I cannot stand almost every manga both mainstream and alternative due to its deep-rooted misogyny. Sexism is so casual in Japanese society. I can't distance from it because it's too close to my experience. What I'm trying to say is that I don't agree with a lot of people when they say some work is a perfect comic. Too often it's not enjoyable or great. Too often it's just some meh entertainment people enjoyed in their youth. What I'm saying is that the fact they enjoyed something in their teens or even right now does not make it naturally a perfect comic.
I rambled about a perfect comic because I think this is a perfect comic. It is funny and easy to read. It is beautiful to look at and read. The characters are alive and the narrative is amazing. The theme is deep. It doesn't pretend to be something GREAT or some HIGH ART but it is a great work of art. Without any pretension, it is great in its form and contents.
Anyone interested in art comics knows how singular Zacchilli's art is. When the work was serialized on Instagram, the style looked a bit simpler than usual -- which I did not have any complaint against because it was a free daily comic --. However, seeing the art bigger & in more detail on a page, I realized how subtle each 'mark' Zacchilli draws. Because it's simpler than usual, you can see how each line makes a huge difference. Zacchilli's previous lines, combined in thousands, felt like a current. Now each different shades of mark build a subtle texture that elevates the work more amicable.
The structure of each page's narrative -- or joke -- and some characters show that Zacchilli's clearly influenced by manga. But this does not mean that the work is copycat or tries to be manga. Zacchilli knows what make manga so popular: readability, narrative, and characters. With her exceptional style, she made a great comic which is enjoyable.
also the paper is great & a perfect match!!!!!!!!
January 17, 2019
Sometimes you just have to give in and have fun. The art, initially jarring, is so quirky and fun. Harsh lines, pen and pencil, it feels alive. Zacchilli knows what's up. Enjoy the (space) ride.
May 15, 2019
There's a lot to like here: genuine warmth, great ideas, and some laugh-out-loud moments, but the artwork - UGH! Scribbles, scratches, words crossed out . . .
That said, I would definitely read more by this author/artist. She's got promise out the wazoo.
That said, I would definitely read more by this author/artist. She's got promise out the wazoo.
July 14, 2018
Super cool and very funny - like Jillian Tamaki's Super Mutant Magic Academy, only set in space and drawn with a wild, messy scribbly style that I found irresistible. Def get this.
June 26, 2019
I did not appreciate the primitive drawing style and sloppy lettering at all. Maybe this book is geared toward a younger (preteen?) audience, but most of the humor landed flat with me, the characters were not developed beyond a very superficial level, and the story was not that interesting. Glancing at the other mostly positive reviews for this book I guess I'm an outlier here, but I would not recommend this one.
July 31, 2019
It took me a little while to get adjusted to the art style of this book, but once I did I adored it! The characters are genuine and endearing, and while I normally dislike fiction where the world-building leaves the reader with multiple questions I thought it was done well in this case. The last page has one of the best ending statements I've read in a comic, and cleverly sums up the previous events.
July 11, 2023
This is one of those cases where like technically speaking, the art is probably "bad." Like, most people wouldn't look at this and go woah the next Da Vinci or anything. But it's funny, it conveys emotion, it has a certain je ne sais quoi about it that I really appreciate.
November 2, 2018
A masterwork in and of itself.
November 14, 2018
i'm always overzealous rating comics bc i think everything is fabulous but this is also very very funny!
November 25, 2020
i enjoyed the art style and thought it was pretty funny- wish it was longer though. i think my favorite characters were shandy and andrew. i found myself relating to both a lot.
April 15, 2021
It’s perfect
Read
October 27, 2021Ahhh so so funny and clever. I love it.
won-t-finish
May 21, 2019No, just can't do it. Made it about 20 pages, but the art style is too much. If it was the quality of the cover, I could handle it.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews