Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity

Please enjoy this excerpt from the forthcoming graphic novel Astronaut Academy: Zero Academy, a collection of his online Astronaut Elementary comic strip, coming June 7th from First Second Books.

For a good idea of the tone, check out this short list from Dave Roman, “14 Reasons Why School in Outer Space is the Best Kind of School.”

1. In space, no one can hear you scream. Which is good if you are prone to getting reprimanded for loud outbursts.   
2. Underwater School is all wet. Yes, they have similar pressures, but being surrounded by a field of stars is much more inspiring than a bunch of fish.
3. What happens in the airlock, STAYS in the airlock.  
4. Interdimensional School gets confusing, with so many overlapping classes and students.
5. Anti-gravity gymnastics are great for tightening the abs and glutes.
6. The further away from giraffes, the better! Those things are freaky.  
7. In space, “Astronaut Ice Cream” is just called “ice cream!”
8. To compensate for the time difference from Earth, all holidays are celebrated in a single festival called the Universal Holiday. You can trick-or-treat, swap valentines, get presents, and paint eggs at the same time!
9. Rocket science isn’t as hard as it sounds.
10. No snow days, but classes may be canceled due to asteroid showers.
11. Space is, like, the biggest playground EVER for recess.
12. Guaranteed to always get great satellite reception.
13. Taking finals while in space (the final frontier) gives a sense of permanence to your tests. Once complete, you know there’s nothing left to conquer.
14. Space suits are way cooler than gym shorts.

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