SLCZF 2023! As we continue our South London Comic and Zine Fair coverage it’s important to remind our audience that SLCZF has been so carefully curated that there really is work on offer for every reader’s tastes. While we may have focussed so far on the experimental and the socially conscious there will be plenty of all-ages material on the day, including Meems & Feefs: Ferrets from Planet Ferretonia!. Published by Andrews McMeel and created by artist Liza N. Cooper (aka Siberian Lizard) this all-ages romp will be making its debut at the fair.
Meems and Feefs are two intelligent brother ferrets on the planet Ferretonia whose inquisitive nature about their world and its secrets is about to lead them into an unexpected adventure. Experimenting with the forbidden technology of their ancestors the pair accidentally find themselves transported to Earth where they end up in an animal shelter. Befriended by teenager Liza, the trio must work together to find a way to return the lost ferrets to their home planet…
With an engaging cast of human supporting characters and a fast-paced plot this first volume of Ferrets from Planet Ferretonia! will prove an engaging read for younger readers. Comedic timing is so important with work like this and Cooper builds up to punchlines with great precision, combining witty character interplay with more obvious physical humour to great effect. The two leads provide that cartoon slapstick, endearingly complemented by the human interest angle of the shy Liza and her teen dramas and entanglements.
No one can accuse Meems & Feefs: Ferrets from Planet Ferretonia! of being compressed storytelling with its tightly-panelled pages creating a continual sense of motion and energy. Where appropriate, though, the story will break into full-page illustrations to emphasise the alien environments within (whether that be alien to the reader on Ferritonia or alien to Meems and Feefs on Earth) or to create a sense of drama to the revelations and emotional beats of events.
This first volume of misadventures sets up a lot of plotlines and story possibilities to be followed up on in future instalments, particularly in regards to Ferretonian society and its mysteries. Fun and full of good-natured warmth, Meems & Feefs: Ferrets from Planet Ferretonia! is a delightful and jaunty tale of friendship, collaboration and musteline mirth.
Liza N. Cooper (W/A) • Andrews McMeel, $12.99
Review by Andy Oliver
SLCZF is held at Stanley Arts on July 16th. More details here.
