Mr. Muffins by Ben Kahn and illustrated by Georgeo Brooks might not be due until mid-January 2025, but I think people should know about this graphic novel now. Not because I have read several books by Kahn or Brooks and loved them all (I haven’t) but because I think now I might see what I can find and that this book is going to be a fun read for most people. 
This is not a new idea. The theme is “You are afraid, but it’s okay, and you need to keep fighting.” and “Friends stay together when the chips are down.” The art is cute, clever, colorful and fun, but even that isn’t new. I mean, we know aliens and people and planets and spaceships. We know all of this; seen all of this before. So what makes it a four rating? It is just g-d fun! And there are great puns and jokes and energy. (Corgi: “It’s Earth for “His legs are super tiny, and his BUTT waddles when he walks!”) Things mesh well. It takes a familiar setting/theme/idea and makes it modern while keeping the classic message. The big difference is that our hero is an Earth corgi dog (and it is a dog: likes treats, tries to tinkle on a tree, barks, loves belly rubs) and not some kid or alien being who’s all ripped and muscles. Granted, I was not always a fan of our main human character, but I like how things progressed and the modern elements will grab kids today. 
While most ages (strong 8 to younger 13) can read, some things might not be great for a most sensitive reader. Broken down into chapters (with a really cool format of a rainbow and Mr. Muffins announcing this change), this allows for a read aloud to a graphic novel. If you are looking for a slight step up from Hilo by Judd Winick or a smidgen half-step down from Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke, this is the book for you. Read via an online reader
Yes I stole the title from the publisher description