Laika was the abandoned puppy destined to become Earth's first space traveler. This is her journey. Nick Abadzis masterfully blends fiction and fact in the intertwined stories of three compelling lives. Along with Laika, there is Korolev, once a political prisoner, now a driven engineer at the top of the Soviet space program, and Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika's health and life. This intense triangle is rendered with the pitch-perfect emotionality of classics like Because of Winn Dixie, Shiloh, and Old Yeller. Abadzis gives life to a pivotal moment in modern history, casting light on the hidden moments of deep humanity behind history. Laika's story will speak straight to your heart."Laika" is the winner of the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens and an Eisner Award nominee for Best Reality-Based Work.
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Nick Abadziss' research has resulted in on of the most atmospheric historical graphic novels yet produced --Observer
About the Author
Nick Abadzis is a British comics creator whose work has been published across the globe--from the U.S. to Japan. He based his book on the true story of the Sputnik 2: there was really a dog named Laika, and she touched the stars before she died. In writing his graphic novel, Nick Abadzis did thorough scientific and historical research, including traveling to Russia, visiting special Sputnik 2 archives, and interviewing experts in the field. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Shimacat
Format:Paperback
This graphic novel is satisfying on so many levels. The book itself (the collectors edition, anyway) is physically small; the paper is good and the colours are strong. Holding it in the hands to read is wonderful - like peeping into a small, hand-held historical window. The illustrations are remarkable - graphically very simple, and simply-coloured, but clear and engaging, and amazingly effective at conveying the emotion behind the story. Laika was, as everyone remotely interested in the space-race knows, the first life-form put into orbit by man; a dog, sent into space to prove Russia's supremacy in the space-race of the 1950s, but with no plans made for her retrieval from orbit. This book is the story of this little dog, birth to death. Amazingly researched, brilliantly told, I just loved this. The simplicity of the telling - told mostly by the images, with minimal text - belies the emotional punch carried by this book. This is a fabulous graphic novel and one I'll treasure.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An instant classic, I recommend this one to anyone, even non comic book fans
2 Dec 2007
By J. Green
Format:Paperback
This book was recommended to me by someone that was already a fan of Nick Abadzis' work. Taking their good words and advice I decided to give it a try and I have to say I was hooked right from the opening page.
Following the story of the most famous dog in the world - Laika - from his humble beginnings on the streets of Moscow to his pivotal role in the Soviet/USA space race this story will give you all and more - drama, tension, characters you really care about and most importantly a story that really leaves you questioning humanity itself and our blind ambition above all other costs.
This is a book for any age, whether you have an interest in space travel or not there will be something in there for you.
Following the story of the most famous dog in the world - Laika - from his humble beginnings on the streets of Moscow to his pivotal role in the Soviet/USA space race this story will give you all and more - drama, tension, characters you really care about and most importantly a story that really leaves you questioning humanity itself and our blind ambition above all other costs.
This is a book for any age, whether you have an interest in space travel or not there will be something in there for you.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This tender graphic novel deals with the birth of spaceflight from the point of view of Laika, the first dog in space, who went aboard the Soviet Union's Sputnik 2, in late 1957, in a flight that was never meant to return to Earth. As the story is told here, after the success of the first Sputnik in October 1957, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev wanted to capitalize on the propaganda value of the world's first satellite and pushed for a new launching for the anniversary of the Russian revolution, just a month later, this time bringing into orbit for the first time a living being into space. There was little time for preparing a proper satellite, so a non retrievable rocket was launched. Thus, the moral of this tale is that a dog's life was sacrificed for the honor of the nation (there was little scientific value in Sputnik 2). The story here has three protagonists: Laika, the female stray dog turn sacrificial space pioneer (a moving, presumably invented story about her troubled, wandering life as an unwanted dog before being caught for the Soviet space program is presented here in the first chapters), Korolev, the driven and ambitious chief designer and a former gulag inmate during Stalin's time, and the fictional Yelena, the female lab technician in charge of Laika's health who, despite the advice of her superiors, comes to care for her personally. With drawings that are attractive without being flashy, this is a very entertaining book. It is also quite poignant, without being overtly sentimental.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A joy - different, sad and fulfilling
Laika was the first dog to go into space, lauched in Sputnik II by the Russians, and this is her story. Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2009 by Jo Bennie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Little Book
Wow what a great little book - read it in the coffee shop at my local Borders and found myself crying my eyes out in places, just swept over me as I was so caught up in the story... Read more
Published on 9 Jun 2009 by Icemaiden
5.0 out of 5 stars
Involving and emotional
This graphic novel is satisfying on so many levels. The book itself (the collectors edition, anyway) is physically small; the paper is good and the colours are strong. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2007 by Shimacat
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