Writer/artist: Nick Abadzis
Colorist: Hilary Sycamore
First Second Books
For a while during the Cold War, the Soviet Union had us beat when it came to space travel. It launched the first man-made object to orbit Earth, the Sputnik I project in 1957. In 1961, it launched the first man into space, Yuri Gagarin.
In between these launches, the Soviets also sent the first living creature into space aboard the Sputnik 2: a dog named Laika. This graphic novel tells her story, mixing both facts and fiction into a touching narrative.
Tyura-Tam, Kazahkstan, October 4, 1957. Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, chief rocket designer for the USSR, celebrates the launch of Sputnik 1 with his colleagues. The next day he is summoned by Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev himself, who asks Korolev if he can have another ship up the next month, in time for the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. He also asks if a man can be put up there, and while Korolev tells Khruschev that it can’t be done on such short notice, he has another idea…
Abadzis chooses not only to focus on Laika, but the humans behind Sputnik 2 as well. To his credit, he avoids falling into the trap of demonizing the Soviets, instead portraying them as normal people who are loyal to their country, yet often find themselves torn between duty and personal feelings.
The art is impressive as well. Though Abadzis’ art could be described as minimalist, he effortlessly confeys emotion through the characters’ expressions and body language. One notable example of this is the romantic tension between Laika’s dog trainer and one of her superiors, Oleg Georgivitch Gazenko, often shown via their hand movements.
I’d recomment Laika to anyone with an interest in Russian and/or space history, dog-lovers and anyone looking for a good story.
For more information, read Abadzis’ interview with Newsarama:
