Christina Day’s Blog

This graphic novel by Nick Abadzis mixes strenuously researched fact and compelling fiction to tell the story of Laika, the doomed canine victim of the Sputnik II Russian space program. Premier Khruschev forced the program was forced upon the Sputnik I team of scientists and engineers in the wake of Sputnik I’s success. The team had only one month to completely fabricate a spacecraft capable of sustaining, for a limited time,  the life of a dog that would be trained for the one-way voyage into space. Abadzis interviewed members of the team responsible for selecting and training the dog and began to unravel the truth behind the Sputnik II propaganda stunt, and discover an allegory for the communist regime in Russia, and its relationship with its citizens.  Fact meets fiction when Abadzis composes a touching history of abuse and betrayal for the sweet-natured Laika, who had at last found a kind home with the Sputnik trainers, only to be selected as the sacrificial poster-child for the Cosmonaut program, in hopes of establishing Russia as a dominant force in the hearts and minds of capitalist nations. Although the mission was declared a success by Khruschev, the reality is that Laika died after merely 4 hours in space, due to a malfunction in the shuttle’s climate control system. Basically, the interior of the shuttle reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and Laika died of stress and overheating. It was apparent that Khruschev never intended to devote the resources to make the craft fully functional and the malfunction was a result of having to create a whole spacecraft in 30 days time.

Abadzis brings Laika to life, and I found myself very attached to the little dog, and, being a dog-owner myself, it was heartbreaking to witness the depiction of this little animal dying all alone in space, floating in the void. In a bitterly beautiful representation, Laika and Sputnik II disintegrate in the atmosphere and return to earth as a series of shooting stars.

The book ends solomnly and appropriatly with a quote by Oleg Gazenko, the director of Laika’s training program:

“Work with animals is a source of suffering to all of us. We treat them like babies who cannot speak. The more time passes, the more I’m sorry about it. We shouldn’t have done it… We did not learn enough from this mission to justify the death of the dog.”

Ive been on a graphic novel/comic kick this semester and by coincidence was required to read ‘Understanding Comics’ by Scott McCloud for my History of Graphic Design class. McCloud somehow manages to make a textbook in graphic novel form, and I found that it reads alot like watching a great documentary. Outside of illuminating alot of the theory behind creating an effective comic, McCloud really explores the way we communicate with each other. I recommend this read to anyone interested in not just comics, but the artistic process in general.

Once I finished ‘Understanding Comics’, I immediately dove into another acclaimed book by McCloud titled ‘Making Comics’. As can be inferred by the title, this book focuses more on the physical process and engineering behind creating effective comics and so far I enjoy it alot. More on this once I complete it.

Lastly, as a fun read, Im currently halfway through ‘Red Mars’ by Kim Stanley Robinson. My Biochem major boyfriend has been encouraging me to read Robinson’s ‘Mars Trilogy’ for some time now, and I began reading this book expecting something either really dry and laden with technical jargon, or another cheap sci-fi fantasy hybrid. But I am very glad to have been wrong and have thus far been enjoying a great human drama that explores much more than the surface of Mars. “Red Mars’ touches on human psychology and the impact we have as a civilization on the environment around us. Having completed an Environmental Philosophy course earlier this Spring, I recognize alot of the themes addressed by Henry David Thoreau, or some of the contemporary ideas found in Bruce Hull’s ‘Infinite Nature’ pertaining to our impact on our environments. In conclusion, this book is anything but a nerdy sci-fi adventure, and, despite being published over a decade ago, the themes in this book are very contemporary.

Upcoming reads:
I was fortunate enough to receive about $80 in Amazon.com gift cards for Christmas and already spent every penny by liquidating my wishlist. I ordered several books that I am really looking forward to devouring:

‘Comics and Sequential Art’ by Will Eisner

This is another comic ‘textbook’ that was highly recommended throughout McClouds ‘Understanding Comics’.

‘The Complete Maus: A Survivors Tale’ by Art Spiegelman

From what I understand, this is a moving saga about a father and son surving the Jewish Holocaust. Many literature professors consider this ‘required reading’ for their students.

‘The Sandman: Vol 3, Dream Country’ by Neil Gaiman (Author), Malcolm Jones III (Author), Colleen Doran (Illustrator), Kelley Jones (Illustrator), Charles Vess (Author), Steve Erickson (Author)

Book 3 of the Sandman saga that I have been reading. A great series with a celebrity cast of authors and illustrators.

‘The Best of The Spirit’ by Will Eisner

A ‘best of’ collection of Eisner’s classic strip. I bought this in spirit of the movie having recently been released. Pun intended?

‘The Watchmen’ by Alan Moore

Alan Moore’s masterpiece, again, in spirit of the movie being released soon.

‘Laika’ by Nick Abadzis

The graphic novel about the doomed dog that was launched into orbit in the Sputnik II Soviet project. I know that this will be heartbreaking to read.

Well that about ends this rant. Till next time, take care and have a safe, happy holiday season!