Laika

This is one of the best and most moving stories I've ever read. It sums up the relationship with trainer and dog really we'll, it's beautifully illustrated and I could not put it down. Like the previous reviewer I have to admit to crying like a baby :)

I read this in pretty much one sitting, which is rare for me to do, even with graphic novels. Enjoyed the illustrations just as much as the writing, and was in tears by the end of it.

Perfectly sad. Have loved Nick's work since Tate. Wish there were a whole lot more entries by for this author/artist.

Really whether I liked the book is subjective. We all like our emotional senses being stretched whether it is being scared or eating a hot curry. However I hate being sad and it probably wasn't therefore wise to read this book as stories with animals as the protagonists have always upset me whether it is Ring of Bright Water or Kes. This is also much different because it is a graphic novel - the succinct drawings convey the sadness of Laika's predicament much better than words, especially as Laika is portrayed purely as a dog and, quite rightly, we see her reactions as we imagine a dog would react. The fact I was almost sobbing like a baby at various points throughout and was haunted by the story for several days afterwards probably means that Nick Abadzis has probably gained the effect he wanted entirely. Make no mistake, this is a heart-breaking story and the cliches in relation to lost dogs and false hope are thrown at you by the bucketload. It is sad also partly because we know that half the story is based on fact and we know Laika's ultimate fate and the futility of the mission she did and the trust she must have placed in her handlers. After reading this, I would like to think she is now enjoying a blissful existence somewhere in the afterlife as an icon of animal heroes together with other animals who have died in the duty serving humans in war and testing!

A fun book to read with great illustrations

Beautiful and quite moving.

Heart-rendingly written and beautifully illustrated

good

El libro tiene una excelente condición para ser de segunda mano, pero la Librería saturó el ejemplar de calcomanias indicando que era usado. Necesite despegar con mucha paciencia y usar un solvente ligero para quitar tanto pegamento.

The most beautiful part about this book... Is that given the story of Laika... The author includes a second ending. Such a powerful book

実話に基づくストーリー。引き込まれました。

This is a book that everyone needs to read and should enjoy. Based on the true story of the Soviet space dog, Laika is undoubtedly a heartbreaking yet powerful story of unnecessary suffering and sacrifice. With the addition of fictional characters as well as a wonderfully developed plot, it really induces an even more emotional impact and emphasizes the tragedy of the story that you would not really be able to grasp in any other form. Not only that, but the graphic illustrations give you an even more in-depth experience to the text that you would not get just reading this story as a regular novel. I know some adults might be turned away from this book based on the fact that this is a graphic novel. But this is a book that is suitable for people of all ages. It has many adult themes to it, as well as underlying details in the graphics that emphasize the importance of parts of the book. I was assigned to read this book for an English class, however, this is most definitely something I would have read on my own for my own enjoyment. One of the most interesting parts about this book was the choice of art style, and the details pertaining to it. Some of them I did not even catch the first time I read it. In certain parts of the book, especially parts of great significance, the novel's typical boxed pictures, white background, with a dark and grainy feel, changes significantly. One good example of this is on pages 51 through 55, showing the dream sequences of both the daughter and Laika. These few pages are full of bright colors, squiggly lines, no borders and full of art. These few pages and every time dreams and imagination are expressed in the book, show openness and freedom away from all the struggles and that Laika endures in real life. It really makes you realize how in sleep, it was the only place for her to feel real peace and joy. Another example of how the art emphasizes the text is in the beginning of the book on pages 4 through 7. When we see the Chief Designer escape the Gulag, the background of the pages starts at a dark grey and gradually fades to white. All the graphics on these pages have dark mellow colors. Then when it suddenly jumps to eighteen years in the future after the success of the Sputnik launch, the page's graphics are bright and red. I think this is a great example of how the art style really emphasized the major changes, the suffering endured, and the inner deep meanings of the characters' thoughts and emotions. Lastly, the most important aspect of this book is how we get to see Laika’s internal thoughts, or at least a perceived version of them. Laika is a dog, and obviously cannot speak for herself, but the author did an outstanding job of using the other characters, such as Yelena, to give Laika a voice. Towards the end of the book on pages 154 and 155, Yelena converses with Laika, and questions how much Laika really understands right before the launch. “I wonder...how much do you really understand? Anything at all...? Is it just the tone of my voice you respond to . . .? How do you seem to know? And she responds to her “what is this place?” Conversations between them like this really exemplifies just how unknowing Laika was to her fate. It shows just how much she was exploited; an innocent creature being used after already suffering so much in her life. Overall, this book and the way the author illustrated it as well as how he gave a voice to Laika who could not be heard, in the end made the tragedy of the story so much more impactful.

Beautiful graphics..great plot...the story of Laika will leave you spellbound..many unknown facts are revealed in this book...