Customer Reviews

First In Space

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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With 'First in Space' James Vining tells the true story of the first monkey shot into space with brilliant simplicity.
He manages to keep an overall upbeat, almost whimsical tone throughout the story's telling even as the chimp faces the physical, mental and emotional tests involved with his role in the space race and the narrative never falls into becoming didactic as many historical tales do, leaving the reader to their own conclusions as the story comes to a close.
The pictures reflect the heart of the words well with playful shape and line. It's not just got eye candy, but eye protein more importantly.
I found this a delightful and educational read; a must have for any adult or child interested in chimps, space or stories grounded in this nation's history.

James Vining did the cover art for the novel, Midnight in a Perfect World, a favorite of mine, so I wanted to check out his graphic novel. Impressive. The story of the NASA apes and much of the clinical way they were handled isn't all happy and smiley and the book reflects that. However, being aimed towards kids, it isn't too dark a look into the early "pioneers" of the space program that the young readers would be upset unless they're really sissy kids, which there seems to be a lot of these days. Nevertheless, I recommend it for the kids who are actually interested in learning about the space program. It might even be good for the ones that need some toughening up - an introduction to man's cruelty, but softened enough so they shouldn't be overwhelmed.

A sentimentalized account of NASA's Chimpanzee Astronaut training program from the early 1960s. The trauma to the animals is depicted too lightly in some cases, and the powerful epilogue depicting one chimp's tragic later days is softened by a "happy" flashback ending. The Chimps are presented as unique characters, drawn differently from each other, and overall the art is crisp and unique, with a retro feel. Scientific facts regarding their similarity to humans is dutifully presented, but the question of the ethical appropriateness of this program is glossed over. If, in fact, chimps are SO similar to humans, how do we justify subjecting them to treatment unfit for humans?