Far Side of the Moon

February 20, 2017
While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are household names, “the only thing most people know about Michael Collins is that he didn’t get to walk on the moon.” Irvine and Bishop aim to remedy that with this graphic biography, which traces Collins’s upbringing and NASA career through his selection for the Apollo 11 mission and his life afterward. Bishop works in a rough, schematic style, and his liberal use of swaths of black, accented with violet, makes the vastness of space felt in nearly every panel. Unfortunately, Irvine’s writing tends to be flat and halting, as well as repetitive (“They were about to try to do something that no one in the history of the human race had ever done”; “Collins and Armstrong had just pulled off a flight maneuver that no one in history had ever done before”). Direct quotations from Collins appear occasionally, though their sourcing isn’t always clear. Bishop’s spec-like images of equipment and rocket trajectories aid substantially in understanding the challenges these astronauts faced. Ages 8–12.

January 15, 2017
An account of the first moon landing, with special focus on Michael Collins, the astronaut who stayed aloft in the command module."The only thing most people know about Michael Collins is that he didn't get to walk on the moon," writes Irvine, who then works to fill in details of his subject's career before, during, and after his multiple stints in space. This effort is particularly lifeless, though, as bland generalities ("Michael Collins worked hard and waited for his chance") and at best only glancing references to his family, to medical issues, to his spacesuit-design work, to his lively sense of humor--which infuses his autobiography for young readers, Flying to the Moon and other Strange Places (1976)--and to anything that he's done since 1976 leave him a distant figure. Bishop's drab, sketchy duotone scenes and schematic diagrams likewise keep Collins and the space program's dramatic achievements at arm's length; capsules and rockets are small on the page; human figures who aren't anonymous beneath faceless helmets are barely recognizable; and the artist offers only perfunctory historical renditions of astronaut gear, control boards, and the like. Along with Flying to the Moon (for those who can find it), Bea Uusma Schyffert's The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon (2003) offers a more animated, informative picture of Collins, Apollo, and the space program in general. Uninspired: reads and looks like a rough draft. (timeline, bibliography) (Graphic nonfiction. 11-13)

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May 1, 2017

Gr 5-8-Everyone knows Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, but how many people can reliably name Apollo 11's third man, the one who is most known for not getting to walk on the moon? Irvine and Bishop look to increase that number by focusing on the experiences of Michael Collins while telling the story of the moon landing in graphic format. Collins was the first person to walk in space twice and the first to orbit the moon. The pace of this title is fairly slow, as the narrative meanders between a straightforward account of the events of and leading up to the Apollo 11 mission and flashbacks to the Gemini 10 mission. Technical illustrations of spacesuits and rocket stages are included, and Irvine covers the daily tasks Collins was responsible for to keep the command module functioning. Bishop's illustrations stick to a limited palette (black, white, and purple) but are versatile, showing great contrast among the technical drawings, scenes taking place on Earth, and those in the vastness of space. One of the standout sequences is the cinematic spread of the launch, with a sketchy close-up of Collins in the second panel that effectively brings to life this momentous occasion. VERDICT Readers looking for an exciting graphic novel adventure may be disappointed, but true space enthusiasts will appreciate the details that shed light on the reality of being part of the lunar mission. For larger collections seeking additional materials on space.-Kacy Helwick, New Orleans Public Library

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