Spacedog

by Hendrik Dorgathen

With his pioneering, wordless graphic novel, Space Dog, Hendrik Dorgathen has been hailed as the first illustrator to bridge the gap between comics and art. Space Dog is the visual tale of a red, nameless dog who starts his life like many farm dogs - in a cushy barn with a litter of brothers and sisters. One day he wanders off the farm, jumps a train to the big city and before he knows it he has been transformed from innocent farm dog to street wise dog-about-town. After a series of adventures Dog attracts the attention of NASA and is hand-picked to become the first dog in space. That's where the story really takes off. You can join Dog on his extra-terrestrial travels and meet the crazy friends he makes (canine, human and alien) in this superbly illustrated, colorful book - these pictures tell the story without the help of a single word. Hendrik Dorgathen is a lecturer at the School of Art & Design, in Kassel, Germany.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Humor, Fiction, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The use of animals in space research gets a rather fanciful re-imagining in Spacedog.

The canine hero of this wordless graphic novel is born on a farm, hops a train seeking adventure, ends up lost and homeless in a big city, is briefly taken in by a jazz musician, is captured by the city pound, is handpicked from the pound by a NASA scientist, is blasted into space, becomes a hero celebrity upon his return, and runs away again to live a peaceful dog's life back in the country.

Unfortunately, most of the anonymous creatures used by NASA during the Space Age didn't receive such an enviable fate. Nor have most stories of pound seizure ended so happily.

As for the story, Spacedog can be hemmed in by its no-dialogue mandate. Although most of the story is straightforward, in the panels in which humans figure prominently, it can be difficult to see what's going on.

[Zoonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this in a second hand shop many years ago and was immediately drawn to the quirky illustration style. It's stayed with me since. It's much funnier than you'd imagine for a book with no words at all, and is a thoughtful little daft sci-fi tale that reminded me of Mr Masereel, and his jaunty wee purely graphic stories. Charming, and if you have an eye for graphic storytelling artwork, worth seeking out.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a bit of fun, but the overblown description as work that finally bridges art and comics is the dumbest thing I've read in about forever. Don't let the overhyped synopsis put you off this fun little title of a dog's improbable adventures.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic wordless graphic novel think those early woodcut black and white comics meets the alternative Gary Panter world and you'll have a pretty accurate impression of what this book is all about. It's maybe not too accurate, but some of the line work brought to mind 90s Mazzucchelli.

It's quite an epic journey for the little dog. Very good story telling and some great graphics throughout.

I believe this is the only full comics story he's done, but he has a cool website I'm going to take a closer look at today. https://dorgathen.org/

Enjoy!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing! If you like wordless comics, it's worth a read.

[Sofia Roussou · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best book of its kind!!!

[Shoshanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute comic. No words. Just the funny story of a country dog who goes into outer space. Interesting European style.

[Canard Frère]

Petit ovni BD au graphisme original et à l'histoire assez barrée, avec son chien astronaute-messie à la recherche de l'amour.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2015...

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept flipping the pages...don't really know why, but it was entertaining for a 5 minute read.