The Far Side of the Moon by Alex Irvine

One of my professional goals this year is to read one graphic novel, one nonfiction and one intermediate each month. This weekend I managed two genres at one go by reading this informational graphic novel.  It is about Michael Collins who was on the Apollo 11 moon mission.  He was the one who stayed in the ship while Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin went on to walk on the moon. I have read books about Michael Collins before, but I learned new and interesting facts from this short bio, like after the mission Collins was in line to walk on the moon in later missions, but decided to leave the space program.  It is also interesting that later he became the director of the Aerospace Museum in Washington DC. The illustrations for the book are all done in black and white, and do a great job suggesting the overwhelming solitude of space.  Some graphic nonfiction feels like the illustrated format is forced, like they would have been better off in a traditional format. Sometimes they add a goofy cartoon narrator or assume a really informal, conversational tone. Irvine and the illustrator, Ben Bishop, resist the temptation to add comic bells and whistles and just tell the story. This is a great choice for space buffs or anyone who enjoys a good nonfiction. (2017, 64 p.)