Written by Eileen O’Hely and illustrated by Nico O’Sullivan
HAWKEYE PUBLISHING April 2025
ISBN 9781923105416
Giggling loudly in the library, I wanted to interrupt strangers and say “You HAVE to look at this – it’s so FUNNY and CLEVER!”
The graphic novel, 50 Ways to Die in Space written by Eileen O’Hely and illustrated by Nico O’Sullivan must have been created especially for me – and probably you too. It’s full of ACTION, SPACE and SCIENCE. All explained in a hilarious way without using too many words. And that makes it extra clever and fabulous fun.
The book begins with one of our favourite poems. Then, ludicrous surprises such as sharks, snakes and smithereens show up, just where you’d least expect them. The gruesome parts about dying are made all the more grotesquely funny by Nico’s captivating illustrations. By the end of the story, I felt so joyously connected with these two characters, I gave them both names – Putty and Gruff.
At one point, Putty says to Gruff “I did not know that. You know, some of the things you say are quite informative”. And that’s what I thought too!
I wonder what names you’ll choose for these two comical characters?