Space Comic features Ham the Chimp!

Ham is coming back into the spotlight! Oni Presswill release FIRST IN SPACE as a 96-page graphic novel in April of 2007. Set in the early 1960s and extensively researched by author/illustratorJames Vining, FIRST IN SPACE tells the "true adventures" of Ham America’s first chimpanzee launched into space by NASA.

In the comic, Ham is paired with his human handler to undergo his training for the space flight. Smart and quick, Ham quickly outpaces his fellow chimpanzees, but nearly misses his flight because his fondness for banana pellets gets in the way of weight restrictions.

“FIRST IN SPACE is not only a fun and heartwarming adventure, but it also takes a serious look at the use of animals in government safety tests, an examination that’s important to our history and particularly to our future,” said Oni Press managing editor Randal Jarrell. “But it’s also about monkeys in space! What could be better than that?”

The FIRST IN SPACE original graphic novel ships April 25, 2007 and retails for $9.95. It’s a 96 page 6x9 trade paperback, with black and white interiors and a full color cover. The ISBN is 978-1-932664-64-5, and the Diamond order code is FEB07 3672.

Check out some sample pages here.