The Manhattan Projects, Volume 4: Building

    

  Oppenheimer makes a deal with President Kennedy in an attempt to take over the Projects, resulting in the incarceration of the entire team. Meanwhile, in the brain of Oppenheimer Prime, the Blues go for the nuclear option in a final bid of ridding the physicist of the evil Reds. But a forgotten player in this epic series will have the last say over who takes final control of Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Projects as well.

    Volume 3 lacked the 'oomph' of the previous two volumes. This volume is a return to the level of quality storytelling that got me hooked in the Manhattan Projects in the first place. With tons of twists, turns, and shocking reveals, a history major like me has no idea where this series is gonna go next and that's a GREAT thing!

     There's only one volume of the exciting series left for me to read. Jonathan Hickman has crafted a story that is nearly flawless. It's so good, I don't want it to end, but I also want to know how things wrap up. That is a sign of a master storyteller.

    Worth Consuming!

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Manhattan Projects, Volume 2: They Rule

    The scientists of Los Alamos have declared their independence from the United States. Now teaming with the scientists of Star City, the Soviet equivalent of the Manhattan Projects, the world's most brilliant minds seek to become the masters of not only the world but the universe as well. But it will not be easy as President Truman has unleashed the Illuminati, a mad assortment of super-powered humans upon the base with only one mission- take the base- leave no prisoners- kill everyone!!!

    I'm still a fan of the groundbreaking series by Jonathan Hickman, but I didn't enjoy this volume as much as the previous one. For one thing, last volume seemed to follow the timeline of 1940-1945-ish pretty well. Yes, this is a fictional account of the Manhattan Project but the plotting was so well done that I was able to appreciate my knowledge of World War II history in regards to the events that transpired in the comics.

    But in this volume we jump from President Truman to newly appointed Commander-In-Chief John Kennedy. Where did Eisenhower go? If in this timeline Kennedy became the 34th president instead of the famed General, then it was Hickman's responsibility to inform the readers that Kennedy's presidency begins in 1952. That's just one of several diversions from our timeline that the author neglects to alert us to. Instead of captions stating 'now' and 'then,' I really could have used some dates.

    Another problem I have with this volume is the level of violence. If this edition was Spinal Tap's amp, the violence would be set at 11. Volume 1 wasn't for the faint of heart, but compared to this collection, the last book was an anthology of nursery rhymes. I also felt like the shock factor added to the mix detracted from the story itself.

    Thankfully, the last chapter opens the Manhattan Projects up to a new dimension of possibilities. For some time, the deranged mind of Robert Oppenheimer has been like a vault that isn't water tight and every once in a while the safe's contents leak out, allowing the reader to catch a glimpse of his fractured psyche. But the last chapter titled 'Finite Oppenheimers' we see just how many multiple personalities the demented physicist has absorbed throughout the multiverse. Let's just say it's a lot and they're not all happy to have become a part of Oppenheimer's think tank collective.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Fallout: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Leo Szilard, and the Political Science of the Atomic Bomb

 

 I figured since I was reading a fictionalized account of the Manhattan Project (The Manhattan Projects, Volume 1) then I would also read a factual account. 

   Man, I wish that statement was true...

   When I checked out the premiere volume of the Manhattan Projects, I had no idea that it starred characters such as Einstein and Oppenheimer. It was just dumb luck that I also checked out this graphic novel about the development of the atomic bomb. But after I read the Manhattan Projects, it made perfect sense to read this next. But I read the fiction graphic novel over a week ago, what took me so long to finish the non-fiction edition?

    Even though Fallout is a graphic novel, it is packed with lengthy excerpts of letters, journals, and official testimonies. And when I say lengthy, I'm not lying. A report on the loyalty of Dr. Oppenheimer was over 8 pages long. Even longer was the notes and 'director's cut' commentary at the end of the book which was over 30-pages long. (It was that section that took me forever to complete.)

   This book starts from the very beginning of the Manhattan project with Leo Szilard employing Albert Einstein to write a letter to President Roosevelt asking him to beat the Nazis to the development of the atom bomb. It then moves to Chicago, where scientists build the first atomic pile underneath a squash court at the University of Chicago. (Imagine the disaster that would have happened if that have overloaded!) Finally, we wind up at the research base in Los Alamos, New Mexico where the first nuke was tested.

    The last half of the book focuses on the fallout of Truman's action to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. When you build a weapon, the natural inclination is to make it better and badder. Thus, the team at Los Alamos is tasked with building the Hydrogen Bomb, which makes the first nukes detonated look like firecrackers. 

    Over time both Szilard and Oppenheimer become repentant over creating the Bomb. Their reluctance to continue building more powerful nukes causes the men to become the subject of investigations over their loyalty to the US. As a result, Oppenheimer is brought before the Atomic Commission and must restore his good name or face becoming blackballed by losing his security clearance.

   Fallout was an eye-opening experience at the development of the nuclear bomb. It was so good, I'm inspired to read and research more about the Manhattan Project. Jim Ottaviani, the book's author, at the end of this book recommends to readers that they should read Maus if they only read another graphic novel about the horrors of World War II (Challenge accepted... Yes, I've never read Maus. But I will now!) Well, aside from that classic, if you want to learn more about the horrors of nuclear war, it's history, and the harsh impact of spending a lifetime working with radioactive materials- then you must read Fallout!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars (Only because that previously mention notes section is just so gosh darn long. But that too IS worth reading.)
     

The Manhattan Projects, Volume 1: Science. Bad.

Everything you know about the Manhattan Project is a lie. First of all- the quest to create a nuclear bomb was just a cover for a slew of experiments involving time drive, alternate dimensions, and other types of fringe science. Besides, we had the bomb years before we even used it...

   Well, that's according to the new series I started reading: The Manhattan Projects. The brainchild of Jonathan Hickman, I first learned of this series when I was getting his autograph at a convention a few years back. The guy in front of me had just about every issue getting signed so, I took some time to examine them (from afar, of course.) 

   The covers look almost identical to the cover to this premiere volume. They have a large black circle in the middle with the MP logo, art and writer credits, issues number, and price. Unlike Einstein being on this book's cover, the individual issues might have a subtle pop art-style difference like a color wheel or the Soviet Hammer and Sickle. 

    When my local library finally decided to pick up this series, it took me even longer to get into to it as volume 1 was checked out for several months. When I finally got my hands on it last week, I both slapped my forehead for taking so long to get into this dynamic series and did a small victory dance for finally getting this book into my possession.

    All of your favorite physicists from the Second World War are in this book. Oppenheimer, Fermi, Feynman, Daghlian, and the previously mentioned Albert Einstein. But by volume's end, the way you look at any of these pioneering scientists may just change how you look at American History and physics itself. 

     Hickman's brave new world is exciting and the art by Nick Pitarra. His style is very similar to that of Frank Quietly. The inking is pencil thin and with muted color tones and some gritty detailing, it's the perfect visual pairing with Hickman's unique look at 1940s science.

    If you like alternate timelines, historical fiction, time travel, or just science in general- you must read this book. I'm going to bet that Manhattan Projects is the series most of you, my dear readers, aren't reading! Run, do not walk, to your local comics shop or demand that your librarian carry this series.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.