Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Top of the Pile 9/12/2012

The Manhattan Projects #6
Story by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Nick Pitarra & Jordie Bellair
Published by Image Comics

I don’t think I’m smart enough to understand all the Jonathan Hickman writes. I have read the Oppenheimer biography American Prometheus and a couple of the more accessible books by Richard Feinman. So this alternate history of the 20th century science is completely fascinating.

In issue 6, we pick up in Germany just before all the Nazi rocket scientists are picked up by the Allies. Helmut Gröttrup escapes and is grabbed by the Soviet Army and immediately put to work in Star City to build rockets. This book shifts it’s setting quickly as it we go forward and back in Gröttrup’s sad story.

And the artwork is quite good. It’s reminiscent of Geof Darrow without all the insane detail. Thick lines show all the sweat and facial stubble on the scientists faces. The drawings of his rockets are Buck Rodgers cool and even the swastika forehead branding looks painful. And I’m glad to see that Jordie Bellair gets art credit for his coloring. Using full, contrasting colors, with this Soviet focused issue, red almost becomes the obvious symbol for anything USSR. It’s not subtle, but it’s effective.

So I’m glad I put this on the top of the pile this week. It beat out Chew, which was the only other book that could have been a potential pile topper.

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