Graphic Science: Seven Journeys of Discovery

I have read a number of graphic novels by Darryl Cunningham, who has mainly focused his work on nonfiction, writing biographies about billionaires, Vladimir Putin, and Ayn Rand, as well as explorations of psychiatric conditions and science denial. He infrequently blogs here, sharing a look into some of his more recent fictional work.

I recently checked out his book Graphic Science from my local library, because local libraries rule. I had not read it before, though it has been out for some time, and I found it included biographies of several scientists whom I did not know much, if anything, about.  They are:

Antoine Lavoisier: A French chemist who named oxygen and identified it as a chemical element, beginning the system of organizing elements that eventually came to be represented in the periodic table.

Mary Anning: An English fossil collector whose discoveries changed how researchers thought about prehistoric life.

George Washington Carver: A Black-American botanist who studied ways to combat soil depletion as well as peanuts and sweet potatoes.

Nikola Tesla: A Serbian-American inventor who pioneered work with alternating current electricity and whose inventions paved the way for modern society.

Alfred Wegener: A German climatologist who explored and mapped polar regions and also put forth the first theories about continental drift.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell: An Irish physicist who discovered pulsars but was not among the recipients of the Nobel Prize this work garnered.

Fred Hoyle: An English astronomer who worked out the concept of nucleosynthesis, which is the process of creating new atomic nuclei from pre-existing neutrons and protons, and he also coined the phrase "Big Bang," ironically popularizing the term while rejecting the theory.

The images and text read in journalistic and informative fashion, showing the origins and high points of each person's lives and scientific interests. The book ranges far in terms of the topics covered, and I feel I learned much about each scientist and also got to know them as people. What is common in their stories is that they have been overlooked for awards or that their work has been misunderstood in some way. This book would be a great resource about some specific topics in science, which could be read as excerpts, or even as the seeds of a project in exploring scientists' lives and careers. It's a great collection of biographies.

The reviews I have read of this book have been positive. Johanna Draper Carlson wrote, "Reading them [the scientists] as people, some who undercut themselves with mistakes or unusual behavior, makes their discoveries all the more powerful and interesting." Joe at the Woolamaloo Gazette opined about the book that "each [chapter] shares this rather lovely approach – putting the human face on these events, people and discoveries."

Graphic Science was published by Myriad Editions, and they offer preview images and more information here. 

Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements: Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything

Explaining the "building blocks of everything" is a tall order, and this volume of Science Comics, The Periodic Table of Elements does an admirable job of tackling that gargantuan task. The framing narrative here is that Mel, a middle school student, is desperately studying for a science test to the point where it haunts her dreams. In this one specific dream, she meets a cute version of Hydrogen then confronts an evil Elemancer who can only be defeated through Mel's knowledge of the periodic table. For me at least, the D&D angle might not have been the most intuitive way to get into all this material, but I feel it is still a very effective narrative device.

As Mel quests to defeat the Elemancer, she has to recount a great many things, including what atoms and elements are as well as the history of the periodic table that includes a great deal about the contributions of Dmitri Mendeleev. This last part was especially informative to me, as it delves into how he organized the existing elements into groups according to their properties, leaving spaces for yet undiscovered ones(!), and creating a system that has stood the test of time to inform scientists both novice and expert. 

As Mel traverses the land, she gets to explain the properties of each grouping of elements she encounters, which are under the control of the Elemancer. These sections I found illuminating, because she uses her knowledge of these properties to get out of some pretty tough scrapes, reinforcing facts and ideas with actions. Also, the elements interact with each other, telling about their histories and also how they do and don't form bonds with others. I learned a lot from this book, and I feel it would be a great resource for anyone wanting to brush up on their knowledge of chemistry and the world.

The story and art are by Jon Chad, no stranger to science comics, whether they be entries in this series or his own Leo Geo books. He manages to balance drawings that illustrate science facts and models with others that tell a dynamic story full of fanciful elements. His strong storytelling skills shine here, making for a highly engaging and informative book. He sheds more light on his work on the Periodic Table book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. In a starred entry, Kirkus Reviews summed it up as "solid gold." Johanna Draper Carlson wrote that it features "a great blend of educational content and framing story." Although she got a lot out of the book, Jen Stutesman wrote that it felt long and "might have been a more enjoyable read cut into sections, or even separate books."

Science Comics: The Periodic Table of Elements was published by First Second, and they offer a preview and more information here. 

Graphic Science Biographies

I recently checked out this series of Graphic Science Biographies. They are slim volumes aimed at middle grades readers to help learn more about prominent scientists from history as well as their particular achievements. I think they are very engaging, and I loved how they do not shrink away from some of the more unsavory aspects of these figures, such as Newton's unpleasant and standoffish demeanor or Einstein's treatment of his first wife. They show these scientists as real people, which I think makes them more relatable and interesting.

On the other hand, the brevity of these books makes them better suited as secondary resources rather than introductory ones. They contain references to other scientists and scientific achievements in ways I think that readers more versed in science history would appreciate. But I do not think that less-informed readers would get those references. Still, these books are well researched, drawn in clear fashion, and very readable.

Marie Curie and Radioactivity chronicles the life of this famous scientist from her childhood in Poland, through her university career, and into her later life and grand achievements. I appreciated how it detailed how the occupation by Russia in particular had an impact on her family and national spirit. I also feel that it well depicted just how laborious her work was, with her having to literally mine huge piles of rock and ore in order to get the minute quantities of radioactive material that she studied.

Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution follows the life of this famous naturalist from his childhood where he was hounded by a demanding father to his various travels across the globe. He is depicted as a kind of dreamy wanderer who just wants to observe nature and collect his specimens. I appreciated how it showed that scientists can be quiet, introspective types.

We see the opposite of that sort of personality in Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity. Of course, he is somewhat larger than life, and I appreciated seeing how politically charged his work was. It shows him in multiple contexts, as standing against antisemitism, having to flee Germany during the rise of Nazism, and being an activist against nuclear weapons.

The final book in this series is Isaac Newton and the Laws of Motion. It shows lots of episodes from his life, from his early inventions, to his college career, to his combating counterfeiting schemes. What I appreciated most about this volume is how it shows just how much his interests drove his research as well as how varied his interests ranged. In many ways, Newton was a kook.

I was not able to find out much about the author/artist here Jordi Bayarri, other than he is based in Spain and has created a few adult sci-fi/fantasy series in the past. His artwork here is presented in horizontal fashion, with each page having 4-6 panels, much in the fashion of the newspaper comics collections of my youth. I like the uncomplicated, colorful artwork that tells stories in clear, engaging fashion. Visually, these are some very accessible comics. Each book also has a timeline and list of further readings to help spur more learning about these people.

I was only able to find one review of this series, and it was for the Marie Curie book. Kirkus Reviews called it "A highlights reel of the great scientist’s life and achievements, from clandestine early schooling to the founding of Warsaw’s Radium Institute." They evaluated the whole series, "Engagingly informal as the art and general tone of the narratives are, the books will likely find younger readers struggling to keep up, but kids already exposed to the names and at least some of the concepts will find these imports, translated from the Basque, helpful if, at times, dry overviews."

All of these books were published under the Graphic Universe imprint, and you can find previews and more information about them here.

Marie Curie: A Life of Discovery

As you might guess from the title Marie Curie: A Life of Discovery is a biography of the famed scientist, and this book certainly captures the high points of her career from her pioneering work in radiation to her discovering multiple new elements to her multiple Nobel Prizes. She is still the only person to win those prizes in two separate fields, chemistry and physics. She was a pivotal scientist whose work is paved the way for many others, and I feel it is pretty easy to either lionize as an otherworldly figure or highlight her as a token great scientist. But she was also a person, and that aspect of her life is what this book portrays very well.

Its primary way of making Marie Curie's life feel palpable is through its artwork, which is painted in impressionistic fashion. It inserts color into what could be a drab, factual account, and it also features some broader scenes and landscapes, setting tone as much as conveying plot.

What I liked is how much the art contributes to the pacing, especially with some of the larger moments where double page spreads allow the story to breathe. In particular, I felt the sequence where Pierre met his unfortunate end was powerfully rendered. The artwork also packs an emotional wallop when used to show intimate moments of her life, including the aftermath of a miscarriage, her struggles being a woman in a male-dominated field, and the fallout from her husband's untimely death. In addition, the framing sequence, where Marie and Pierre's daughter Irène recounts these tales as part of a family history also makes everything feel more personal and direct.

Marie and Pierre talking about her work. In the original Italian version of the book.

What I also appreciated about this book was how it featured multiple facets of her life, from her cultural identity as a Polish woman living in Paris to her celebrity, where she was portrayed in the press in negative ways. It is strange seeing just how much she was used to bash on women in the news of the day, first described as a mere assistant to her husband (when she was actually his peer) and later as gossip fodder for her relationship with Paul Langevin. Overall, I enjoyed this book and how it depicted Marie Curie's life and work in nuanced ways. In the end she comes across as a human being and not just some figure from a textbook.

This book's creator Alice Milani is based in Italy. She has also published a graphic biography of Wisława Szymborska, a Polish author who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1996. She shares her art in this blog.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. BookDragon wrote, "When Milani isn’t explaining in the text – fluidly translated from the original Italian by Kerstin Schwandt – she relies on atmospheric, pencil-and-watercolor art to augment the narrative of Curie’s brilliant life." Kirkus Reviews summed it up as "An appealing volume for graphic novel and science enthusiasts." Jody Kopple concluded, "With a complex story structure and sophisticated science content, this addition to the canon about Curie is ideal for upper middle and high schoolers."

Originally published in Italy, Marie Curie: A Life of Discovery was published in the US by Graphic Universe, and they offer more info and an excerpt here.

Science Comics: Flying Machines: How the Wright Brothers Soared

This latest volume in the Science Comics series focuses on the invention of flying machines. Now, I know the Wright Brothers are extremely well known; they are featured on the backs of two states' quarters even. Reading this book, I learned that there was LOTS I did not know about the duo, including the fact that they had a sister named Katharine. She played a huge role in spreading the news about her brothers' work and also advertising and marketing their work to potential investors, and in this book she is the narrator who puts a very personal and human touch on the proceedings.

Not only is she a good choice because she has a magnetic personality, she was also a schoolteacher so she is a handy figure for explaining the science aspects of the story. There are a good number of passages where the science of flight is spelled out via exposition. And to be honest, I felt that some of these passages were a bit dense to read, but I appreciated the creators trying to break down some pretty difficult science.

Still, there is much to recommend this book. I felt that the artwork was vibrant and expressive, and it revels in depicting the various flying machines of the day. The story humanizes the achievements of some grand historical figures and also puts their work into historical context. Additionally, the book and endnotes cover a number of the notable pioneers/inventors/scientists of the day. Flying Machines might have hit a couple of spots of turbulence, but it is still a very good book.

This book is a collaboration between writer Alison Wilgus and artist Molly Brooks. Wilgus is a cartoonist and animator who worked on the Codename: Kids Next Door cartoon and Avatar: The Last Airbender comic books. Brooks is also known for her series Sanity & Tallulah. Both creators write about their work on Flying Machines in this blog post.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Johanna Draper Carlson wrote that it, like the others in the series, "combines the best of everything: fascinating stories, entertaining education, and talented creators who know how to make good comics." Kirkus Reviews called it "An accessible and engaging introduction to the Wright brothers and how they ushered in the age of flight."

Science Comics: Flying Machines: How the Wright Brothers Soared was published by First Second, and they have a preview and much more information about it here.

A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.

Zombies and Forces and Motion

There is a dearth of decent graphic novels about science, and certainly even fewer aimed at younger readers, so I decided to check Zombies and Forces and Motion when I got the chance. What I found was that this book is entertaining (though not really laugh out loud funny to me) and also educational. It covers a bunch of ground, from Issac Newton's laws of motion to definitions of gravity, acceleration, momentum, mass, weight, and inertia, in an amusing and engaging way. There is not really an overarching narrative, so much as there is a bunch of vignettes that illustrate scientific principles and laws with reference to a zombie apocalypse survival guide. Most of these deal with a couple of guys trying to escape from zombies by rolling downhill in a car or zombies being shunted around in the payload of a pick-up truck. Basically we have cars and zombies bouncing off each other, which makes for some compelling imagery.

And as you can see, the illustrations are great and very clear, as are the explanations of the science. Even though the subject matter is gruesome, it's in a fun, wholesome way that's not off-putting or too gross. Sure, zombie arms get pulled off, but there's no blood or gratuitous gore. Probably the worst thing I can say about this book is that it is very short and not very detailed. Still, I found it breezy and fun to read. For those looking for a quick introduction/refresher of basic scientific ideas, there are many worse places to look.

This book was made by writer Mark Weakland and artist Gervasio. Weakland is a reading specialist, educational consultant, and pretty prolific writer of books for children. Gervasio is an Argentinian illustrator who belongs to a collective called La Productora. I can't say much else about either of them, but I enjoyed their work here.

I was not able to find many reviews of this book, but the few I found spoke well of it. Diane R. Chen called it "the number one crowd pleaser among upper elementary and middle school teachers and librarians" she presents to. Daniel Kraus praised the artwork, stating, "Gervasio’s comic panels and green-faced ghouls are well above par for the typical nonfiction stab at this kind of high-interest presentation." Jessica Bingham wrote, "The illustrations are wonderful and the text is very easy for lower elementary students to understand."

Zombies and Forces and Motion was published by Capstone Press as part of their Monster Science series.  You can get more info about the book here. I plan to check out more books from this series as soon as I can.

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb

Trinity is just what the title says, a graphic history of the first atomic bomb. This account details the Manhattan Project, the top secret project where the US developed the nuclear weapons that would end World War II. It does so in two ways. One, by introducing the major players behind the project, including the military leaders who organized it and the scientists whose work were instrumental in developing the weapon.

Two, it also does well in explaining just the scientific concepts that underpinned the eventual development of the bomb, by looking at elementary chemistry and physics. Thus, it is much a book about science as it is about history.

As you can see from the excerpts, the narrative is relatively straight forward and the art is very documentary, but they also have some personality and a sense of intrigue that keeps things from becoming dry. This book is an impressive debut graphic novel by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm. He has since gone on to create a second called Battle Lines, which is another graphic history about the US Civil War. He talks about his work on Trinity in this interview and also speaks about his process in this video.

Most of the reviews I have seen about this book have been very positive. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review and summed up that it "succeeds as both a graphic primer and a philosophical meditation." Michelle Legro called it "a fascinating visual reimagining of a story that is at once tremendously culturally significant and thrillingly human." John Dupuis called it "a real gem" and "a wonderful example of the graphic novel as social history of science." Publishers Weekly was much less taken with the book and criticized a few of its features.

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb was published by Hill and Wang, and they provided a preview and more information here.

Genius

Ted is a really smart guy who has lots going for him but also some struggles. He is married and has a family as well as a great academic job at a physics think-tank, but he has not had a strong new idea in years. He fears that he will be surpassed by the young turks at work and also that he will never meet the potential he showed as a youngster, when he easily skipped grades, and a young man, when he wrote exciting and interesting papers full of fresh ideas. Additionally, he has to care for an increasingly ornery and scatter-brained father-in-law who constantly berates him. And he receives an additional scare when his wife discovers a mass in her body.

Add to all of this the revelation that his father-in-law knew Albert Einstein and swore an oath to protect a secret the physicist told him. As he deals with adversities, Ted obsesses over this secret, thinking it holds the key to unlocking secrets of the universe that would help him with his job and also  safeguard his family.

Clearly, there is much going on in this book, and what really makes it all work as a cohesive tale full of humanity, impact, and wonder is the expert storytelling of the writer and artist. Collaborators Steven T. Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen have worked previously on the series House of Secrets and most notably on the graphic novel It's a Bird..., for which Kristiansen won a 2005 Eisner Award for Best Comics Painter. They have obviously built a strong working relation over the years, evident in the flow and deceptive simplicity of the narrative in terms of plot and visuals.

Seagle is a prolific comics writer who created the Vertigo series American Virgin as well as wrote a long run of Sandman Mystery Theater. He is also a member of Man of Action, a collective of creators who work on various media projects including the television shows Ben 10 and Avengers Assemble. Seagle speaks about his works in this extensive interview. Both creators speak of their work on Genius in this interview.

The way that the art and words propel the story displays a high level of craftsmanship. Rendered with fine lines and a muted color palette, the ethereal and atmospheric images show that Ted is haunted by many things: his fears, his past, the demands of being a father and husband, the ghost of Albert Einstein, and the attitude of his father-in-law.

This is a book about physics and abstract thought, but it also is very human. The interplay between big ideas and mundane details of life make for some interesting philosophical and existential moments. In the end, it is those moments that are the most powerful parts of the book, when Seagle and Kristiansen use metaphor masterfully to highlight multiple facets of the human condition. The plot also somewhat resembles a train of thought, with the reader being privy to Ted's problem solving processes and seeing where his conclusions originate.

Reviews I have read have been mostly positive. Sonia Harris called it "simply and elegantly beautiful." Melissa Grey wrote, "Though the book has a somewhat saccharine finale, overall, it's a heartfelt, sincere exploration of the beauty that there is to be found even in our darkest moments." Publishers Weekly focused on the sequential art aspects, noting, "Most remarkably, Seagle and Kristiansen allow the connection of words and pictures to mirror the reader’s own comprehension of Ted’s journey to awareness."

A preview and more are available here from First Second.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout

Not Quite a Graphic Novel Month shines on!

I am not going to lie. I was geared up to hate this book. I saw it first in an airport in the graphic novels section but did not preview it. Always on the lookout for science graphic novels, I ordered it sight unseen from Amazon. When I got it, I opened it up and immediately thought, "Oh man, it's a picture book. What a ripoff!" So I set it aside for a few months. Now reading it, I see why it was put in with the graphic novels even though it really is not one. This book defies easy categorization, but I can tell you it's beautiful, informative, moving, and wonderfully strange. It is like a pictorial Moby Dick, a collection of disparate items and styles that hang together to give different aspects to complex narrative.

Ostensibly, this book is about two things: the lives and love of Marie and Pierre Curie, which act as the narrative thread connecting the second topic, the history of radioactivity. The Curies discovered polonium and radium, pioneering study of the elements and radioactivity. For their efforts they won Nobel Prizes, but they also fell victim to health problems from being exposed to radiation over long periods of time. They were titans of the field, lending their name to an elementary unit and beginning study of a phenomenon that has transformed the world, leading to medical advances, renewable energy, terrible disasters, and the most destructive weapons on the face of the planet. This book touches on all of these areas, and more. Today, Marie Curie is sometimes unfairly regarded as a token female scientist, and Pierre as her husband/collaborator, but as this books shows, such slight regard is unfounded and insulting. This book reanimates their stories and celebrates their lives and achievements in appropriate fashion.

Lauren Redniss, this book's creator, is an author and artist who has been published regularly in The New York Times. She also is the author of the book Century Girl: 100 years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies. From 2008-2009 she was a fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars & Writers at the New York Public Library, and she became a New York Institute for the Humanities fellow in 2010. Redniss speaks extensively about her impetus for creating this book here.

Redniss's artwork is beautiful and haunting. Much of the artwork is cyanotype, a photographic printing process that produces a ghostly effect meant to echo the glow of radium or an x-ray. She also makes good use of collage to portray historic and informational text pieces. From the artwork, her account of the artistic process, and the copious footnotes in the end pages of the book, Radioactive is an obvious labor of love for her.

This book has garnered some impressive praise. It was a 2011 National Book Award Finalist. Dwight Garner raved that "the word 'luminous' is a critic’s cliché, to be avoided at all costs, but it fits Ms. Redniss’s book pretty snugly. This is a story with a hefty half-life." Dr. Mary Jo Nye called it "a book that truly is out of the ordinary, and it is well worth reading and contemplating." Marcia Bartusiak added, "Finishing the book, I went back to the beginning and read it again. Just as I did with my favorite picture books as a child." Kathy Ceceri called Radioactive "a rich and complex story of life, love, and science told through narrative and imagery. It is a powerful and beautiful book."

Some preview pages are available from the author here. The book's publisher HarperCollins provides numerous links here.

Why it's not quite a graphic novel: Radioactive is not a graphic novel, but it is not quite a picture book either. It is a collection of beautifully rendered art that tells a story by itself but not necessary in sequential order. There are also substantial text pieces that could stand alone. All together, this book provides a unique experience as a well researched piece of nonfiction, an affecting love story, and an evocative series of images.

Suspended in Language: Niels Bohr's life, discoveries, and the century he shaped

One of the most influential and important scientists of the 20th century, Niels Bohr won the 1922 Nobel Prize for Physics for his work on determining the structure of atoms and went on to lay out important ideas in the conception of quantum mechanics. His model of electron orbits, although not technically correct, still is used to teach elementary chemistry and physics. This graphic biography follows Neils over his life, from his days as a fumbling doctoral student to his career as a professor and mentor to some of the most important scientists of the day. Many of the scientists who went his institute won Nobel Prizes of their own.

Also, this book details the harrowing days when he was held under house arrest by Nazis and eventually escaped to the US where he worked on the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. It also follows his many efforts to redirect the course of political action regarding the development of nuclear weapons. In the course of this book some of his most important theories and discoveries are illustrated and explained. His influence is still felt in the field of physics, and his name lives on via the prestigious Neils Bohr Institute in his native Denmark.

Suspended in Language is the product of Jim Ottaviani, Leland Purvis, and a host of other contributors. Ottaviani is a librarian and ex-nuclear engineer who has written a shelf-full of science themed graphic novels. Purvis is an artist known for his work on various webcomics and the Resistance series of graphic novels published by First Second. The other artists illustrate a number of back-matter comics that shed further light on Bohr's life and work.

This graphic biography has been generally well received, even by non-physicists. Johanna Draper Carlson wrote that she appreciated the "playful tone" of the book and also that "one can’t read this book without being affected." Rick the Internet Librarian commented that although this book is not an easy read it is "a good introduction to a major twentieth century scientist and the world he helped create." Time Magazine's Andrew Arnold called the book both "educational and entertaining."

A preview and more information are available here from the book's publisher G.T. Labs.

Feynman

This graphic biography focuses on Richard Feynman, an accomplished physicist who became a household name through his popular lectures and books, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman and What Do You Care What Other People Think? He accomplished much in his life, winning the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum electrodynamics. He also worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first US nuclear bomb and on the commission to determine the causes of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Feynman often approached problems from unique angles, was not afraid to argue with authority figures, and was also a bit of a prankster. He also had a passion to explain the most complicated ideas in ways that laypeople could also understand. His personality and affect served him well in the scientific community, and it is much celebrated in this book.

Feynman is the creation of writer Jim Ottaviani, who has written a number of great graphic novels including ones about the early days of paleontology, the space race, physicist Niels Bohr, and women science pioneers. It was drawn by Leland Myrick, an Ignatz and Harvey Award nominated artist who is best known for his graphic memoir Missouri Boy. This detailed discussion with Robin Brenner at the School Library Journal website gets at many details of this book and Feynman's life.

Thus far, this has been an extremely well reviewed book. The New York Times Book Review's Freeman Dyson remarked that this graphic novel "somehow comes to life and speaks with the voice of the real Feynman." The reviewer at Publishers Weekly wrote that this book proves "that the most dogged intellectual pursuit can still be a good time." The reviewer quantum at the Physics Buzz blog gushed that "Feynman is a true testament to both the uniqueness of Richard Feynman as one of the twentieth century's most remarkable scientists, and the exceptional ability for comics to capture his one of a kind personality."

Feynman was published by First Second. An excerpt, video preview, and copious other information about the book is available here. A slightly altered excerpt also appears here at Kate Beaton's webcomic, Hark! A Vagrant.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

Levitation: Physics and Psychology in the Service of Deception

Prolific science graphic novel writer Jim Ottaviani continues his science of the unscientific series with this look into the history of stage levitation. The book follows this sensational trick from its origins in the work of John Neville Maskelyne ("The Levi") who entranced turn of the (20th) century British audiences with his stage play The Entranced Fakir. His act was stolen and brought to the United States by Harry Kellar (who had tried to buy the act from Maskelyne to no avail) with fantastic success. The act was improved upon by engineer Guy Jarrett who wrote a much-used guide to magic and who also narrates the story. When Kellar tired of touring, he sold his act to Howard Thurston, a charismatic showman with a penchant for card tricks. Thurston went on to being one of the biggest acts of the 20th century.

In this book, Ottaviani focuses not only on how levitation tricks are done but also on the personalities of all the magicians who used them. As with his other works, this book is thoroughly researched and is chock full of information. The art was provided by Janine Johnston, a freelance artist with many credits, including Star Wars and Poison Elves comic books. Her gray-scaled art looks almost water-colored and provides a great atmosphere for the narrative. These two interviews shed more light on the two creators' work on this volume.

Reviews of the book have been largely positive. Johanna Draper Carlson recommended the book, commenting on Johnston's art and the great number of magical mysteries revealed within these pages. Chris Mautner offered that the story was full of slightly awkward exposition but was ultimately winning because of its "educational glimpses into areas of history that have mostly been ignored by the general public."

An excerpt is available here from publisher GT Labs. A study guide and review links can be found here.

For teachers interested in teaching this book, there are a host of materials here from the Get Graphic website.

Laika

In 1957, a stray dog became the first living mammal to go into space. Laika was nicknamed "Muttnik" in the US, a reference to the first satellite put into orbit. Nikita Khrushchev, the premier of the USSR at the time was famous for his dramatic actions as well as his antagonism toward the west. Sputnik took the world by storm, and he meant the Laika episode to add even more momentum to the view that the Soviets were technologically superior.

This book details Laika's transformation from stray dog to cosmonaut. Some parts are imagined, as tales of her life before she came into the space program are entirely speculative. Writer/artist Nick Abadzis creates a realistic and touching account and combines it with well researched stories about the main caretaker, Yelena Dubrosky, and the chief designer, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. The result is an affecting story that combines love, duty, and determination to create one's own destiny. By the end of the book, the effects and sacrifices linked to this historic space mission are made clear. It is a dazzling combination of fact and fiction.

Nick Abadzis wrote and drew this work. He has worked on numerous comics projects since 1987, with work appearing in Marvel UK books and Deadline magazine. He also moonlighted as a writer for the Bob the Builder TV series. His work on Laika has won him many accolades, including the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Teen Graphic Novel. The book appeared on many different "best of" lists, including Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year, the Young Adult Library Services Association's Great Graphic Novels, and the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age Reader.

The book's publisher First Second is renowned for its quality graphic novels. Reviews of the book are overwhelmingly positive, as seen in this array here from the publisher and these from Goodreads. A short interview with Abadzis about his career and work on Laika is available here.

The book's official site has a wealth of resources. Additionally, some preview pages are available here.

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon

The race to put a man on the moon was one of the greatest competitions of the Cold War, and almost everyone is familiar with the end of contest and Neil Armstrong's famous speech from the lunar surface. What is not as well known is all of the hard work, calculations, and failures that preceded this great accomplishment. T-Minus captures many of the struggles that took place within both the US and the Soviet space programs beginning at T-minus 12 years before the first moon landing in 1969 (that would be 1957 for those of you who don't want to do the subtraction).

Movies like The Right Stuff and Apollo 13 show us the exploits of the astronauts, but they don't show as much about the engineers, technicians, and mathematicians who made space travel possible in the first place. Jim Ottaviani has almost cornered the market in terms of creating graphic novels about mathematics and scientists and here he shows just how much they contributed to the great success Armstrong eventually was celebrated for. However he does not give short shrift to the pilots and other space travelers. He paints a picture of them as people brave and capable enough to fly vehicles that were basically fancy projectiles.

This book contains a wealth of resources provided in an accessible manner. There is a time line of dates that runs parallel to the narrative, chronicling successful and failing launches. The important players in the story are identified clearly, credentials listed, and acronyms explained in footnotes. There is even a bibliography for further reading toward the end, neatly disguised as a newspaper page.

T-Minus would be a great resource for learning about Cold War positioning or aeronautic engineering. More information about the content of the book and Ottaviani's aims as an author can be found in this interview done by Tom Spurgeon. For all of the technical and historical information given, the narrative still flows well from moment to moment, capturing the wonder and spectacle of space travel as well as the tragic moments that often accompanied failure. Reviews online are frequently positive, noting the good blend between facts and drama, such as these by Ted Anderson and Jack Shafer.

The art is crisply presented in black and white. It was drawn by the Cannon brothers, Zander and Kevin, who are frequent Ottaviani collaborators. More about them can be seen at their blog Big Time Attic.

For more science-centered graphic novels, visit G.T. Labs, Ottaviani's official site.
On the T-Minus page, there are teacher resources, preview page links, and other links to space-related websites.