Bomb

 

Bomb: The Race to Build -- and Steal -- The World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin, illus. Nick Bertozzi 262 pp. 

This is the graphic novel adaptation of Sheinkin's 2012 book Bomb focuses on the development and building of the atomic bombs during World War II and the spies who stole vital information that made it possible for the USSR to develop their own nuclear weapons shortly after the end of the war. There is also a brief account of the Norwegian soldiers who sabotaged the Heavy Water plant and caused a massive delay in the Nazi development of a similar bomb. Other aspects of the Manhattan project were touched on including the selection of Captain Paul Tibbets to lead the training of the air crews designated to drop the bombs on Japan and the Trinity test of the first atomic bomb in Los Alamos, NM. Of course, it is impossible to include everything about this slice of history in a 260 page book but this was nicely done. Now I need to read the book this was adapted from.

American Prometheus

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer  by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin  721 pp.

This Pulitzer Prize winning biography covers the life and work of the brilliant physicist who led the work to create the atomic bomb during World War II only to be unjustly turned against by the very government he served. Oppenheimer was a fascinating, highly intelligent, albeit somewhat dysfunctional man. He suffered through anti-Semitism in his career as a university professor before settling into his job at the radiation lab of U.C.-Berkeley. It was there, during the Great Depression, that he became acquainted with many members of the Communist Party. Although he never joined the party himself, these friendships and acquaintances would come back to haunt him during his work on the Manhattan Project through to the era of McCarthyism. One man, Lewis Strauss with the help of infamous FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, fueled the unreasonable accusations against Oppenheimer and, after a travesty of a hearing, had him removed from his position on the Atomic Energy Commission. This is a long and detailed account of a fascinating, if troubled man.    

The Manhattan Projects (Volume 1 - Volume 3)

The Manhattan Projects  (written by Jonathan Hickman, illustrated by Nick Pitarra)
448 pages

Where do I start?  This series takes place in an alternate reality or highly fantastical and fictionalized version of the post World War II era.  As you probably know, the Manhattan Project was the top secret government R&D... project... to develop the atomic bomb.  It brought together some of the greatest scientific minds of the 20th century from all over the globe.  In Jonathan Hickman's comic series, these scientists are not only geniuses, but incredibly eccentric and downright mad: Robert Oppenheimer is actually his evil twin, a cannibal with split personalities, Joseph Oppenheimer; Enrico Fermi is an alien drone in human guise, sent to monitor the potential threat of a human race spreading out into the stars; Albert Einstein... well, that's him on the left.

When not enjoying science and whiskey, Einstein likes to channel his inner Bruce Willis

The basic premise is that these historically based super-minds don't stop at atomic weaponry, but plan to take humanity to the next stage of evolution and galactic presence with their research.  In their quest for progress, they must contend with well established alien empires, as well as Earth's pre-existing power structure which consists of kings, presidents, commercial conglomerates, and the Illuminati.

This series is weird and over-the-top.  The artwork is good, and the action shines when there is actually a tangible threat to the scientific cabal's plans.  The first volume is the weakest of the three, being a little inefficient in its character development, and the plot doesn't hit its stride until the middle of volume two.  Generally, I feel that at times the series tries so hard to come off as original and/or provocative that it simply becomes goofy.  For example, in the first volume, the Japanese army  uses "death buddhists" that mentally power a gateway from point A to B, called a "torii".  At no point does the author attempt to explain what death buddhists are, or... ANYTHING about them.  Nor is there an explanation for Yuri Gagarin's talking dog, or why the Russian minister in charge of Star City is a talking brain in a vat.

And yet I  read on.  This series has my continued curiosity because it's ultimately fun and, I dare say, stimulating reading, full of violence and very odd, yet mostly effective humor.

Trinity

Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm  151 pp.

This is a very well done, if abridged history of the development of the first atomic bomb and the events that led up to the bombs being dropped on Japan in 1945. As I read it I was thinking that it would be useful for a high school history class. I do have a couple quibbles with details in the book. The first was Oppenheimer saying in June 1945 "We could detonate it [a test bomb] on a deserted island, perhaps even in front of delegates from the United Nations." To me that sounded like he meant the United Nations which didn't come into existence until October of that year instead of what FDR referred to as the United Nations in 1942 i.e. the countries battling the Axis. The other minor thing that bothered me refers to the B-29s used to drop the bombs. Fetter-Vorm makes it seem that those were just a couple planes that were pulled from the fleet commanded by Gen. Curtis Lemay on Tinian. In fact, the Enola Gay and Bockscar were "Silverplate" B-29s, specially modified for carrying the bombs by the Martin Company and Army Air Corp mechanics (including my father) at Wendover Air Field, Utah. Granted, that's not something most people would generally know about. As I said, they are minor faults in an otherwise excellent book.