The illustrations are chilling, the narrative certainly so, all perfectly fitting the subject.
A graphic history of the original weapon of mass destruction.
A team of French writers and artists frames this history of the atomic bomb by means of an unexpected narrator: uranium, present as Earth solidified billions of years ago but possessed of “an inkling that a great destiny awaited me.” The narrative leaps forward to the age of the Curies, who divined hidden powers in the element, which then declares, “The world’s greatest scientists are interested in me and my attributes. My day is dawning.” Many of those scientists worked for the Axis powers, which used their military might to secure uranium around the world. As one Japanese military leader remarks to a scientist named Dr. Nishina, “Lieutenant Colonel Suzuki has assured me that Japan has plenty of uranium thanks to our actions in Korea.” Via a European mine owner in Africa, though, a large quantity of uranium was shipped to, of all places, Staten Island, and Allied scientists began to work on it even as Norwegian commandos set to work blowing up German water facilities. The illustrations are deep-dark black-and-white, in keeping with the funereal consequences of the subject matter, with grimly detailed attention to the appearances of the victims of Hiroshima, including the iconic shadow left on a stone step by a vaporized victim. The storyline is well rendered, with the principal actors developed thoroughly and with all their foibles: Enrico Fermi’s arrogance, Robert Oppenheimer’s philandering, Gen. Leslie Groves’ hunger for fame and power. The authors and illustrator leave open numerous unresolved historical questions, appropriately, such as the matter of whether Werner Heisenberg deliberately delayed the development of the Third Reich’s version of the bomb. The story ends with uranium crowing about the prospects for the future—and they’re appallingly good.
The illustrations are chilling, the narrative certainly so, all perfectly fitting the subject.Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781419752094
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Abrams ComicArts
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
An impassioned message of rage and hope.
The author of Persepolis returns with a collection about burgeoning activism in Iran.
In September 2022, the beating and death of Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian student arrested for not wearing her headscarf properly, incited a solidarity movement among women and men that spread around the world. To publicize and bear witness to this major uprising, Satrapi has gathered stories, cartoons, and essays from more than 20 artists, activists, journalists, and academics. The author has two aims: “to explain what’s going on in Iran, to decipher events in all their complexity and nuance for a non-Iranian readership, and to help you understand them as fully as possible”; and “to remind Iranians that they are not alone.” Setting the movement in context, Iranian American historian Abbas Milani offers an overview of the political upheavals and revolutions that have led to the current misogynist, repressive regime and the “resolute defiance” that has emerged in protest. As each contributor attests, life under a wrathful dictatorship is consistently frightening and dangerous: “The Islamic Republic ensures its own survival by murdering people. During the successive demonstrations” over Amini’s murder, “several hundred people were killed in an attempt to strike fear into the hearts of protesters. Young people were forced to confess under torture.” Women are especially vulnerable. Since November 2022, young students in schools across Iran have been poisoned by toxic gas as part of an attempt to force girls’ schools to close. Protecting the regime falls to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary organization that answers directly to Khomeini, the Supreme Leader, and for the past four decades has carried out a reign of terror. This collection pays homage to victims and celebrates the dreams of Iran’s determined activists. Other contributors include Joanne Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Paco Roca, and Mana Neyestani.
An impassioned message of rage and hope.Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781644214053
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Seven Stories
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
IN THE NEWS
A delightful exploration of navigating the bumpy road to adulthood.
A story of a long-overdue Sapphic coming-of-age.
Through an autobiographical graphic narrative that is at times hysterically funny and at times gut-wrenching, readers follow Mieri, a young Japanese woman living in the U.S. From the lesbian characters in anime that she crushed on to the first real girl Mieri was attracted to, she’s known for a while that she likes butch girls. The fact that she sees fewer butch x butch relationships won’t stop her from trying to find a girlfriend even though the path, in person and on dating apps, is fraught with challenges. After she goes to visit her grandparents, Mieri meets Ash, a White American teaching English in Japan who becomes her first girlfriend. It starts out great: College sophomore Mieri experiences the stress and rewards of making the first move and even has her first kiss. But a month later, Ash breaks up with her, Mieri’s parents get divorced, and her grandparents learn about and aren’t cool with her sexuality. Worst of all, she can’t stop thinking about Ash. As Mieri navigates the aftershocks of the breakup, she also grows into maturity. The book has impeccable pacing and is engaging from start to finish. The humorous art enhances the narrative in a meaningful way, especially in portraying Mieri’s own emotional journey.
A delightful exploration of navigating the bumpy road to adulthood. (extra panels, author’s note, creating a manga, Q&A, bonus gallery) (Manga. 14-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781974736591
Page Count: 208
Publisher: VIZ Media
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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