Radiant Comics

I’m back from the comic shop this week and I got eleven new comics. Quite a few this week:

Great Pacific – 1

Bloodshot – 5

Archer and Armstrong – 4

Hoax Hunters – 5

The Massive – 6

Mind MGMT – 0

Point of Impact – 2

Saga – 7

Thief of Thieves – 10

The Walking Dead – 104

Rachel Rising – 12

And now for a review of something I’ve read recently.

”The Manhattan Projects” Issues 1-6 by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra

Yeah, I have been buying a lot of Image Comics lately. Here is another new series that I’ve been reading. Once again it’s a creator-owned series that I have a hard time describing. It’s an alternate history comic that revolves around the idea that the Manhattan Project, the secret WWII project to create an atomic bomb, was just a front to explore and create all sorts of weird science and weapons. If it took place in the 1880’s it would be steam punk but since it’s the 1940s it’s atomic punk. Plus there are secret aliens so I guess it’s atomic alien punk.

”The Manhattan Projects” is also hard to describe in that I have no idea what the overall story is and if there is even one. Each issue is a done in one story about some character or another in this world. A lot of the characters are familiar to those of us who like to read history because they’re based on real life scientists. As a history fan I found that a little annoying at first until I was able to set it aside and enjoy the odd stories that are to be found here. It really is a strange and fun comic.

The art is a lot of fun too. It’s a cartoony but detailed variation of the “No line weight” style that’s been popular for a while now. It reminds me a little more of European comics art than is usual for that style though. The coloring (by Jordie Bellaire) is also interesting as duotone red and blue color schemes are often used to good effect. The color is very much used for story telling purposes rather than illustrative purposes.

”The Manhattan Projects” has grown on me over the months I have read it. There were things about it that annoyed me at first, like the use of real life people in a purely fictional way, but they were mostly about my own tastes and expectations (I still don’t like the all type and graphics covers though). Once I settled into the idea that this was a really weird world that had nothing to do with my expectations I enjoyed the comic a lot better. I may not have any idea where this story is headed but it’s fun to be along for the ride. Give it a read.