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The Manhattan Projects
The Manhattan Projects, Vol. 2: They Rule
The second amazing volume of the science, bad book of the new millennium. The battle for global supremacy is underway and the bad men of the Manhattan Projects will only accept one outcome: World domination
Collecting: The Manhattan Projects 6-10
Collecting: The Manhattan Projects 6-10
152 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 2013
30 people are currently reading
847 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Hickman
1,224 books2,043 followersJonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
November 26, 2018
Three stars? Maybe?
I don't really know here.
On one hand, this is a nice follow-up to the opening volume.
It continues the plot and character development for all the varied story arcs, and adds new complications and elements to the world.
If I had to explain this series, I'd say something like, "Mad science alternate history where everyone's a sociopath."
If that sounds good to you, you'll probably enjoy the series.... right up until the end of the 4th volume. It's a fun ride up until then, but then things go off the rails, and the main story lines never reach closure.
So... three stars? Maybe?
I don't really know here.
On one hand, this is a nice follow-up to the opening volume.
It continues the plot and character development for all the varied story arcs, and adds new complications and elements to the world.
If I had to explain this series, I'd say something like, "Mad science alternate history where everyone's a sociopath."
If that sounds good to you, you'll probably enjoy the series.... right up until the end of the 4th volume. It's a fun ride up until then, but then things go off the rails, and the main story lines never reach closure.
So... three stars? Maybe?
April 6, 2022
With Einstein, Yuri Gagarin, Laika the dog and Franklin D Roosevelt all part of the cast, this should be much more than just an interesting read. For me some of the sci-fi stuff is a bit too much, but otherwise I found this quite enjoyable, especially some of the off-the-wall fictionalised versions of historical science characters. 8.5 out of 12 for this volume, as I felt it was slightly better than The Manhattan Projects, Vol. 1: Science. Bad.
I read the comic book issues #1 to 15, which coveerd this volume of Hickman's interesting alternate parallel history / sc-fi / conspiracy / horror / black comedy.
2016 read; 2014 read
I read the comic book issues #1 to 15, which coveerd this volume of Hickman's interesting alternate parallel history / sc-fi / conspiracy / horror / black comedy.
2016 read; 2014 read
October 30, 2017
Did I get the same frisson of Preacheresque excitement from Vol. 2 of Manhattan Projects as I did from Vol. 1? Sadly, no, despite the fact that President Truman, as drawn by Nick Pitarra, looks disturbingly like Odin Quincanon. I’m not sure if it’s homage or coincidence, but I’m leaning toward speculating that it’s the latter—the resemblance is too uncanny, sort of like holding up a gnarly cucumber and an underripe zucchini side-by-side (I promise I’ve done that less than 17 times in my life).
Still, there’s enough intrigue here to keep my interest piqued, and I’ll continue on my merry way to Vol. 3 at some point. Just don’t start getting too Hickman on me, Hickman.
Still, there’s enough intrigue here to keep my interest piqued, and I’ll continue on my merry way to Vol. 3 at some point. Just don’t start getting too Hickman on me, Hickman.
June 27, 2013
Some silly people think that the moon landing was faked. They don’t realize that there was a much larger story. It was all part of a secret alliance between the American Manhattan Projects and Soviet space program after they discovered that Earth was about to be invaded by aliens. And of course President Harry Truman was the head of a secret society that really controlled the world, and they worried that the expanding scientific power being gathered could usurp their power so a conflict erupts. Things get really dicey when the AI that used to be President Roosevelt sides with Truman and unleashes a bunch of killer robots that Albert Einstein and others have to fight with machine guns. Luckily, the new Soviet allies including Yuri Gagarin and Laika the dog are there to help.
It’s even stranger than it sounds….
It’s even stranger than it sounds….
May 31, 2013
So far, my favorite comic of all time. Yes, it might get eclipsed at some future date, but for now, wow, you can't get any better. This volume puts the focus on Helmutt Grottrup, German rocket scientist and general whipping boy for whatever regime happens to be in power. I'm waiting for the day he finally cracks and punches his bullies on the jaw. We are also introduced to the cabal that rules the world (I'm not kidding) and the Manhattan Projects members struggles with them. Yuri Gagarin plays a more direct role in events and proves himself a hero. The space dog, Laika, also plays a significant role in keeping Nebehu, master of magics and one of the ruling cabal, at bay. Finally, we are re-introduced to Joseph Oppenheimer's increasingly-fragmented reality, which has arisen because of his .
I'm wondering where Hickman goes from here? I can see a few possibilities, such as the potential for Grottrup to get fed up and not take any crap anymore, as I've mentioned above. JFK is now in the picture and the space race is heating up (though the real space race has already been run). And then there's the question of how to keep FDR: AI dead? I think he might be coming back for a second round. But let's hope not.
The fun established in volume 1 just keeps on going. If you're in for some extra-dimensional insanity involving the smartest men who ever lived, this is your cup of tea. Sip it, if you can. I couldn't help but gulp it down and make a slob of myself.
Glug, glug.
I'm wondering where Hickman goes from here? I can see a few possibilities, such as the potential for Grottrup to get fed up and not take any crap anymore, as I've mentioned above. JFK is now in the picture and the space race is heating up (though the real space race has already been run). And then there's the question of how to keep FDR: AI dead? I think he might be coming back for a second round. But let's hope not.
The fun established in volume 1 just keeps on going. If you're in for some extra-dimensional insanity involving the smartest men who ever lived, this is your cup of tea. Sip it, if you can. I couldn't help but gulp it down and make a slob of myself.
Glug, glug.
July 7, 2015
Bullet Review:
HOLY SH!T!!!!
What is with me, reading all this super-depraved stuff?
Oh well, this at least hit me in the right mood to enjoy the crazy insanity that is Hickman.
Need to smoke some weed with this guy. I can only imagine what he would come up - no, I couldn't imagine. Not in my wildest days.
Graphic and violent - squeamish beware!!!
HOLY SH!T!!!!
What is with me, reading all this super-depraved stuff?
Oh well, this at least hit me in the right mood to enjoy the crazy insanity that is Hickman.
Need to smoke some weed with this guy. I can only imagine what he would come up - no, I couldn't imagine. Not in my wildest days.
Graphic and violent - squeamish beware!!!
September 8, 2015
More than once while reading this volume I thought to myself "Man, this is crazy balls insane!" The art is different but completely adds to the experience. Just outstanding!!!
April 10, 2013
Einstein with a machine gun. Inside Oppenheimer's head. Robot FDRs. Jonathan Hickman's best comic continues marvellously in this superb second volume. Full review here!
August 30, 2016
A great if more fucked up, more twisted continuation of Volume 1. The Americans behind the Manhattan Projects work with the Russians to master space flight in an attempt to wrestle power away from U.S. and Russian governments and more importantly secret world superpowers. Naturally a very intense bloody and graphic war breaks out between the (for the sake of simplicity) Manhattan Projects and superpowers. Guess who wins. I wish there had been more main plot following the war instead of quick falling action, JFK (I think) announcing the (essentially bullshit) space race. The book unusually or maybe appropriately ends with an insightful and basically figurative subplot story of Dr. Joseph Oppenheimer's further mental deterioration (I'll let you read/see it for yourself), with its sometimes very gross and obviously dream sequence/deep mental symbolism as the main point. This story is developing very interestingly. I'm hoping its heading out into space/astrophysics like implied. Volume 3 here we go!
June 11, 2013
The Manhattan Projects is nearly as good as the first volume. Nearly. By derailing into a power struggle between traditional sources of power and the scientists, who'd rather ignore the Cold War in their work, I felt like Hickman was getting off track of the things that made the first volume so successful. And it's really disappointing that the end result doesn't seem to do much to change the status quo. I've seen at least one other reviewer suggest that it was done, more than anything, to free Hickman's hands for later storytelling development without having to stop and explain each one, and I'm glad he's thinking ahead there. But that doesn't make it as fun to read. That said, including Yuri Gagarin and Laika was completely brilliant. And yes, I'm still hooked by this very odd series.
February 17, 2017
Sadistic as fuck, I think is the best way to describe this. As with the first volume, the art is fantastic, the characters are evil, and the plot is nothing even close to reality. The fact that the most sympathetic character is the guy with a swastika branded on his forehead tells you all you need to know about the sort of comic this is.
April 21, 2013
So at some point, this happens:
Another awesome collection from the best ongoing comic on the stands.
Another awesome collection from the best ongoing comic on the stands.
December 28, 2018
4.5
Jonathan Hickman continues to surprise and develop on the concept that only touched the tip of the ice berg in the first volume. The Manhattan Projects is bizarre blend of real life characters and high concept storytelling and this volume increases the stakes.
Jonathan Hickman is a relatively new writer to my library, but I couldn't resist picking this up. This gamble has paid off and compare that to the risks I do take, this one paid off in spades. The book continues the weird story setup from the first and it doesn't take long for the writer to take some left turns to through the audience off.
Why the 4.5?
The series continues to grow and Hickman throughs everything into the storyline and characters. The biggest tick for my rating is the unpredictability of the writing and where this story is heading. I'm still interested for this series and must confess that I initially thought this was about the nuclear project so I'm definitely enjoying this series.
Jonathan Hickman continues to surprise and develop on the concept that only touched the tip of the ice berg in the first volume. The Manhattan Projects is bizarre blend of real life characters and high concept storytelling and this volume increases the stakes.
Jonathan Hickman is a relatively new writer to my library, but I couldn't resist picking this up. This gamble has paid off and compare that to the risks I do take, this one paid off in spades. The book continues the weird story setup from the first and it doesn't take long for the writer to take some left turns to through the audience off.
Why the 4.5?
The series continues to grow and Hickman throughs everything into the storyline and characters. The biggest tick for my rating is the unpredictability of the writing and where this story is heading. I'm still interested for this series and must confess that I initially thought this was about the nuclear project so I'm definitely enjoying this series.
January 13, 2019
I enjoyed it for the hickmanisms but Im not sure its one of his best. Just found it hard liking any characters as they're all sociopaths.
December 22, 2022
I wish Hickman wrote like this for everything. He's so fun to read when he's creating these insane and well-thought timelines. There are a couple pieces throughout the volume I didn't love which is why it's 4 stars and not 5, but still great.
Read
August 2, 2013Volume 2 of The Manhattan Projects continues to be a mix of awesome and offputting; and I am of two minds about it. Mind 1, what did you think?
Mind 1 (from its glass jar): I enjoy the gonzo-ness still, with the Russians having these jelly-fish(-like) headed robots reverse-engineered after the Tunguska blast, and robot FDR animating an army of killer robots, and Blue Oppenheimer fighting Red Oppenheimer in his brain. Mind 2?
Mind 2 (dispersed in an structured cloud of unknowing): I don't know, but didn't some of this gonzo-ness seem a little too far? I can dig that there are secret masters of the earth, but that one of them dresses like a luchador and the Ancient Egyptian mage speaks solely in hieroglyphics--there's a thin line between gonzo and just silly. Also, I don't need to like my heroes, but I need to feel some sort of connection. For instance, there's a whole montage where the super-scientists attack the secret masters, which reminds me of The Authority story arc "Transfer of Power," where the Authority kill a bunch of bad guys who have taken their place. Only in the Authority story, we get to see the bad guys be bad. Here, without any sense of morality, I can't really enjoy watching people burn alive.
Second, I feel like we're getting a little too far away from actual history in a way that makes this seem less interesting to me. But before you take this complaint seriously, check my next issue, which really captures my particular bias in this area.
Third, spoiler: Fermi is an alien, which is a fine joke on the Fermi Paradox (statistically, the universe should be full of life, so why haven't we been contacted); but here Hickman, with a little more research, could've made a much funnier (to me) joke about the Hungarian scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project: Szilard, von Karman, von Neumann, Wigner, Teller, and fucking Erdos. (Do you know about Erdos? He was cuh-razy in lots of fun ways.) Now that would be funny because Fermi presented his paradox to the Manhattan scientists and someone (possibly Szilard) said that the aliens were already here and they were called Hungarians--which is why these Hungarian scientists were then referred to as "The Martians." How can you not use that in your weird science story?
Mind 1 (from its glass jar): I enjoy the gonzo-ness still, with the Russians having these jelly-fish(-like) headed robots reverse-engineered after the Tunguska blast, and robot FDR animating an army of killer robots, and Blue Oppenheimer fighting Red Oppenheimer in his brain. Mind 2?
Mind 2 (dispersed in an structured cloud of unknowing): I don't know, but didn't some of this gonzo-ness seem a little too far? I can dig that there are secret masters of the earth, but that one of them dresses like a luchador and the Ancient Egyptian mage speaks solely in hieroglyphics--there's a thin line between gonzo and just silly. Also, I don't need to like my heroes, but I need to feel some sort of connection. For instance, there's a whole montage where the super-scientists attack the secret masters, which reminds me of The Authority story arc "Transfer of Power," where the Authority kill a bunch of bad guys who have taken their place. Only in the Authority story, we get to see the bad guys be bad. Here, without any sense of morality, I can't really enjoy watching people burn alive.
Second, I feel like we're getting a little too far away from actual history in a way that makes this seem less interesting to me. But before you take this complaint seriously, check my next issue, which really captures my particular bias in this area.
Third, spoiler: Fermi is an alien, which is a fine joke on the Fermi Paradox (statistically, the universe should be full of life, so why haven't we been contacted); but here Hickman, with a little more research, could've made a much funnier (to me) joke about the Hungarian scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project: Szilard, von Karman, von Neumann, Wigner, Teller, and fucking Erdos. (Do you know about Erdos? He was cuh-razy in lots of fun ways.) Now that would be funny because Fermi presented his paradox to the Manhattan scientists and someone (possibly Szilard) said that the aliens were already here and they were called Hungarians--which is why these Hungarian scientists were then referred to as "The Martians." How can you not use that in your weird science story?
September 9, 2016
First off I should mention that the 4-star rating I've given this book is what I'm most
leaning
towards. Reading this series, I picture Jonathan Hickman in front of a Manhattan Projects blender (just go with it) and, issue after issue, he keeps adding more and more stuff until - once turned on - the blender just sends all this s**t everywhere, and Hickman, even though he's got BOTH hands on the cover, can't keep the s**t from spilling out & over...
I guess what I'm trying to say, through a poorly-worded analogy, is that, well, I don't know if even Hickman knows where this series is going. I mean, President Truman as depicted in here? WTF!!! Hickman's made his mark on the comics industry already, and he's a star on the rise, it's true. But he has a tendency, in my humble opinion, to throw one concept after another at the reader and then not always following up on them or not taking them further than the initial "Wow! Effect" he's going for.
I want this series to remain excellent; I do NOT want it to over-extend itself, or for Hickman to forego evolution of the plot in favour of "Holy s**t! Did you see that?" gimmicks.
Let's see what The Manhattan Projects, Vol. 3: Building! will bring...
I guess what I'm trying to say, through a poorly-worded analogy, is that, well, I don't know if even Hickman knows where this series is going. I mean, President Truman as depicted in here? WTF!!! Hickman's made his mark on the comics industry already, and he's a star on the rise, it's true. But he has a tendency, in my humble opinion, to throw one concept after another at the reader and then not always following up on them or not taking them further than the initial "Wow! Effect" he's going for.
I want this series to remain excellent; I do NOT want it to over-extend itself, or for Hickman to forego evolution of the plot in favour of "Holy s**t! Did you see that?" gimmicks.
Let's see what The Manhattan Projects, Vol. 3: Building! will bring...
March 17, 2017
1 Word: megalomaniafantastic!!!
You know how weird the first volume was... Scratch that, this one really goes for the win..
At many times I was really wondering if I hadn't fallen asleep and dreaming al this spaced out flagobblements...
Of course I'm not going to spoil anything... Just pick it up and go have fun!!
You know how weird the first volume was... Scratch that, this one really goes for the win..
At many times I was really wondering if I hadn't fallen asleep and dreaming al this spaced out flagobblements...
Of course I'm not going to spoil anything... Just pick it up and go have fun!!
January 20, 2021
Druhej book sem podle me kdysi taky cetl, ale bylo to jako bych ho cetl poprve. Po tradicni seznamovacce a world-building v prvni knize se pribeh posouva dal po historicky casovy lince. Truman jde od valu, nastupuje JFK a vedci z MP uzaviraji spojenectvi se sovetskym Star City. Zaverecna linka s Oppenheimerem trochu brzdi tempo, ale jinak je to porad zabava.
April 4, 2013
Still brilliantly written, but loses a little of its focus. This volume is awkwardly divided with the first half devoted to developing an alternate background to the traditional narrative of the Cold War and the power struggle behind the scenes between the Projects group and a sort-of Illuminati cabal that controls the world and a second half delving into the shattered mind of J. Robert Oppenheimer. While politically interesting, the conflict in the first half is resolved abruptly and quickly without any significant impact on the program or any particular advancement of the general storyline begun in volume one. I think this volume is all about consolidation for Hickman as funding sources and political sanctioning for the Project's main undertaking (Groves's paranoid quest for human galactic dominance as "defensive measures") are worked out and loose ends tied up so that the reader won't have nagging logistical questions down the line. We are again graced with another giant of historical science, again in brilliantly re-imagined context, as Yuri Gagarin and Laika join the cast.
They Rule. is much more action-oriented than its predecessor, with gleeful sprees of carnage, death and destruction as the world "sorts itself out" through the bulk of the pages in the volume. Our beloved crew of intellects turn ruthless commando in an absurdly comic, but still enjoyable war between the captains of industry, finance and politics and the giants of science. If this image of Einstein and Feynman fighting FDR-AI controlled robots doesn't grab you and make your inner-geek swoon, then you have no soul and this book is not for you.
The volume tidies up with the beginning of an arc exploring Oppenheimer's multiple personalities in a way reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine, giving physical geography to the map of the mind and allowing characters to explore the weirdness therein. The writing in this section is extremely intellectual and quotable and the faux-epigraph quotations quite live up to the familiar real ones that have stood the test of time. Hickman manages to reduce the meaning of the momentous developments in his plot to one-liners with all the skill of a haiku master in voices that mimic those of his historical figures believably.
I present to you some of my favorites, if you doubt the writing ability of Mr. Hickman:
"What man can serve two masters? Who would not be torn asunder by titans?"
"Who stands on a hill and declares they are king? Fools."
"The world has rules, created by those who consider themselves above them. So we became radicals, who accepted neither."
Unlike their usage in other works of fictions, these epigraphs actually do serve a useful and valid purpose framing the action and serving as exciting foreshadowing for things to come.
I understand the series is behind schedule, which is a shame. I hope Hickman and crew can maintain the quality of their narrative and that they refocus its direction in the next volume!
They Rule. is much more action-oriented than its predecessor, with gleeful sprees of carnage, death and destruction as the world "sorts itself out" through the bulk of the pages in the volume. Our beloved crew of intellects turn ruthless commando in an absurdly comic, but still enjoyable war between the captains of industry, finance and politics and the giants of science. If this image of Einstein and Feynman fighting FDR-AI controlled robots doesn't grab you and make your inner-geek swoon, then you have no soul and this book is not for you.
The volume tidies up with the beginning of an arc exploring Oppenheimer's multiple personalities in a way reminiscent of Eternal Sunshine, giving physical geography to the map of the mind and allowing characters to explore the weirdness therein. The writing in this section is extremely intellectual and quotable and the faux-epigraph quotations quite live up to the familiar real ones that have stood the test of time. Hickman manages to reduce the meaning of the momentous developments in his plot to one-liners with all the skill of a haiku master in voices that mimic those of his historical figures believably.
I present to you some of my favorites, if you doubt the writing ability of Mr. Hickman:
"What man can serve two masters? Who would not be torn asunder by titans?"
"Who stands on a hill and declares they are king? Fools."
"The world has rules, created by those who consider themselves above them. So we became radicals, who accepted neither."
Unlike their usage in other works of fictions, these epigraphs actually do serve a useful and valid purpose framing the action and serving as exciting foreshadowing for things to come.
I understand the series is behind schedule, which is a shame. I hope Hickman and crew can maintain the quality of their narrative and that they refocus its direction in the next volume!
August 14, 2015
"This ain't America. This is Los Alamos."
Alright, I'm convinced, this book is genius.
The historical re-imaginings walk a beautiful, clever line, imbuing this title with a gross charm that is impossible to overlook. Nazis, Russian reds, cannibalistic psychopaths, these are our heroes, and it doesn't matter how despicable they are, for they represent the united front of scientific knowledge. Science is power, and it is those with the power who truly rule the world. The themes of the book become clear and essential in volume two, cementing the framework set forth by the first volume. Between Pitarra's incredible design and Hickman's Oppenheimer-esque omni-braind, Manhattan Projects has all the potential in the world.
Alright, I'm convinced, this book is genius.
The historical re-imaginings walk a beautiful, clever line, imbuing this title with a gross charm that is impossible to overlook. Nazis, Russian reds, cannibalistic psychopaths, these are our heroes, and it doesn't matter how despicable they are, for they represent the united front of scientific knowledge. Science is power, and it is those with the power who truly rule the world. The themes of the book become clear and essential in volume two, cementing the framework set forth by the first volume. Between Pitarra's incredible design and Hickman's Oppenheimer-esque omni-braind, Manhattan Projects has all the potential in the world.
February 23, 2015
Well. This couldn't be going better for me.
First off: Laika!!! Then: Oppenheimer ...which made me happier than it should have, maybe.
I feel like a toasty pig in a barnyard of sh*t right now, I don't know what else to say.
First off: Laika!!! Then: Oppenheimer ...which made me happier than it should have, maybe.
I feel like a toasty pig in a barnyard of sh*t right now, I don't know what else to say.
March 31, 2017
More satirical weirdness involving a fictionalized version of the Manhattan Project essentially running the United States after World War II. In this volume, the world's usual masters (a bunch of oddballs plus Harry Truman dressed in ridiculous Freemason robes working with the FDR AI) try to take control back. It's hard to find a character to root for here, but that's hardly the point. It's a weird alternative history, and it works just fine that way.
May 6, 2025
Nazis, Communists, and Americans team up to fight evil AI President Roosevelt, who is being controlled by an illuminati-esque cabal lead by Harry Truman. There are truly no rules in this series.
July 11, 2016
"I was born to build rockets. I was born to reach the stars. And I would do anything... Sacrifice anything... That would keep me from that. I was born willing to pay that price."
I love that line, and I love The Manhattan Projects.
After the stellar inaugural volume in this widely-acclaimed series, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this follow-up. It's still just as weird and demented as its predecessor, but the story, while epic, takes on a more manageable dimension: this is about the scientists of Los Alamos (and their newfound allies in Star City within the Soviet Union) breaking free from Earth's governments to focus on undertaking their future experiments without bureaucratic control.
I wish that more time had been spent fleshing out the creepy cabal of cultists and oddities working with President Truman to maintain control of the world, but we don't get a lot from them (a scene where they plot the downfall of the Manhattan Projects, a description of what each of them does in relation to their crafted world order, and then their death scenes at the hands of the scientists). But, loose characterization aside, they're still interesting antagonists, especially when teaming up with the rogue FDR AI, who acts as their executioner, betraying and attacking the scientists and their facilities at Los Alamos and Star City.
By far the best part of this volume was the fable-like journey of Robert Oppenheimer through the mind of his demented brother who devoured his soul and took his place at Los Alamos in Vol. 1; it's beautiful and imaginative and, honestly, just really cool. The entire sequence is done in the sharply contrasted red/blue coloring that Pitarra plays with throughout the series. This sequence is especially noteworthy because it sets the stage for an "Oppenheimer Civil War" where Robert fights Joseph from within by taking control of his split personalities.
This is a great graphic novel and a tremendous entry into a series that (so far) deserves the praise I've seen heaped on it. The aliens are put on the back-burner here, although their existence does inform our protagonists' decisions here; we're much more concerned with earthly politics and earthly magicks in They Rule, but even without the space invaders, this is a fantastic, otherworldly series that combines magic, science, history, warfare, and politics in a really imaginative and unique way.
I love that line, and I love The Manhattan Projects.
After the stellar inaugural volume in this widely-acclaimed series, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this follow-up. It's still just as weird and demented as its predecessor, but the story, while epic, takes on a more manageable dimension: this is about the scientists of Los Alamos (and their newfound allies in Star City within the Soviet Union) breaking free from Earth's governments to focus on undertaking their future experiments without bureaucratic control.
I wish that more time had been spent fleshing out the creepy cabal of cultists and oddities working with President Truman to maintain control of the world, but we don't get a lot from them (a scene where they plot the downfall of the Manhattan Projects, a description of what each of them does in relation to their crafted world order, and then their death scenes at the hands of the scientists). But, loose characterization aside, they're still interesting antagonists, especially when teaming up with the rogue FDR AI, who acts as their executioner, betraying and attacking the scientists and their facilities at Los Alamos and Star City.
By far the best part of this volume was the fable-like journey of Robert Oppenheimer through the mind of his demented brother who devoured his soul and took his place at Los Alamos in Vol. 1; it's beautiful and imaginative and, honestly, just really cool. The entire sequence is done in the sharply contrasted red/blue coloring that Pitarra plays with throughout the series. This sequence is especially noteworthy because it sets the stage for an "Oppenheimer Civil War" where Robert fights Joseph from within by taking control of his split personalities.
This is a great graphic novel and a tremendous entry into a series that (so far) deserves the praise I've seen heaped on it. The aliens are put on the back-burner here, although their existence does inform our protagonists' decisions here; we're much more concerned with earthly politics and earthly magicks in They Rule, but even without the space invaders, this is a fantastic, otherworldly series that combines magic, science, history, warfare, and politics in a really imaginative and unique way.
March 27, 2017
Continuing my re-read, this trade collects the section where the crazy, scheming American scientists merge with the crazy, scheming Russian scientists in a power struggle against the Masons who control the US Government.
Yup, it's that kind of book.
Hickman, Pitarra, and Belaire's story is about horrible people with immense imagination and power doing unspeakable things, while those outside the know act like pawns. It's absolutely brutal, but it works so very well. Seeing Einstein as an evil genius, working with ex-Nazis to keep on top of interstellar power plays is very unique. Sometimes it goes a bit off the deep end, but usually manages to just barely stay on the side of a workable story--that, by the way, reads *much* better in trade than it did in singles.
Pitarra's art continues to work here, being very detailed and able to capture the mania involved, while still being very grounded in reality. But the star is Jordie's colors, which, especially in a special issue dedicated to the mind of Oppenheimer, really help to make the linework pop.
Overall, this is a fun ride that I'm enjoying the second time around.
Yup, it's that kind of book.
Hickman, Pitarra, and Belaire's story is about horrible people with immense imagination and power doing unspeakable things, while those outside the know act like pawns. It's absolutely brutal, but it works so very well. Seeing Einstein as an evil genius, working with ex-Nazis to keep on top of interstellar power plays is very unique. Sometimes it goes a bit off the deep end, but usually manages to just barely stay on the side of a workable story--that, by the way, reads *much* better in trade than it did in singles.
Pitarra's art continues to work here, being very detailed and able to capture the mania involved, while still being very grounded in reality. But the star is Jordie's colors, which, especially in a special issue dedicated to the mind of Oppenheimer, really help to make the linework pop.
Overall, this is a fun ride that I'm enjoying the second time around.
May 24, 2013
Is a scientist responsible for the evil that might come out of their work? Or is a scientist just a scientist and his only puropse is to deal with science, not caring what might come out of their findings? So, does something evil based on a scientific discovery leave the scientist behind the discovery a good person, or does it make them evil as well? And, what if scientific work was not only used to create evil, but if scientists themselves WERE actually evil and working towards world domination themselves?
Jonathan Hickman's new series continues dealing with these questions, putting more emphasys on the last one than the previous volume. Unfortunately, Vol. 2 seems not to be able to keep the quality of the first volume. But towards the end, Hickman prepared some interesting story lines that might be continued in the next volume. Also, maybe Einstein will play a greater role then, too.
Jonathan Hickman's new series continues dealing with these questions, putting more emphasys on the last one than the previous volume. Unfortunately, Vol. 2 seems not to be able to keep the quality of the first volume. But towards the end, Hickman prepared some interesting story lines that might be continued in the next volume. Also, maybe Einstein will play a greater role then, too.
June 25, 2015
Gradually the series hits it off on where the previous volume left it and slowly it builds a foothold on the story it wants to tell. Science, Bad shows us a few little introduction to the characters and the main plot, but in They Rule we see a little more conflict and a little more arguments that may or may not be of help it showing us what the story means to tell. The storytelling is second to none for being brilliant and at the same time honest to all the science stuff. The fiction of it all is quite unclear really, since most of the time it borrows real life events and real life people as how the previous volume used to incorporate and utilize everything into it's story. The art style remains consistent and honest to it's previously laid ground work. The science bits were all well arranged and with a little more flair between conspiracies and secret leaders, it brought this title into a whole new level. Clearly this is getting better the longer you're reading it.
May 15, 2013
Once again, I couldn't help but wonder about this comic as I read this volume. Like the last one, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. Like, there's something about it that just bothers me, and I couldn't tell you if it's the art or if it's the story/writing itself. But both the first and second volumes, I almost wanted to put them down after the first few pages, but by the end of these things--so help me--I love them. They've got me wanting and waiting for the next volume because they're so oddly bizarre and unique and stylistically so different than most other comics out there right now, I can't help but want the next one. I don't know where this series is going to go, but at this point, I don't really care. I'm along for the ride, and Mr. Hickman can take me wherever the hell he wants, and I'll be following like a dumbass after his carrot...
September 11, 2018
Manhattan Projects is shockingly age spanning, genre hopping epic, that is freaking sweet.
I’m always up for a Johnahan Hickman comic and Manhattan Projects may be my favorite work of his. But until tomorrow I’ve only read 2 volumes of it. So now I’ve reread the first two to have proper context going into the third.
And I’m glad I did. It may be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Cause it’s some great wacky science fiction historical fiction that plays with the absurd using faces and names we know.
It also indulge itself in violence without compromise.
And it is awesome. I love every page of this comic.
And I love the upcoming Oppenheimer Civil war. Because Joseph Oppenheimer is a super interesting Character that I love seeing because of how much of a psycho he is.
And I want to see it all play out.
5 stars.
I’m always up for a Johnahan Hickman comic and Manhattan Projects may be my favorite work of his. But until tomorrow I’ve only read 2 volumes of it. So now I’ve reread the first two to have proper context going into the third.
And I’m glad I did. It may be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Cause it’s some great wacky science fiction historical fiction that plays with the absurd using faces and names we know.
It also indulge itself in violence without compromise.
And it is awesome. I love every page of this comic.
And I love the upcoming Oppenheimer Civil war. Because Joseph Oppenheimer is a super interesting Character that I love seeing because of how much of a psycho he is.
And I want to see it all play out.
5 stars.
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