Written by Jim Ottaviani
Art by Leland Myrick
2011
Available now from Islington Libraries
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Science. Science. Science. Science. Science.
Richard Phillips Feynman - one of the most famous scientists of the 20th Century. Take it away wikipedia: "known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics (he proposed the parton model)... He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb and was a member of the panel that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In addition to his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing,and introducing the concept of nanotechnology." Also (and this is important) he was a bit of a character. As opposed to the usual popular image of the stuffy reserved scientist maintaining a serious image and generally keeps himself to himself (or whatever) Feynman was known for doing wild and crazy stuff like playing the bongos (!) tying bowling balls to pieces of string, cracking safes and taking both cream and lemon in his tea (which formed the basis of a popular book: "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character).
Feynman is a comic book biography that contains all the most dramatic moments of his life: like a greatest hits of anecdotes. There's laughs and jokes, moments of emotional devastation (the letter to his wife hits really hard) and - for those inclinced - some moments of real science as he discusses the poperties of light (I'm going to admit that I kinda skipped over these bits - being more disposed to science-fictions than science-facts).
The artwork is nice and clear and pleasingly loose. But in terms of whether you should commit to reading the whole thing (and it is pretty hefty) I would say that it's very Feynman Feynman Feynman - which is to say: there's not that much crossover appeal to interest anyone that doesn't want a blow by blow account of Richard Feynman's life.
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Links: BoingBoing Review.
Further reading: The Manhattan Projects, Logicomix, xkcd, Science Tales: Lies, Hoaxes and Scams, The Beats: A Graphic History, Kiki de Montparnasse.
All comments welcome.
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