The Manhattan Projects #11

    I’m not a science person.

    Or more accurately, I’m not usually a science person. Jonathan Hickman changes that; The Manhattan Projects changes that. As working proof that any idea can be a good one with the right people behind it, The Manhattan Projects has been one of the most consistently impressive titles since its outset.

    Issue #11 is no different. The issue centers mostly around the relationship between Enrico Fermi and Harry Daghlian, but effectively furthers the agenda of the group as a whole, while still being a damn good read. This book had a lot on its plate, but all of it was cooked just right.

    Hickman weaves the reader seamlessly through present and past, dancing around Daghlian’s irradiated origins and intricately setting the stage for the relationship between him and Fermi. He uses the two of them as vehicles with which to discuss the morally objectionable route the team is taking, before bringing everyone together for a meeting over what was really going to happen next.

    By all measures, it should have been a mostly logistical issue. But that’s what makes it so good. Most stories, even the great ones, have parts that drag out of necessity. Getting the audience from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible often takes precedence over the best, most entertaining product, and while I’m making no comment on whether that’s a good or a bad thing, I’m glad that Hickman finds a better choice than dragging us through the mud.

    This is a good issue of a great book, and what’s to follow should be even better.

    This title, for me, is the realization of Hickman’s ability. I can’t get into Avengers or New Avengers, and I liked his run on Ultimate Comics Ultimates, but this shows what he can do. It’s a high-concept, really-scientific-science-fiction, and it’s one of the smartest titles on shelves right now.