This issue of The Manhattan Projects has the protagonists (I’m not so sure I’d use the word heroes) dealing with the aftermath of being double-crossed by Roosevelt and the other members of the Illuminati. For the most part the issue is a revenge issue and Hickman does not disappoint in providing amusing and sometimes grotesque ways for the scientists to deal with their foes.
The artwork continues to be top notch. The partnership with Nick Pitarra continues to yield a book that is a blast to read. Pitarra does a great job of choosing when to focus on a character’s face and when to pull out for a wide shot. I’ve said it before, but his style really does a good job of looking realistic enough to portray caricatures and emotion without getting into the uncanny valley.
The most interesting thing about this issue is the president at the end. While there are still some slight variations in the history of The Manhattan Projects and our history, it seems to be hewing a bit closer to our reality again. This is interesting because it kind of brings the comic back to what I thought it was going to be when I read those first issues - a series of shady things that happened in history that we didn’t know about; a comic that could have been a Dan Brown version of reality (except told well). But it appeared to be veering away from that with the Japanese attack via the portals early on. However, after finishing this issue it almost seems as though perhaps the Japanese attack was something only the scientists knew about. It was possible the technology did not exist in the wider world. I’m going to have to go back to the earlier issues and re-read them after having come to these new conclusions.
Hickman has once again changed the game on The Manhattan Projects. He has now blown the door open to where the series could go from here. He has also finished up his first few arcs. I think the next issue could be a key to determining the direction of the series in 2013. I still say it’s strongly recommended and you should definitely be checking it out. Also, don’t forget that if you missed earlier issues you don’t need to fret - you can get them all on ComiXology.
