In lew of a review of the full issue, I would rather talk about two specific pages. Suffice to say, The Manhattan Projects #6 was a another stellar effort – every bit as fantastic as the five that preceded it.

The pages in question are the two that precede the final two pages of the issue, where von Braun and Ustinov are chastising the focus of this particular story, supergenius Helmutt Gotrupp, in different time periods across a horizontal layout laid on top of each other. I was at first unsure of how to read the panel-by-panel progression: should I go horizontally across the page, or “travel” back and forth through the time periods by reading them vertically? It then occurred to me that it didn’t matter – I could read the page any way I wanted. Not only that, but reading it the two different ways provided a different experience each time. It’s the kind of ingenuity that made me fall in love with Hickman’s work in the first place, and the fact that he and Pitarra lay it out so simply makes the effect all the more impressive. Add in the fact that artwork, coloring and even word-balloon placement all mirror each other to drive home the thematic resonance of Gotrupp’s character, and we have a remarkable two pages in an equally excellent comic book.