Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb HC
Publisher: Hill and Wang
Release Date: June 2012
Price: $22.00
Creator: Jonathan Fetter-Vorm
Format: 160-pgs.; B&W; Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-8090-9468-4
Age Rating: N/A
ICv2 Ratings: 3 Stars out of 5

Trinity was the codename for the site where the first atomic bomb was exploded.  It's also the name of Jonathan Fetter-Vorm's graphic novel retelling of the story of the creation of The Manhattan Project from its very beginnings to the terrible aftermath of the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan.

It does a fine job of conveying a remarkable amount of scientific information, and just as importantly, places it in a larger historical context (I like to think of myself as a reasonably well educated person but I had no idea Napoleon had taken a meeting with inventor Robert Fulton) that never feels like you're being spoon fed facts.  Everything from the discovery of radium to the moral and ethical implications of the atomic bomb to the practical day to day operations of The Manhattan Project is laid out in an easy to understand manner that's in no way dumbed down.

But what keeps the story grounded is its sympathetic portrayals of the complicated personalities behind The Manhattan Project including J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Leslie Groves.  Groves is described as being "gruff" and "sarcastic" but it couldn't have been easy being named "Leslie" in the military in the 1940's.

While definitely simple, the storytelling is solid and though it frequently makes uses of visual metaphors to help make the scientific principals easier to grasp they never get in the way of telling a good story.  And at its heart that’s what Trinity is; a good story that anyone can enjoy.

--Steve Bennett: Writer and retail services consultant.