This is a graphic novel I ordered for use in my secondary science classes. Dialogue has been the preferred pedagogical technique of masters such as Plato and Galileo. Johnson, a scientist working on the frontiers of physics and cosmology, uses the dialogue format to bring the hidden life of science – that “new science is usually the product of attractive young people who enjoy one another’s company” – to light. The graphic novel format brings body language and facial expressions to what are often dry scientific texts. The dialogues are conversational and contain multiple opinions on current areas of study, which changes the image of science from one of memorizing dry facts to a more authentic lively investigation. ( )

Surely the most unusual physics/cosmology volume ever: serious conversations presented in a graphic-novel (comic-book) format. The second half gets into some very advanced, recently developed concepts. End-of-chapter notes provide plenty of references to more conventional books. The visual appeal is high, and people who are female and/or black are well represented among the depicted interlocutors. Perhaps the book's biggest negative is that the time needed to get through it is too short.

This book has an interesting concept of discussing some hot scientific topics (Black Holes, String Theory, etc.) in the much more accessible format of a graphic novel. But beyond the initial concept, the execution just didn't meet the expectations or the possibilities of what this book could have been.

One of the strengths of a graphic novel is the ability to show movement, emotion, and use all the power of pictures -- worth a thousand words right? But this graphic novel ended up being images of very stilted people having conversations about theoretical physics. One of the problems is that the author is not a very good artist, so compared to other graphic novels, the images are really lacking. The conversations also range from simple science experiments to difficult magnetic field theory, so I can't imagine who the target audience is for this book. Even with years of Physics under my belt, I waffled between being a little bored to 'what?'

I'm sort of surprised by the high reviews of this book. It was our book club selection and was panned by all but one person in my book club. Hoping that the idea of non-fiction in graphic novel format finds a better implementation. ( )