Manhattan Projects #9 kicks the series into high gear – not that it was exactly coasting before. Over the span of this issue, Volume 1 is wrapped up, Volume 2 both begins and ends, and Volume 3 begins. The issue begins right where issue 8 left off, with the Manhattan Project reeling from the attempted coup by President Truman and company. This time however, the team is on the offensive, taking back control of the Roosevelt A.I. and gaining information on just who their enemies are. This dark Illuminati includes a banking luchador, the secret head of each and every religion, an ancient Egyptian warlock, a really fat guy, and President Truman himself.
Over the course of the issue, the team takes back their headquarters – as violently as possible. We see further proof of Alternate Einstein’s ruthlessness, people lit on fire, necks getting snapped, people eating other people, and magic and technology clashing. By the end of the issue, six months have elapsed, Truman has been replaced by Kennedy, and the Space Race has fully begun. The Race becomes the perfect excuse for unlimited funding for the Project, who is of course not working against the Soviets, but with them.
This series has always been bizarre and violent, so readers should know what they’ve signed up for at this point. That being said, this issue magnified the odd themes. This is not a critique, just a warning. The time skip to the Space Race era is intriguing, as it offers up more potential for aliens and cosmic-level threats. And of course, the threat of Oppenheimer’s impending meltdown is still looming in the background.
The main concern with the issue is a minor one: what happened to Dwight D. Eisenhower? Obviously the Manhattan Projects universe is not our own, but this concern is ultimately a small problem, enough to distract from the story for a moment. Otherwise the issue was fantastic. Fun, violent, and weird – the trifecta. Nick Pitarra continues to put out some great artwork, and Jordie Bellaire’s colors are even more vivid and explosive than normal, to great effect.
Ultimately, issue #9 provides an excellent conclusion to Volume 1, and while Volume 2 was certainly rich enough for several issues, Volume 3 looks to be exciting, tense, and high-stakes. Next issue promises to be an excellent jumping-on point for new readers, so check it out!
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August 30, 2013
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