Sheinkin, Steve. Bomb: Graphic Novel : the Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon. Nick Bertozzi, Illus. Roaring Brook, 01/2023. 254pp. Graphic. Trade $24.99 978-1-250-20673-2. Paper $17.99 978-1-250-20674-9. GRADES 5 – 8. OUTSTANDING.
In a highly successful graphic adaptation of the complex, award-winning Bomb (Roaring Brook, 2012), Sheinkin uses the FBI’s interrogation of traitor Harry Gold as a throughline to connect the disparate, dramatic elements of the race to build, and steal, the world’s most dangerous weapon. Through the majority of the book Sheinkin’s prose and pithy dialog carry the weight of the story. Direct quotes allow the distinct voices of the historic persona to cross time. Cinematic pacing keeps the pages turning. The comic illustrations help convey the period, with Golden-Era comic style anchoring the action in time. However, with a few notable exceptions, the panels’s small size, and the tendency of the text to dominate the top third of each cell, rob the images of some of their storytelling power. Back matter includes an author’s note describing the adaptation and an epilogue that clues readers into what happened next, ending with the potently ominous “How does the story end? We don’t know – because it’s still going on. And, like it or not, you’re in it.”
Melissa McAvoy—Retired