Welcome to The Multiversity Projections, the new monthly column focused on the Image Comics series “The Manhattan Projects” from Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra. Each month, we’ll be taking a look at the most current issue of the series and comparing notes from actual history and the alternate version presented in the book, and trying to use actual historical data to predict where the series is going next. This is a spoiler-heavy column, so if you have not yet read the most current issue of “The Manhattan Projects”, be warned that many major plot points will be discussed.
The column logo is designed by the incredible Tim Daniel, whose work can be found here.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert in either science or World War II history; all of the information I will be using in this column is either easily found on the internet or is purely my opinion.
If you’ve been granted security clearance, hit the jump for your briefing.
While the first issue was very much about catching the reader up to speed with what the Manhattan Projects are, this issue is a look at a very specific day or so in the Projects. Specifically, this issue deals with the eventual incorporation of various Nazi scientists, specifically Wernher von Braun, into the American military brain trust.
Again, quotes from Richard Feynman bookend this issue (taken from “Clavis Aurea: The Collected Feynman”), and here we get a third quote, which acts as a bridge between the flashback to 1940 and the “present” of 1945. The first quote, which I suppose is true in both worlds is: “Never forget, we owe the future to the fascists.” This is a reference to the fact that space flight is made possible by von Braun and the work he did after surrendering to the Allied Forces.
The middle quote is one that addresses its author directly: “I apologize if I’m exceedingly formal, but I find it a necessary coping mechanism. You see, I suffer from an embarrassingly mundane affliction that, when unaddressed, results in a shameful lack of manners. I am cursed with the burden of always being right.”
The third quote is discussed as part of my 5th Projection later in this article.
Richard Feynman — Encountered only through quotes last issue, we finally get to meet Feynman this month — and he is certainly a character. We find a young genius who shows cockiness, a yellow streak, and a reputation that precedes him.
Albert Einstein — Much like Feynman, although Einstein was featured slightly in issue #1, it is here that we really meet him. Unlike the aloof genius usually presented, the Einstein here is a hard drinking, fatalistic grump. He does his best Ke$ha impression (literally brushing his teeth with whiskey), abuses a Buddhist, and seems to be pretty damn cold.
Enrico Fermi — Fermi is given just a panel of face time, but in that panel is shown to be an intense, reasonable man who knows that he is, at least partially, doing the devil’s work. In our world, Fermi is considered to be one of the fathers of the atomic bomb, and much like Einstein, was an European scientist who found a home in the United States in the early days of European fascism.
Wernher von Braun — The titular “Rocket Man” of this issue (and not Yuri Gagarin as I wrongly hypothesized), von Braun is one of the most important men to come out of World War II on either side, as it was von Braun’s research that, more or less, led to Americans walking on the moon in 1969. Not known to have an actual robotic arm, an arm injury was a part of his mythos (more on this in a little bit). Von Braun also posits the series’ mission statement thus far, by claiming that “the science is all that ever mattered.” Von Braun says this in the context of Feynman disagreeing with his statement that they are very similar. To Feynman, the Nazis are evil, and therefore von Braun is evil; to von Braun, the Nazis were letting him continue “the cause,” and despite their poor intentions, his actions are not despicable.
Continued belowHenry Daghlian — A tragic tale of the Manhattan Project, Daghlian was killed during an experiment involving tungsten carbide (the very substance my wedding ring is made from, incidentally) onto a bomb core. Presumably, when we meet Daghlian, this is post-accident, as he is encased in a Johann Kraus-esque containment suit. More on this in a bit, as well.
Adolf Hitler and Franklin Delano Roosevelt — We get a glimpse of the leader of both sides of the war in this issue. Hitler is presented as cocky and presumptuous, both excited about the prospect of what von Braun can do for him, and also absolutely unrealistic about how far his funded science actually has progressed. Roosevelt, on the other hand, is presented as paranoid about the Russians and bullish about victory in the European theatre.
“Robert” Oppenheimer — In a limited role this issue, Oppenheimer is presented as both completely insane and one of the more reasonable men who is part of the Projects.
As mentioned in the von Braun write up, the overarching idea behind this issue and, thus far, this series, is that science I the most important thing there is. Because of science, we see Einstein as a caged dog, Daghlian as a walking experiment, Feynman as a rockstar (before the term existed), and von Braun as a murdering turncoat.
This presents an interesting, if complicated, role that the United States government plays in this issue. Never was it suggested that Boy Scouts were recruited for the Projects, but between von Braun, Einstein and Fermi, it is pretty clear that the brains followed the dollar signs. These are not men with a patriotic duty serving the greater good by doing research; these are men who want to do groundbreaking science, and so it really doesn’t matter who is footing the bill. This represents a stark contrast to the attitude behind the actual Manhattan Project, which is thought of as a banding together of the world’s greatest minds, working as a unit to save the world.
If the world of this book needs saving, it is most likely from these men, not by them.
This issue doesn’t give too many clues as to what science is being worked on by the brain trust. We get another look at the Einstein project, but it remains as clouded in mystery as it did in issue #1. The Red Torii, used as a weapon by the Japanese last issue, has already been co-opted into a device used by the Americans in this issue. Daghlian’s containment suit must also be considered a byproduct of this community, but not much else is hinted at (except that, like in our world, von Braun will be a very important figure in the space race of the mid to late 20th century).
1) John von Neumann — A character not yet introduced in this series is John von Neumann, yet another scientist sometimes given the “father of the atomic bomb” title who worked as part of the Manhattan Project, specifically in the realm of explosions, and the control of them. I first encountered von Neumann (outside of high school/college classes where I’m sure I learned about him) as a lyrical mention in the Black Francis song “Half Man,” a song sung from the perspective of an atomic bomb. Von Neumann seemed to be a guy unafraid to call bullshit on his contemporaries; after the close of World War 2, Oppenheimer made a comment that those who worked on the project had “known sin,” presumably saying that they had blood on their hands. Von Neumann responded to that quote by saying “sometimes someone confesses a sin in order to take credit for it,” a not-so subtle dig at Oppenheimer and, perhaps, his #humblebrag in regards to the bomb. Von Neumann might emerge as a no-bullshit alternative to Oppenheimer, both in terms of his expertise and his personality. If he does show up in “The Manhattan Projects,” expect these two to clash, but since Von Neumann died in 1953, expect Oppenheimer to come out on top.
Continued below2) The Soviets — Despite being at war with both the Japanese and the Axis, the real threat presented here is the Soviets, the sometimes uncomfortable bedfellows of the US and Great Britain. The Soviets are the reason why Roosevelt wants German scientists captured and mined for their knowledge, the Soviets are “[who] we should fear” according to Daghlian. What makes this interesting is that, as has been discussed already, we see that loyalty means very little to these men, and yet, there appears to be somewhat of a consensus that the USSR ain’t nothing to fuck with. Is this because communism suppresses the individual? Is this because of the acknowledgement of Stalin as a bad dude bar none? Or is, to quote Clue: The Movie, communism just a red herring, and the scientists are toeing the party line? So, what role will the Soviets play? Again, because of a chat Pitarra had with our Editor in Chief, we known that Yuri Gagarin is in play. So, do the Soviets become a common enemy for the band of scientists under American control? Or, do the two sides bury the hatchet and fake a Cold War while secretly working together?
3) Helmutt — When von Braun executes (pun intended) his plan to be the sole survivor of his Nazi posse, he asks “where is Helmutt?” Helmutt is shown to be a Nazi who has managed to sneak out of the room and avoid death at the hand of his pal Wernher. This seems like a character that must come back, otherwise Chekov’s gun be damned. Is he a nationalist who will attempt to exact revenge on von Braun for turning himself in? Or, did Helmutt have the same idea as von Braun, and was trying to live long enough to survive? I doubt this is the last we will see of Helmutt.
4) The Daghlian Discrepancy/von Braun’s arm — Obviously, Hickman and Pitarra aren’t out to make a non-fiction account of World War 2, but it is hard to not notice both discrepancies and clever nods to history.
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| Johann Kraus |
As I mentioned early Henry Daghlian was a 24 year old scientist, died 25 days after a failed bomb test in September 1945. I mention the date because von Braun was captured in May of 1945, and yet we see Daghlian already in his containment suit pre-von Braun capture. So, is this an unintentional goof in terms of dates, or was Daghlian’s death in September the result of yet another accident, and only that one was reported to the public at large? Regardless, as a huge fan of B.P.R.D. (and one half of the Mignolaversity crew), it is cool to see a little bit of Kraus make its way over to this book.
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| Is that a robot arm in your cast, or are you just happy to see me? |
Von Braun’s arm is one of the aforementioned clever nods to history. When von Braun was captured, his arm was in a large cast due to a car accident when the driver of his vehicle fell asleep at the wheel. Obviously, a surrender of this sort, in either our world or the Hickman/Pitarra world, would require some photo evidence. So would von Braun’s robot arm, a gift from die Fuhrer, be hidden by a cast for the official photo? Very clever, Mr. Hickman.
So what does this mean going forward? I believe it means both that we will be duped by our sense of the real world version of history, as well as being satisfied when “real” history shows up in clever ways. I don’t see this being the last time a clever nod to a famous photograph or quote is teased.
Continued below5) Forever Class Frigate UTDF von Braun
As discussed above, Feynman’s quotes that bookend this issue again hint at things to come, but none are as mysterious or captivating as the final one. It reads: “The exploratory, Forever-Class Frigate, UTDF Von Braun, left the solar system in 1997. It never returned.”
A few hours of Google searches and cups of coffee led me to a few facts that I’ve been able to cobble together to form some sort of thesis. First, the easy stuff: a frigate is a type of battleship. “Forever-class,” besides being a type of stamp, can be pretty easily assumed to mean that it is of the highest importance to whoever sends it. UTDF presents a lot of questions, as the acronyms found online don’t exactly fit (University Technology Development Fund, Universal Traffic Data Format, and Universal Tracking Data Format). So, I decided to search using various combinations of the terms, and one hit came back that I found interesting, but also confounding, as there is very little I can do with it.
There is a website, tradingcardmaker.net, where you can design your own custom trading card. I’ll wait while everyone makes themselves a member of the 1986 New York Mets.
Back? Good. Anyway, a search for “UTDF Frigate” brought me to this link, which is a tradingcardmaker.net page for the “UTDF Point Defence [sic] Frigate.”
What does this mean? I have no clue; probably nothing.
But what I think this quote suggests is this: although von Braun dies in 1977, twenty years later, either he or some part of his consciousness travels beyond our solar system. The rocket man departs — does this ship carry his brain or, for lack of a more elegant term, his soul? Is it simply named in his honor? It is certainly a question that piques my interest.
Because they are nothing like the terrible men they write/draw, both writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Pitarra agreed to answer a question each month about the series, to hopefully give us some insight, both into their process, and perhaps some clues as to what is to come.
I asked Pitarra a little about how he goes about creating some of the more unusual objects in the book.
Brian: Your pencils create a dense, intricate world for these stories to take place in, and often times are called upon to give image to objects that don’t exist beyond a few words by Jonathan – what piece of science, so far, has been the most challenging to create a visual for?
Nick Pitarra: For me the intricate environments and equipment come down to my belief in strong world building. I think creating believable environments and objects that exist in an actual three dimensional space helps the reader swallow some of the high concepts and/or over the top takes in “The Manhattan Projects.” All my favorite artist are great at building environments and equipment; it’s something I hope to continue to get better at.
So far things haven’t been too hard to figure out. Jonathan’s good about being descriptive and yet also opened to my own take on things, so there’s a lot to work one with little kick back to what I come up with. Designing the Japanese Samurai Robots in issue one was fun. I really wanted them to be fun, kind of like something you’d see in “Super Mario Brothers.” I did have to redraw the Torii teleporter in that issue. I originally reference Japanese tin toys. Our first Torii had a rattling windup on the side, cogs, and even a lightning bolt decal on the front. Hickman asked me to go more traditional with it. I think creatively, he works to balance out some of the silliness in my art (sometimes) and my world building/time invested in the environments helps sell the story he’s crafting. There’s something wonderful about having absurd things happening in fully realized locations.
As for Hickman, I decided to go straight to the heart of the series.
Continued belowBrian: So far, this series has focused on a couple of characters that show themselves to be either insane, evil, ego-maniacal, or some combination thereof. As I’m reading, I find myself rooting for one thing, and one thing only: science. Is science the protagonist of the story?
Jonathan Hickman: For quite some time, issue #1 of the Manhattan Projects was going to titled “PROLOGUE: INFINITE OPPENHEIMERS,” as that’s basically what it is. We eventually went with “Chapter One” because we figured that, from there, Issue #2 – Chapter One: ROCKET MAN, Issue #3 – Chapter Two: THE BOMB, etc. was an unnecessarily confusing designation.
I say that to make the following point:
There’s a thing that some first issues do where they restate the ‘point’ of the series at the end of that initial issue. So, to answer your question, I quote Wernher von Braun’s last line of ROCKET MAN:
“The Science is all that has ever mattered.”
Next month’s issue, known as “The Bomb,” seems to be getting the obvious story out of the way quickly. But, last month I expected ‘Rocket Man’ to be about Yuri Gagarin, and I was clearly off base, so maybe next month will be all about how something is totally awesome – you know, the bomb.
If you have any questions, thoughts, or observations, please leave them in the comments below, or email brian@multiversitycomics.com.
You can purchase “The Manhattan Projects” at fine comic book stores everywhere, or digitally here.
See you next month!
