{"id":17148,"date":"2017-08-11T07:00:21","date_gmt":"2017-08-11T07:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=17148"},"modified":"2017-08-09T15:48:27","modified_gmt":"2017-08-09T15:48:27","slug":"corpse-talk-ground-breaking-scientists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2017\/08\/11\/corpse-talk-ground-breaking-scientists\/","title":{"rendered":"Corpse Talk: Ground-Breaking Scientists"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Adam & Lisa Murphy <\/strong>(David Fickling Books)
\nISBN: 978-1-910989-80-7<\/p>\n

The educational power of comic strips has been long understood and acknowledged: if you can make the material memorably enjoyable, there is nothing that can’t be better taught with pictures. The obverse is also true: comics can make any topic or subject come alive\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 or at least – as here – outrageously, informatively undead\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The conceit in Corpse Talk<\/strong> is that famous personages from the past are exhumed for a chatty, cheeky This Was Your Life<\/strong> talk-show interview that – in Reithian terms – simultaneously \u00e2\u20ac\u0153elucidates, educates and entertains\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. It also often grosses one out, which is no bad thing for either a kids’ comic or a learning experience\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Another splendid album release culled from the annals of The Phoenix <\/strong>(courtesy of those fine saviours of weekly comics at David Fickling Books) this thoughtfully themed collection opens with another scene-setting chat from your scribbling, cartooning host Adam Murphy (ably abetted off-camera by Lisa Murphy) before we get to know a serried selection of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153dead brilliant scientists\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in what might well be their very own – post-mortem – words\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

In order of date of demise our funny, fact-loving host begins these candid cartoon interviews in a tutorial from ‘Aristotle: Philosopher 384-322BCE’<\/em>, supplemented by an in-depth peek into the world-changer’s educational practices in ‘School of Life’<\/em> after which noted streaker ‘Archimedes: Mathematician 287-212BCE’<\/em> shares his version of the infamous \u00e2\u20ac\u0153eureka moment\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and ingenious military inventions. The most lethal of these then get special attention in sidebar feature ‘Calculated Aggression’<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Muslim scholar ‘Al-Haytham: Natural Philosopher 965-1040’<\/em> discusses his service with the Caliph of Egypt and discoveries in optical science, and his greatest invention is examined in follow-up feature ‘Camera Obscura’<\/em>. Tragic Italian genius ‘Galileo Galilei: Astronomer 1564-1642’<\/em> recounts his star-gazing triumphs and the response of the Catholic Church – augmented by a rapturous spread depicting ‘Secrets of the Solar System’<\/em> – and a grossly misused scientific pioneer who founded the principles of entomology (before being written out of history by male historians and scientists) tells her story in ‘Maria Sibylla Merian: Entomologist 1647-1717’<\/em> and describes the linked ‘Circle of Life’<\/em> she discovered by observing caterpillars, cocoons and butterflies\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Noted egomaniac ‘Isaac Newton: Natural Philosopher 1642-1727’<\/em> has his say next, with ancillary features on ‘Laying Down the Laws’<\/em> and ‘Newton’s Three Laws of Motion’<\/em>, culminating in the instructions on how to make ‘A Home-made Hovercraft’<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

‘Edward Jenner: Physician 1749-1823’<\/em> describes how his observations led to the eradication of smallpox (with the process broken down into grotesquely captivating ‘Vaccination Stations’<\/em>) after which forgotten woman ‘Mary Anning: Palaeontologist 1799-1847’<\/em> reveals the true history of fossil hunting and evolutionary observation – including a quick tour of ‘The Jurassic World’<\/em> – before ‘Lovelace & Babbage: Mathematicians 1815-1852 & 1791-1871’<\/em> delves deep into the lives of computer visionaries Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage, who devised calculating machines and systems long before science and engineering had the facilities to construct them. Unable to physically enjoy the fruits of their labour, the dead clever thinkers can at least play here with a modern version of ‘The Difference Engine’<\/em> since built to honour them at London’s Science Museum\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.<\/p>\n

‘Von Humboldt: Explorer, Naturalist, Geographer, Etc\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 1769-1859’<\/em> was a true Renaissance man and master of many disciplines, which he used in his five-year voyage of scientific discovery. As well as the 3500 species of flora and fauna he catalogued in one trip he also formulated the concept of ‘Habitat Zones’<\/em> (perfectly explained here in graphic terms following his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153piece to camera\u00e2\u20ac\u009d).<\/p>\n

You may have heard of revolutionary medical reformer ‘James Barry: Doctor 1790s-1865’<\/em> but did you know that she was actually Margaret Anne Bulkey<\/em>, a young woman who refused to let her gender hinder her dreams in an exclusively male-dominated world. Her innovations and changes in military hospitals saved millions of soldiers and civilians, and her influence is celebrated in sidebar feature ‘A History of Infection’<\/em>. Meanwhile, the world-shattering observations of ‘Charles Darwin: Naturalist 1809-1882’<\/em> whilst aboard HMS Beagle<\/em> are interpreted in the savant’s own individualist manner, with a follow-up detailing his theories through ‘Darwin’s Finches’<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Russian superstar ‘Dmitri Mendeleev: Chemist 1834-1907’<\/em> outlines his epic struggle to classify, decipher and order the elements, complete with a fully-updated version of his ‘Periodic Table’<\/em> before the profound discoveries – and their personal cost – of ‘Marie Curie: Chemist & Physicist 1867-1934’<\/em> bring us into the modern age of intellectual endeavour, via a chilling warning of the repercussions of her ‘Killer Research’<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Born a slave and self-taught, ‘George Washington Carver: Botanist & Inventor 1860s-1943’<\/em> transformed America and the world with his discoveries in Agriculture. His astounding life is pr\u00c3\u00a9cised here and validated in supplemental feature ‘Nuts About Nuts!’<\/em> sharing the secret of making peanut butter\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Apparently the closest thing to an actual Mad Scientist the world has ever known, ‘Nikola Tesla: Inventor 1856-1943’<\/em> tries to clear his name and reputation whilst latterly describing his battle with his greatest rival in ‘Edison vs Tesla in\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 the War of the Currents’<\/em> after which the Digital Age begins thanks to the efforts of ‘Alan Turing: Computer Scientist 1912-1954’<\/em>. His wartime work with decoding and cipher chasing is then commemorated in ‘An Enigma Wrapped in a Mystery’<\/em> giving us all a chance to tinker with our own (simplified) Enigma Machine\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Last Big Brain in the box, ‘Albert Einstein: Physicist 1879-1955’<\/em> then gleefully explains one of his most universally misunderstood theories and laments the misuse of his work through his own personal history and ends the scientific history lessons on a high note with another in ‘It’s All Relative\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6’<\/em><\/p>\n

Smart, irreverent, funny and splendidly factual throughout, Corpse Talk <\/strong>cleverly but unflinchingly deals with history’s more tendentious moments whilst personalising the great and the good for coming generations.<\/p>\n

It is also a fabulously fun read no parent or kid could possibly resist. Don’t take my word for it though, just consult with any of the clever cadavers in question\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Text and illustrations \u00c2\u00a9 Adam & Lisa Murphy 2017. All rights reserved.
\nCorpse Talk: Ground-Breaking Scientists<\/strong> will be released on 7th<\/sup> September 2017 and is available for pre-order now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Adam & Lisa Murphy (David Fickling Books) ISBN: 978-1-910989-80-7 The educational power of comic strips has been long understood and acknowledged: if you can make the material memorably enjoyable, there is nothing that can’t be better taught with pictures. The obverse is also true: comics can make any topic or subject come alive\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 or … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Corpse Talk: Ground-Breaking Scientists”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[42,102,125,97],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-of-british","category-fantasy","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-4sA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17148\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}