The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body by David Macaulay
Starred Review. A Caldecott Medalist and MacArthur Fellow, perhaps best known for his pithily written, illuminatingly illustrated The Way Things Work, Macaulay has devoted himself for years to this illustrated guide aimed at demystifying the workings of the human body. Picture book or not, adults may constitute a significant percentage of its eventual audience. The book is astonishingly comprehensive, beginning with the structure of a cell, traveling through various systems (e.g., respiratory, digestive, etc.) and ending with childbirth. Followers of Macaulay will expect some wit, and it is evident, not just in captions but in throwaways, as in an explanation of taste that acknowledges that smell is the senior partner. However, the writing is often highly technical (When a nonsteroid hormone arrives at its target cell, it binds to a receptor protein projecting from the cells surface). The full-color drawings may help readers understand the language, but despite the friendly format, with one topic per spread, this is not a book for casual browsing nor for most preteens. On the other hand, motivated teens will feel theyve gone to premed heaven. Ages 10 up. (Oct.) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Zot!, 1987-1991: The Complete Black and White Collection by Scott McCloud
Understanding Comics' McCloud spent the first six years of his career on this lesser-known Astro Boy inspired comic. This mammoth volume collects issues 11 36, along with lots of commentary from McCloud. The series stars Zot, a teenager from an alternate Earth where rocket-powered boots and laser guns are commonplace, and Jenny, a girl from our Earth who just wants to escape her humdrum high school existence. The zippy, pulpy stories feature Zot facing off against a multitude of villains, from robots run amok to thwarted, steampunk-style inventors. Looking through the comics peers through a window at the development of a comic writer's talents; as the art morphs slowly into McCloud's recognizable style, the stories take on more sophisticated subject matter one later issue features Zot and Jenny discussing sex, like a scene from a soapy teen drama. McCloud's love of classic superhero comics is clear, even as he consciously contrasts it with the problems of the real world. The collection only suffers from the absence of the first 10 issues, leaving new readers confused at some unexplained plot twists, but it is sure to be a treasure trove for McCloud fans or lovers of intelligent retro comics action. (July) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
