Corpse Talk: Groundbreaking scientists by Adam and Lisa Murphy

 This new graphic nonfiction series from DK is certainly different and shows how the UK-based publisher, mostly known to US librarians for their Eyewitness books and encyclopedia-type collections, is branching out into a variety of different formats, both fiction and nonfiction. Incidentally, they are reissuing and updating the Eyewitness books with fresh covers, information, and a new, sleek design.

This series, Corpse Talk, features Adam Murphy interviewing the, well, corpses of past scientists in comic format. Murphy portrays himself as a white man with a scruffy beard and dark hair, who pops in and out of the comics to argue, question, and interactive with the corpses, shown with gray-green skin, straggling hair, and closed eyes. In the actual stories, the characters are shown generally as they would have appeared in life, with appropriate dress, but additional humorous interjections and cartoons.

Adam interviews and profiles eighteen scientists, primarily white men, from Aristotle to Einstein. However, he also includes a few women, Maria Sibylla Merian, Mary Anning, Ada Lovelace, and Marie Curie as well as James Barry, Alan Turing, Al-Haytham, and George Washington Carver.

Each profile lasts several pages with dense text and illustrations that reminded me of Nathan Hale's extensively researched Hazardous Tales, with their touches of humor and the more modern snark of the characters. Science, history, biology, and culture are woven throughout the stories and readers will be inspired to research and learn more about these fascinating people. The only back matter is a brief glossary.

Verdict: This isn't a good source for research, but it's perfect to pique kids' interest in science and history and will definitely appeal to fans of other nonfiction and informational comics like Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales, Action Presidents, History Comics, and Science Comics. Future volumes will include women, rebels, and kings and queens.

ISBN: 9781465499875; Published 2020 by DK; Borrowed from another library in my consortium