COMICS, EVOLVING!

Two loves of mine (evolutionary biology and comics) seem destined to combine.

First came Jay Hosler, whose tales of social insects (Clan Apis) and Darwin's theorizing (The Sandwalk Adventures) have already deservedly won awards. Jay is an entomologist and a professor of biology at Juanita College who has not only been honored by the comics industry, but by a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop more comics! How 'bout that!


Hosler has also collaborated with Jim Ottaviani, contributing six pages of art to Suspended In Language, Jim's love letter to the life and thought of Niels Bohr. I've posted about Jim's work several times before, most notably when I interviewed him at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con. Most of Jim's work builds initially off his background as a nuclear engineer, and so he has heavily emphasized physicists. But one of Jim's more recent work unites both historical fact and legends about the woolly days of paleontology (Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards). A fascinating and multi-layered work, it deserves repeated readings.

But, still, in the year of Darwin you would think that there would be a full-blown 'Darwin comic' brewing somewhere....and you'd be right! As my brother (official 'Fud' holder and comics scholar Charles Hatfield) points out in an e-mail I've just read, Gurr Illustration is about to bring out such a tome. This illustration from their web site is such a tease!


In the meantime, here's a more detailed press release about the upcoming work. Another item I apparently have to add to my reading list! Boy, I hope it's good! I'll post more when I know more, obviously....SH