8. Jonathan Hickman And Nick Pitarra On 'The Manhattan Projects' (2012 Onwards)
The Manhattan Projects is one of the shining lights of Image Comics' current run as the best publisher of creator owned comics in the world, bar none. It's exactly the sort of unconventional, experimental comic that Vertigo would have given the world in its heyday. Basically, it's just the most out-there, off the wall and downright weird comic on the shelves and that is exactly what makes it so brilliant. Written by Jonathan Hickman (Avengers, Fantastic Four), the series details an alternate history of the end of World War II in which the Manhattan Project (the development of the nuclear bomb) was, in truth, a front for more advanced experiments, including inter-dimensional travel to alien worlds. As a small taster of the inspired lunacy of Hickman's world, two of the main stars of the series, Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein are not actually who they seem to be. Oppenheimer is really Robert's twin brother Joseph, who has murdered and eaten the real Robert. Einstein is actually Albrecht Einstein, an evil doppelganger from a different dimension. Oh, and they all work with Harry Daghlian, a scientist who is simply a radioactive skeleton inside a containment suit. The Manhattan Projects is an ideal comic for fans of Grant Morrison or Neil Gaiman, writers who have delighted in subverting the norms of comic books over the years. While it is very strange, no doubt, it's also accessible and doesn't alienate the reader. Rather, it fires the imagination in a beautiful way, helped immeasurably by Nick Pitarra's highly original art style and uniquely warped sensibility. We have a feeling that Hickman and Pitarra will be frequent collaborators for many years to come.
