Synopses & Reviews
The actual history of the United States' worst-kept military secret revealed in graphic format.Though nearly everyone has heard of it, almost no one has known anything about it . . . until now. Located in the remote Nevada desert near the dry bed of Groom Lake, Area 51 is the most famous military installation in the world that doesn't "officially" exist. In Area 51, author Dwight Zimmerman and artist Greg Scott unravel the real history - minus the aliens and sci-fi movie plots - revealing in detail how for more than 60 years, the CIA, the U.S. Air Force, and aerospace company Lockheed Martin have all used Area 51 as a staging ground for test flights of experimental or highly classified aircrafts. Scott illustrates the Archangel-12 as well as follow-on aircrafts, such as the U-2, the SR-71 Blackbird, and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, while author Zimmerman tells the history of how they sprang from the research and development conducted at Area 51. This first-of-its-kind graphic history strips away the fantastical aspects of this mysterious location and establishes the actual, significant history made there.
Review
"In the pop culture consciousness, Area 51 is a secret government base in the deserts of Nevada, housing everything from crashed UFOs to live extraterrestrial beings to ancient magical artifacts. With this book, Zimmerman (Uncommon Valor; The Vietnam War: A Graphic History) pulls back the curtain to reveal the true story of this cutting-edge aerospace research and testing complex. Spy planes flying on the edge of outer space, radar-defeating stealth technology, and even today's deadly strike drones can all trace their origins to Area 51 and the teams of designers, engineers, and pilots who served there through decades of total secrecy. Apart from a few brief asides, little mention is made of the facility's role as the Shangri-la of UFOlogists, and the well-known conspiracy theories regarding the facility are ignored, much less refuted. Scott's illustrations do a fine job of conveying the seriousness and tension that permeated every aspect of the base's many projects, but confusing page layouts disrupt the flow of the narrative in a few places.Verdict The history-heavy, conspiracy-light treatment may disappoint some readers initially, yet those who stick with it should enjoy the fascinating true-life tales of espionage, diplomacy, and high-tech aerospace innovation. Recommended for Cold War history buffs and aviation aficionados." - Library Journal
About the Author
Dwight Jon Zimmerman is a best-selling and award-winning author, radio show host, and producer and the president of the Military Writers Society of America. Zimmerman has authored the text for several graphic novels, including the acclaimed
The Hammer and the Anvil, a dual biography of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. His other titles include
The Vietnam War: A Graphic History and
Uncommon Valor: The Medal of Honor and the Six Warriors Who Earned It in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is also the co-author, with Bill O'Reilly, of the
New York Times number-one bestseller
Lincoln's Last Days.
Greg Scott is a comic-book artist who has done stints at both Marvel and DC Comics, working on such series as Gotham Central and Case Files: Sam and Twitch. He's also a film fanatic and he typically watches two movies a day. The aesthetic of film informs his work, more so than traditional drawing. Get sneak peeks at his blog: gregscottart.blogspot.com.