Zaman unravels a complex narrative through time and place of how bacteria around us has become drug resistant, whether by bacteria’s own natural selection process or the effects of humanity on the natural world ... Organized in short chapters loosely tied together by time, topic, or location, Zaman’s work provides the full context of how bacteria resistance is nature at work and intrinsically linked to our futures ... Recommended for readers interested in the history of science and medicine, and how human response to global issues informs and impacts pathogen research and antibacterial use.
Scottish crime writer McDermid takes a stab at bio-noir in this spare but riveting graphic novel tracking a pandemic ... Briggs’s grungy and off-kilter figures visually counterpoint the clinical plot, while her ashy charcoal backgrounds and faux-medieval frames suggest a cyclical human drama.
Writer McDermid and illustrator Briggs show a plague tearing through all aspects of modern life—personal, professional, political—leaving plenty of apocalyptic blame to go around ... McDermid skillfully builds pathos for the individuals wrestling with their dire circumstances while also baking in enough science to make the proceedings feel frighteningly plausible. Briggs composes fascinating pages and panels that have a mixed-media feel, layering her realistic figures over maps and medical diagrams, invoices and intake forms, tarot cards and plague paintings. The effect puts the story on a historical continuum, which is comforting in the sense that humanity has faced similar disasters in the past but also chilling with its reminder that history is full of cataclysms and the current age is hardly exempt. A powerful, unique look at the benign origins of catastrophe.
