824 ( )

This graphic novel brings the reader back to the 1800's and the invention of electricity. While there was a great competition between Tesla and Edison over AC and DC, it might not have gone quite as this story tells it. A fun book, but the ideas and characters aren't developed very well. ( )

Just doesn't achieve what it sets out to do. Confuddled plot, too many characters look the same, Twain keeps shouting out "Science!" for no apparent reason.

Got it from the library and I would not advise anyone to pay for this. ( )

Yes, that is Nikola Tesla with two lightning-shooting guns and some stylish goggles, flanked by his assistant Tim and being goaded on by the one and only Mark Twain. The Five Fists of Science is a short graphic novel, written by Matt Fraction and drawn by Steven Sanders. [W]hile it had some laugh-out-loud moments, cool technology and a truly wicked Thomas Edison (as we all know he is, the damn elephant murderer), I wasn't entirely sold on this one.

Pairing Tesla, Twain and the Baroness Bertha von Suttner as a team united against the evil forces of J.P. Morgan, Edison, Guglielmo Marconi and Andrew Carnegie is a fun idea. While Tesla's team believes in science (and in Twain's case, a bit of showmanship), Morgan is relying on black magic and mythical creatures to gain power. Which will win?

Some of the dialogue in this book is hilarious and some of the art is inspiring. But then there are other times when some of the dialogue is repetitive and some of the art is a bit too dark to decipher. But, with a giant robot that works like Big O and looks like the Iron Giant, there's enough to enjoy in the book to make it worth reading for fans of science and/or steampunk. A fair warning, though, there is a decent amount of profanity and some blood in the book -- and more than enough New Jersey jokes.

http://webereading.com/2012/01/go-tesla-go-science.html ( )

This was a zany and over-the-top mashup of some of America's most famous 19th century figures. The reason for the comic book medium, the authors took a variety of characters, from Mark Twain to Nikola Tesla, and adapted them as they sough fit. Part Batman, and Part cliche Mad-Scientist the book steams along on it's own redicoulousness. It doesn't matter if the book seems crazy, it's supposed to. A great read for a boring afternoon. ( )