Last week I mentioned a new digital comic book was in progress, based on the mysterious green blob known as Hanny's Voorwerp. Apparently science-themed comics are all the rage, and now they've gone mainstream.
The powerhouse publishing company, Dark Horse, just introduced its own new digital comic: an eight-page, full-color science fiction story written by actor LeVar Burton (yes, of Star Trek fame, in which he played Geordi LaForge) and Mark Wolfe, with illustrations by one David Hahn.
It's called "Con-CERNed," and tells the story of high energy physicist Simon Barstow whose life is changed forever while working at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
SLIDE SHOW: Top 5 Misconceptions About the Large Hadron Collider.
Ah, but Simon is no ordinary physicist; he has a super power. I'm not going to give away any major spoilers, but let's just say weird things happen when Simon sleeps, and it might just involve traveling to another dimension and bringing cool stuff back from that other world. Nothing major: golf clubs, a nifty plasma screen TV. But actions have consequences, and Simon soon learns that his power comes with a cost.
Comics Alliance has an in-depth interview with Burton and Wolfe about this new project.
Here's Burton on the genesis of their story:
"One of the aspects that has defined Star Trek as really fine storytelling is that the science in Star Trek is always considered to be realistic, but secondary to the story. ... Having superheroes is great, but I think some of the most powerful storytelling involves ordinary people doing extraordinary things and so with those two objectives in mind, Mark [Wolfe] led us in the direction of the LHC. It was serendipity, really. It was around the time that the LHC was starting up and they were beginning to smash particles and people were nervous and concerned and excited. ... It worked as a storytelling device and it put our hero in a precarious situation where he had to respond to extraordinary circumstances."
As for the digital format, well, everything old is new again, according to Burton and Wolfe. It matters not whether people read "Con-CERNed" on an iPad, a Website, or as a printed comic, so long as they're reading something that interests and excites them. The delivery mechanism might be changing for comics, but ultimately, it's still about telling a great story. Says Burton, "The human impulse to gather and share stories is as ancient as DNA."
Tags: Cosmology, Large Hadron Collider, Physics
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