“Comics are just for little kids, right?”

I hear that quote all the time and from people of all walks of life both teens and adults.  Even some who read comic books will reluctantly agree.  And who can blame them?  The big eyes, colorful pictures, and fast paced action certainly seem to be aimed at children.

Of course, no one told that to Naoki Urasawa.

Naoki Urasawa, author of Monster and 20thCentury Boys, is not your usual manga writer. You won’t find outlandish facial expressions, ridiculous hair styles, or unbelievable sight gags.  Instead you’ll find realistic characters, multilayered storylines, and complex mysteries.   Take a look at the two manga covers at the bottom of the page.  The first is from Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy.  The second is from Naoki Urasawa's Pluto.  Both covers depict the same character, and tell the same story but Pluto radically transforms  one of Astro Boy’s first adventures into a complex mystery full of intrigue, betrayal and secrecy.      Pluto follows Geist, a German police officer investigating the murder, one by one, of the world’s strongest robots.  The trail he follows leads across the globe, into a world radically changed by the introduction of robotic labor, and also into the past, exploring the terrible consequences of the 39th Middle-East War.      It pulls no punches portraying the gritty consequences of conflict and the quest for weapons of mass destruction.  However, Urasawa does so by humanizing the characters, even (or rather especially) the robots.  Each of them -from the very human Astro Boy to the monstrously inhuman Pluto- feel real to the reader. You can’t help but empathize with them even as you are reminded of their inhuman origin.  Each chapter revealed new layers of the mystery and answered questions implied, by never asked in earlier in the series and even as I mourned the loss of favored characters, I loved how the story unfolded drawing me deeper into the plot volume by volume.    Pluto is a compelling mystery, one that treats the future as respectfully and honestly as any Asimov or Heinlein novel.  Point to it the next time that someone dismisses the graphic novel you read as "childish" or use the ideas Pluto explores to debate the nature of humanity.  Better yet, hand them a copy of Pluto, and let them discover it for themselves.

Don't miss my other Great Graphic Novels

Full Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

Skip Beat by Yoshiki Nakamura

The Bay Area Science Festival (October 29-November 6) is in full swing. Events and activities are scheduled throughout the Bay Area.

One of my favorite radio programs, Radiolab, will be at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall November 3 and 4. The innovative and imaginative team at Radiolab (from their website), “…believes your ears are a portal to another world. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow.“

Joining the fantastic Radiolab duo of Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich are comedian Demetri Martin and musician Thao Nguyen. The San José Public Library has Martin’s book, This Is a Book, and the movie, Taking Woodstock in which he plays Elliot Tiber, who played a somewhat controversial role in introducing the Woodstock producers to the Yasgur farm. Nguyen has toured with various musicians, recorded several albums released on the Kill Rock Stars record label and recently scored the documentary, American Teacher.

Join the San José Public Library in this celebration of science as it teams up with the Tech Museum to present the program: Got Bots? Robots with the Tech Museum at:

• Santa Teresa Library on Thursday, November 3 at 3:30pm
• West Valley Library on Friday, November 4 at 3:00pm

Welcome to the world of tomorrow! We may not have moving sidewalks yet, but did you know that there is an international olympics held every year...just for robots?! That's right, it's almost time for RoboGames 2011, coming to San Mateo County Event Center on April 15-17. From their website: RoboGames is the olympics of robots - we invite the best minds from around the world to compete in over 50 different events: combat robots, fire-fighters, LEGO bots, hockey bots, walking humanoids, soccer bots, sumo bots, and even androids that do kung-fu.

Sounds like a fun way to enjoy science and innovation with the whole family! It'll be an exciting precursor to the all-out blast that is the annual Maker Faire, which will be coming soon to the San Mateo Event Center, May 21-22. If you are a young person with a budding interest in robotics or an adult who just loves to tinker, check out the many items we have to offer for beginner to advanced robotics, including these:

Robot Building for Beginners by David Cook

You can start reading this eBook right now on your computer to explore the basics of robot building before you head out into the garage.

How Robots Work by Tony Hyland

This is a nice little book to share with younger children, with easy-to-follow facts and pictures about robots of the past, present, and future.

Robots, Androids, and Animatrons : 12 Incredible Projects You Can Build by John Iovine.

 This may be an older book, but the fundamentals taught in these projects are great for kids, teens, or adults seeking to build their very own robot with exciting (and moving!) results. 

Essential Robots Collection (DVD)

This fascinating 4-part documentary that aired on the Discovery Channel explores various recent technological advances in the world of robotics.

With so many robots increasingly among us, perhaps we should also start reading up on all of those science fiction stories about robots...