The Stuff of Life

"I bought this book because I am always looking for new ways to teach things to my high school students. After reading it, I went to my department head and (after he looked at the book) had little trouble convincing him to buy a classroom set to use to teach the basics of genetics . . . The students all seem to enjoy taking some time out to read (no mean feat in and of itself), and some have even said that seeing the pictures in the book has helped them with topics they were having trouble with . . . Some of the words used that are unrelated to science are a bit advanced (a great opportunity to teach more vocabulary), but the terms related to genetics are well explained and there is even a glossary to help students still having trouble."—Shawn Stewart, Science Teacher, Northeast Magnet High School, Wichita, Kansas

"With the graphic novel gaining status as a form of serious storytelling, The Stuff of Life makes a case for the graphic-novel textbook . . . The illustrations are simultaneously cute and explanatory, and the text’s oversimplifications and techno-utopianism are justified for a cartoon treatment of one of the most complex stories in science."—Seed magazine

"If only all biology textbooks were as cool as The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA . . . [This book's] pictorial approach is much more fun—and conceptually sticky—than I remember science being in school. The book starts with the mind-boggling story of how an inchoate mass of chemical elements formed into life over five billion years ago, and then drills down to the cellular level before getting into applied genetics (even Dolly the Sheep makes an appearance). With the help of friendly black-and-white cartoon panels, A,T,C, and G molecules cohere into a narrative beyond alphabet soup and the double helix, and I'm proud to be able to explain the difference between phenotypes and polypeptides again."—Kristin Butler, The Atlantic 

"Not too long ago, the term 'graphic nonfiction' might have referred to how-to manuals, editorial cartoons or field guides to flora and fauna. But recently, Farrar, Straus and Giroux has released several works by nonfiction writers using pictures to help tell a story—to leaven a dense topic or to help the information flow. The topics are as varied as the U.S. Constitution, modern dancer Isadora Duncan and the human genetic code . . . Genetic mutation is at the core of countless comic books, resulting in superhuman powers and responsible for heroes and villains alike. That concept gets its due in Mark Schultz, Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon's The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA. But this is a serious book, not one that explores whether exposure to high doses of radiation might result in super strength, X-ray vision or the ability to stretch and flow like molten plastic. Fortunately, it's not without its comic-book conventions. It's structured as 'a detailed translation of the report of Bloort 183, interplanetary biologist of the Glargal Royal Science Academy.' The story begins five billion years ago with the formation of Earth and leaps from there to the creation of life in one page. Evolution from basic life forms to humans takes another two pages. Then Bloort 183 starts to tell the story of life on Earth and how every living thing shares the ability to pass on characteristics via what Earthlings call DNA. Mark Schultz is the star of the book, using the otherworldly naiveté of the aliens to get laughs, as well as to break down facts of life into introductory building blocks, like the idea of sex—'a strategy that allows for the sharing of genetic information between individuals within a species.' The book is dense with information like a good textbook. But Schultz's wit and the alien-report device make it easier to learn what you didn't understand in high school."—Michael Gill, The Cleveland Free Times

"What's the solution to America's crisis in science education? More comic books. In December comes The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA, a remarkably thorough explanation of the science of genetics, from Mendel to Venter, with a strand of social urgency spliced in . . . Stuff of Life is the first in a series dedicated to the hard sciences. The author is Mark Schultz, a DC Comics veteran and creator of the postapocalyptic classic Xenozoic Tales. The 160-page work, illustrated by Kevin Cannon and Zander Cannon (improbably, no genetic relation), covers the regenerative processes of DNA, human migratory patterns, cloned apples, and stem cells. In a rapidly changing field, it's as up-to-date and accurate as possible . . . Not that this is the first time comics have been enlisted for educational purposes. The field goes back to the 1940s, when Will Eisner turned Army instructional manuals into graphic guides for soldiers. Also, there's Larry Gonick's Cartoon Guides of the '80s, with his Cartoon Guide to Genetics being the most obvious precursor here. Stuff of Life builds on Gonick, updating his science and employing a silly yet more effective narrative—alien scientist Bloort 183 presents a Power Point on human genetics to his slow-learning leader."—Barry Harbaugh, Wired

"It takes a rare breed of graphic novelist to bring genetics and DNA out of the laboratory and onto the funny pages, but Mark Schultz was up to the task. Get ready to dive into cloning, stem-cell research, and bacteria therapy with a cast of screwball characters—from eccentric spliced DNA to bumbling bacteria to manic, genetically modified plants (‘I feel tingly all over!’). You’ll be so charmed that you won’t even notice you’ve absorbed an entire scientific field (screened for accuracy by genetics professors) in 140 pages of wacked-out comics."—Tobin Hack, Plenty

"Those of us who didn’t exactly fly through our science courses (there’s a reason some of us turned to English) will appreciate The Stuff of Life. I imagine most everyone would, even the scientists and science enthusiasts who managed to grasp difficult theories and concepts early on. The Stuff of Life is incredibly thorough and, best of all, wonderfully accessible for experts and laymen alike. The book has already been tagged with high praise and awards (a Great Graphic Novels for Teens nominee from YALSA, a Scientific American Book Club Alternate Selection, a feature in Wired magazine). It’s a bit difficult to decide where to place the book: It’s scientifically accurate, a point it rightfully prides itself on, but it’s also a quite fictional account of an asexual alien race attempting to learn more about our planet. So, fiction it is, but keep in mind that the data is sound here. In fact, the book is the first in a planned series devoted to teaching real and accurate science through graphic novels. Writer Mark Schultz and artists Zander and Kevin Cannon deserve praise for taking such potentially dry topic material and making it not only understandable but also fresh. It’s not childish (although it does have touches of that) and it’s not so irreverent that it misses its own point. The Stuff of Life has a daunting task: Walk the fine line between education and entertainment without veering too far off into either direction."—John Hogan, Graphic Novel Reporter

"Bone up on how genetics works with The Stuff of Life, a delightful cartoon crash course in chromosomes, cytokenesis, and the whole ball of human wax."—Anneli Rufus, East Bay Express

"The Stuff of Life is a beautifully written and lavishly illustrated example of the power of comics to communicate the wonders of the natural world. Mark Schultz’s words combine with Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon’s pictures in a dynamic enzymatic reaction that gives readers a glimpse at how life works. Ambitious, expansive, and completely successful, the story in The Stuff of Life starts on the invisible rungs of DNA and climbs without a misstep across the millennia of organic evolution. With the help of Bloort, an alien exploring the wonders of earthly genetics, we get to see our evolutionary and genetic heritage in a new light. Often funny and always engrossing, The Stuff of Life provides an exciting point of entry for anyone interested in how life on earth shapes and reshapes itself in the face of ever-changing conditions. Learning genetics just got a whole lot more fun."—Jay Hosler, Associate Professor of Biology at Juniata College and author and illustrator of Clan Apis and The Sandwalk Adventures

"Mark Schultz’s brilliant, whacky The Stuff of Life could hardly have arrived at a better time, with advances in genetics transforming the biological sciences—from microbiology to medicine. This is serious fun."—Jessica Snyder Sachs, author of Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World

"Drawn with panache and great good humor by Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon, and scripted with exceptional clarity by Schultz, this is pretty much the best educational graphic novel in Hill and Wang’s new line of them, good enough for interested nonscientists to keep handy for whenever they need a refresher on its subject. It even has a happy—well, promising—ending."—Ray Olson, Booklist

"Much is packed into this book, which includes information on molecular and cellular life, the basic mechanics of genetics, key scientists who have made discoveries in genetics and DNA, and how they have been and are applying this knowledge. Touching on topics such as genetically altered foods and cloning, Schultz is careful to acknowledge controversial subjects while maintaining an unbiased view. His writing is informative, easy to follow, and infused with humor. The detailed black-and-white illustrations are a perfect match, offering images to enhance learning while adding to the humorous aspect of the book . . . This title would do well as standard reading for science students."—Lara McAllister, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia, School Library Journal