Created by: Heather Einhorn, Adam Staffaroni
Written by: Janet Harvey
Illustrated by: Sonia Liao
Colorist: Johanna Taylor
Lettering by: Morgan Martinez
Published by: The MIT Press
Release Date: 27th April 2021
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Marie Curie was a highly credited and celebrated physicist & chemist. Known for her pioneering work in radioactivity and being the first recipient of the Nobel Prize in 1903. She also created the secretive Curie Society, whose mission was to support the most brilliant female scientists in the World through funding and support. This elite organisation is still recruiting talented members to this day, and has issued three invitations to a group of young college students that happen to be sharing the same dorm room.
Here we meet Simone, Maya and Taj. A group of women, each dedicated to their own fields of research, with open minds but with very little group experience. Before there can be any initiation into this secret society, these women are put through many tests and challenges along the way. One of which will include going up against a former member, whose ideals have taken her down a more self-sufficient route compared to the society’s main objective.
This book celebrates many brilliant minds, showcases the many fields of study and research that one can achieve in the world of Science. As well as being full of action, it is also a great addition to have for any young girls library. To have a book that shows them that there are many opportunities and women who have already made a huge contribution to the world of science. The back of the book includes many bio’s of real life female Doctors’ and Professors that I am sure were used as inspiration for the characters in this story.
Our trio of young college students come from different walks of life. Simone is the youngest student within the college and was fast tracked into freshman life due to her high intellect & research papers. However due to her young age, she lacks the confidence to easily interact and relate to many of those around her. Although I am sure she can more than likely keep up with the workload, its her social skills that need to be improved upon. Next we have Maya, a young woman from a high society family. Whose parents expect the utmost from their daughter, in terms of her grades, the connections she makes and the social circles she must join. In their eyes, nothing is more important than advancing her career and ultimating winning a Nobel Prize. And last but not least, we have Taj. This girl comes straight from the city, with a rebellious nature and some admirable free running-esque agility, she has admitted in the past to being behind some ‘graffitti like’ projects back home. She has a talent for engineering and is certainly the woman to have on hand when it comes to organising the tech for any undercover operation.
Together they first make a very unlikely team. Even beginning as simple room mates ends in instant fights, over mere noise or even cleanliness. It’s only through going on training exercises and with interacting with the mentors at the Curie Society, do these young women start to bond after some time. In fact they kind of remind me of a more modern day version of the three lead characters from the 2001 cartoon ‘ Totally Spies!’
‘The Curie Society’ was created by Heather Einhorn and Adam Staffaroni. Both of which are also co-founders of EEP – Einhorn’s Epic Productions, a multi-platform content studio. Which specializes in creating stories that showcases heroic female characters. They focus on the underserved gen-z, millennial, female and diverse fandoms, by creating character driven stories that can be scripted for podcasts, graphic novels, television, film, virtual and more.
Janet Harvey was responsible for putting pen to paper to bring this story to life. She is also an award winning writer for both comic books, film and games. Her own graphic novel – Angel City is available now from Oni Press.
We then have our artist – Sonia Liao. Who has worked on projects for BOOM! Studios, Sourcebook Fire, Red 5 Comics and EMET Comics. Her work on ‘The Curie Society’ has been a pleasure to enjoy and has added to the ease of reading the book. Not only has she illustrated a modern day college campus, but has also brought images of the past to life – from wooly mammoths to wartime espionage. It will all make sense when you read the book.
I would imagine that this book would be well enjoyed by both young girls and boys, with perhaps leaving a more lasting impression on the former of the two. For older readers, perhaps such as myself, it is quite enjoyable nonetheless. I mean when was the last time you sat down and read a book that mentioned cross breeding woolly mammoths in order to save the glaciers.
‘The Curie Society’ will be available to buy on the 27th April from MIT Press. Pre-order it now in your local brick and mortar bookstore!
Overall: 8/10
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