The Inventor: The Story Of Tesla
Written by Rave Mehta
Art by Erik Williams
Cover by Rave Mehta & Erik Williams
Arcana Comics
Release Date: December 11, 2012
Cover Price: $19.95

The first issue in a new series from Arcana Comics, The Inventor: The Story Of Tesla is amazing in that it covers a huge amount of history in just over 150 pages. In a time where inventions were common, Nikola Tesla stood out above the rest. Unfortunately, his history is a bit lost amongst other greats such as Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan. Prepare yourself for a crash course in the history of man’s harnessing of electricity, Tesla’s life, and how he almost single-handedly revolutionized the modern world.

We start with a quick study of his early years and how his father wanted him to study at a seminary school. We jump quickly through those times to his young adulthood and how he traveled to America to follow his dreams. Becoming a protege to Thomas Edison, he learned that politics play a huge part in any funding of scientific studies, forcing him to reevaluate the way he approached his investors later in life.

But we see, first and foremost, that Tesla never lost his gift of dreaming up new ways to work with electricity. Of course, he had failures but his successes were extraordinary. There are so many fantastic parts to this story that seem fictional but are based in historical fact. A bit of creative license was embraced during this comic, but only to enhance the story. I found myself once again curious about this little known scientist.

I loved the story as it was told by Rave Mehta, who not only scripted this but also seems to have been the lead creator behind the whole comic itself. With art supplied by Erik Williams, the story of Tesla really comes alive. I must admit, I felt the art could have been a bit better but with only two people listed in the credits here, I truly believe they did a monumental job. I have but minor complaints on the historical accuracy but I am by no means an expert on Nikola Tesla’s life and accomplishments. What I know of him is purely in relation to Marconi and his wireless communications (which I hope to see a comic on in the future).

I would give this one a solid four out of five because of the time and effort that I know it takes to produce these works. And because they chose an almost obscure (by which I mean few schools mention the subject to students) scientist and allow us a chance to see history from another perspective. If you are a fan of times past or even slightly curious about the shaping of our world at the turn of the twentieth century, then pick this up…it is loaded with stories of yesteryear.