Area 51: The Graphic History of America's Most Secret Military Installation

The proving ground for many famed spy planes, stealth bombers, and predecessors of the current remote-controlled predator drone, conspiracy hot-spot Area 51 has played a key role in virtually every U.S. military operation stretching back to the early days of the Cold War. The military's hush-up secrecy and "deny and stonewall" response to civilian sightings of test flights in its vicinity inspired popular myths about the facility's "true" purpose: that it harbors salvaged extraterrestrial spacecraft and bodies; that it was the staging ground for the lunar landing hoax; and that it serves as the locus for a network of tunnels connecting military installations and laboratories across the country. Zimmerman (The Vietnam War: A Graphic History) debunks such magical thinking with his comprehensive overview of the major programs and initiatives that have preoccupied the Area 51 think tank over the decades. Though his densely detailed chapters plod in spots, they get the lift they need from Scott's (X-Files: Year Zero) artwork, which crisply visualizes the variety of aircraft while providing historical context by putting familiar faces on each era's political and historical personalities. Chapters on fanciful craft that never got past the drawing-board stage and the future of Area 51 in the wake of its outing in the late '80s only add to the mystique of America's most secretive military base. (Nov.)