Skip to main content

Celebrating the best of tv, movies, and comics

Subscribe
If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Exclusive excerpt: Searching for the man behind the genius in Jim Ottaviani and Jerel Dye's Einstein

Jim Ottaviani and Jerel Dye's Einstein hopes to dispel the myth that Einstein did poorly in school

Cropped image of Einstein cover featuring an illustration of Einstein against an orange background with formulas written on it
Image credit: First Second
Tiffany Babb avatar
Feature by Tiffany Babb Deputy Editor
Published on

Everyone knows about Albert Einstein and his legendary equation that changed the world (E = mc², in case you didn't), but not everybody knows who Einstein actually was. Einstein, a new graphic biography from Jim Ottaviani (Two-Fisted Science: Stories About Scientists) and Jerel Dye (Pigs Might Fly) and published by First Second, dives into Einstein's life, dispelling some of those tricky myths that have stuck to his reputation to today.

About the project, Jim Ottaviani says, "This shows the origin of the myth that Einstein did poorly in school, and in math. Like most myths, it's a fun story that we want to be true, in this case because most of us had trouble with math or school (or both!) at some point, so it’s comforting to share that with this iconic genius. Unfortunately for us, he was in fact good at math, and his problems in school were mostly in the eyes of teachers who didn’t like having their authority challenged!"

Artist Jerel Dye adds, "The first real eye opener for me when working on this book was realizing what a bold and confident young man Einstein was. It didn't quite match the iconic picture in my head. But he was smart, and he knew it. That is a dangerous combination in a teenager!"

Check out an exclusive excerpt of the graphic biography below:

of
Interior comics page featuring Einsteing arguing with this parents Comics page featuring Einstein's father saying that he did not relocate with the family, so he could attend a specific school,and Einstein being distracted as his host family speaks to him Comics page featuring Einstein talking about passing a test, arriving late, and leaving early Comics page featuring Albert Einstein talking about his renouncing of Germany as a home country Interior comics page featuring Maria Winteler speaking to Einstein and then to the audience, reading his letters A comics page featuring Maria Winteler and Einstein breaking off their correspondence Comics page featuring Einstein getting distracted in class an reprimanded Comics page featuring Einstein being reprimanded by a professor, as Mileva Maric explains the situation to the reader Comics page, Marcel Grossman encourages Einstein to attend an experimental physics class Comics page featuring Einstein getting involved in a lab accident and hurting his hands
Caption
Attribution

Einstein will be published by First Second on November 15. Pre-order a copy from your local bookstore or comics shop today.

Sara Alfageeh and friends are building One More Multiverse.

Featured events