About the Author

Liam O'Donnell was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in Canada. He's lived in Toronto, Canada and is the author of several graphic novels, including the Max Finder Mystery series of you-solve-it comics. He's never met a pirate and not sure if he ever wants to. When he's not writing stories, he loves playing video games and going camping, but not at the same time. Richard Dominguez was born Eufrancio Ricardo Dominguez on September 22,1960. His parents, Ricardo and Juanita, along with his four brothers and two sisters (Richard was second to the oldest), first made their home on Nomas Street in West Dallas. It has been rumored that in the Depression Era the infamous Bonnie and Clyde began their 'careers' in that part of Dallas. Richard's father worked at various odd jobs and provided for his family as best he could. Though far from rich, the family ate regularly. Richard's early years were brightened by samplings of children's book illustrators of the early 20th century. He was also influenced by British comic artist Roy Wilson (Funny Wonder, Tip Top & Jingles) and animated features (particularly Max Fleisher and Walt Disney cartoons.) Golden Age comic book artists such as Bob Kane, Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, and Jack Cole and various EC/MAD Comics cartoonists from the 1950's and 60's were also a great inspiration. Dominguez' family relocated to the Love Field area of North Dallas where he continued his education. In high school Richard enrolled in Commerical Art and took it for the next three years until graduating in 1979. He later took Life Drawing classes at a community college before taking a job at a local supermarket chain to create and paint point-of-purchase displays. During the late 80's and early 90's, Richard worked as an intern for several art/design studios before venturing out on his own. Dominguez has been creating, illustrating and drawing ever since he can remember. He is believed to be the only Hispanic storyboard artist working in the Southwest region for the past 15 years. Some of Dominguez' past clients include: DIESTE, HARMEL & PARTNERS, BECKETT PUBLICATIONS, DIGITAS-NEW YORK, GRUPO SAMBA, ORNELAS & ASSOCIATES, PUBLICIS-SANCHEZ-LEVITAN, WILSON/GREY WORLDWIDE, SPANISH MARKETING and TRACY LOCKE PARTNERSHIP. All have experienced Dominguez' bold and dynamic style of art. In 1993, Dominguez received major media attention with his Hispanic comic book superhero, EL GATO NEGRO, which he not only created, but also wrote and illustrated. Richard calls the title "the Hispanic answer to Batman." Azteca Productions, Richard's publishing company, has published 4 issues of EL GATO NEGRO, which has a huge following of fans worldwide. For more information about EL GATO NEGRO and Dominguez' publishing company, AZTECA PRODUCTIONS go to: http: //www.azteca-productions.com. Richard Dominguez is in the process of going digital, using Adobe Photoshop and MetaCreation Painter to do all of his storyboards and layouts. He continues to study his craft, learning from new methods of painting. He is also influenced by the great Hispanic calender artists, Jesus Helguera and Jorge Gonzalez Camarena. The greats made it look easy, something that Dominguez is striving for in his own work as well. Richard is a former member of the Dallas Society of Illustrators and co-founder of the Professional Amigos of the Comic Arts Society (PACAS). He currently resides in the suburbs of Dallas with his lovely wife Olga, daughter Sarah (8 years old) and son, Piotr (3 years old). When Dominguez is not sitting in front of the drawing board, he is spending time with his family and working around his house. His hobby is collecting Minor League baseball caps.

Reviews

After Max Axiom walks across his carpet, the super scientist has a genuinely shocking experience when he touches a metal doorknob. He uses the incident as a springboard to explain the omnipresent nature of electricity, including how it works and how we harness it. Other titles in the "Graphic Science" series tackle slightly less shocking topics, such as magnetism, the ecosystem, global warming, food chains, and more.-- "School Library Journal"

I'm in love - or, better yet, my son is in love! We've had the opportunity to review graphic science books on all sorts of topics that are fun and easy to read. Comic book style science sounds really fluffy doesn't it? Believe it or not, the Max Axiom series is full of "real" science that goes deep enough to be appropriate for any upper elementary/early middle school child. My son is a less-than-zealous textbook reader. (Picture eyes glazing over and giant yawns.) After reading - or being read to - from a textbook, he recalls very little of the information. Over the years, I've turned science into hands-on unit studies and supplemented with lots of library books, which has worked quite well. During one of these unit study times, I came across Max Axiom and wanted to know more. I found that Capstone Press offers many, many Max Axiom books, and boy were my son and I excited! Twenty-four books total cover the areas of biology/botany, chemistry, physical and earth science. In each book, Max Axiom (a scientist with super powers), goes on an adventure to learn all about the topic at hand. He can shrink to the size of bacteria and whiz through the human body, or go back in time to learn more about a famous scientist of the past. All of this in a 32 page comic book! (When I say comic book, don't think of flimsy pages, these are "real" books.) http: //thecurriculumchoice.com/2011/07/max-axiom-graphic-science-books/-- "Curriculum Choice blog"

Illustrated in comic-book style with vivid full-color graphics, this book explores the world of electricity. When Super Scientist Max Axiom gets shocked after touching a doorknob, he dives in to find out more about the world of electricity. From atoms to powerlines, Max Axiom grabs the readers' interest with action-packed adventures, encouraging them to learn more about renewable energy, batteries and conservation. He makes a hard-to-comprehend subject more understandable. ParenTown Bookshelf-- "Kidsville News!"

Join Super Scientist Max Axiom in adventures covering various science concepts in kid-friendly "graphic novel" format. These books are sure to appeal to middle level kids and teachers with their easy-to-follow story lines and clear explanations of science concepts. Each book includes additional facts, a glossary, book and internet suggestions, and an index. Recommended.-- "Pennsylvania School Librarians Association"

Super Scientist Max Axiom takes us on a tour of the world of electricity. This book covers what makes electricity, how electricity works, how it travels and how we use it. It covers a great deal of information and puts it into a format that students will find easy to understand. The graphic novel format will appeal to many young readers and would be a helpful addition to a science classroom. Carol Breen, Springfield Township Middle School-- "Pennsylvania School Librarians Association"

The novel graphic format utilized in the Max Axiom, Super Scientist series is attractive and engaging. The bright, colorful pictures will appeal to children and keep them reading about science. These books could be used effectively in or out of a school setting. Each book focuses on a single theme, but the subject is covered in a manner that cuts across scientific disciplines. The book on sound, for example, covers the physics of sound waves, the anatomy of the larynx and ear, echoes, sonar, and hearing loss. The flow from topic to topic is natural, and the books are cohesive. Capstone Press, the publisher, claims that the books are "designed to help below-level readers access text." The scientific terminology, which is reasonably extensive for this age level, is clearly defined. The glossary and index help. The books also include generally well-done detailed diagrams to clarify some of the more difficult topics. The only shortcoming of these titles is that some of the simplified explanations result in misleading or erroneous information. The book on electricity, for example, defines electrical charge as a form of energy and states that volts are a measure of force. Also, a reader might be confused by the idea that current is measured in amps, but "electricity" is measured in "watts." And a child is likely to come away from the book thinking that electrons move through wires at the speed of flight and are converted into energy in resistors. (The book doesn't actually say these things, but the explanations presented might easily lead to such misconceptions.) The books on forces and motion and on sound do not include the same degree of oversimplification. All of the books cite recommended readings and Internet sites for readers who wish to learn more. The publisher's materials indicate that quizzes are available to accompany the books. Overall, these books are useful, particularly for students who are highly visual, who find reading to be challenging, or who are not naturally curious about science.-- "Science Books and Films"