The Whiz Kids from DARPA

They fight fires with Rock'n'Roll, capture spy satellites with a minivan and communicate with animals using pee, yes Pee! Written for middle school readers from 9 to 14 years old, The Whiz Kids from DARPA is a graphic novel that shows the first 10 stories of a group of young teens who go on funny missions and adventures using Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to save the day. The group is also an example of diversity, comprised of an Asian American physicist on the Autism spectrum, a transgender computer hacker, a Hawaiian born African American weapons engineer, a Latinx linguist and former spy and a biologist who also happens to be a talking bear!

How's the book?

Kirkus Reviews
Author-illustrator Ramon Gil's middle-grade anthology of educational comic strips offers humor, compassion, and scientific facts...A fun collection that accessibly presents complex concepts to a young audience. Read more.

BookLife
In Ramon Gil's uproarious but informative middle grade graphic novel, five adults trapped in kids' bodies rollick through S.T.E.M. based adventures, conducting scientific research while completing top-secret projects for the government. Fun-filled, S.T.E.M-heavy graphic novel for middle grade readers. Read more.

Hub Pages
Given all the aspects of this most wonderful tome, from the crisp writing style, the wit and depth of the writing, the old-school style of the art...to the scientific and real-world elements and applications of the stories themselves, this is a very highly-nuanced package specifically designed to engage young readers, but is also something that we highly recommend for old(er) readers as it is well worth the read. Read more.

Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Science, Adventure
Grade Reader: 6-9
Format: Soft Cover, Color
Pages: 104
Size: 6x9
Printer/Distributor: Ingram
ISBN: 978-1-7923-6163-0
Price: $15.99
Publication Date: July 10, 2023
Contact: ramonsgil@gmail.com

About the Author

Ramon Gil got his first cartooning byline at the age of ten and is still waiting to get paid. Despite that, he has been making up stories ever since though sometimes for highly questionable reasons. His favorite genres are science fiction, espionage and conspiracy theories sprinkled with lots of witty dialogue which he plagiarizes from conversations with people who are way smarter and funnier than he is. Ramon is taking credit for work done for Dynamite Comics, Atlas Unleashed, Vortex Comics, Bleeding Cool, The Beat, Comics Creator News, The Nerdist and Comics Experience. He is the creator of The Men from DARPA, Everybody Needs a Hero, Firefighters: An Exciting Job, Truer Than Trousdale, Senturies and the Scifies and Black Stories Matter anthologies. Ramon teaches art, design, visual storytelling and making comics at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Yeshiva University in New York City. He is the organizer of the Comic Arts Workshop and Diversity Comic Con and is available for events in NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI and MA. You can view more of his work at www.ramongilcomics.com.