There can be little doubt that Area 51 is the most famous secret site on the planet. Still unacknowledged by the defense establishment after 60 years, although inadvertently “outed” by President Barack Obama some time ago, Area 51 has become a part of popular culture.
There has been a flurry of books written recently about Area 51, and certainly the complex has been the subject of many television shows and more than a few films. So it makes sense that Dwight Jon Zimmerman, with illustrator Greg Scott, would bring us a complete graphic history of the installation and its denizens in Area 51: The Graphic History of America’s Most Secret Military Installation.
Area 51: The Graphic History of America’s Most Secret Military Installation; by Dwight Jon Zimmerman; illustrated by Greg Scott; Zenith Press; 90 pages
This first-of-its-kind book delves into the myths, legends, and known history of Area 51, including its development as a top-secret testing facility, the people involved in its creation and expansion, the aircraft known to have been tested there, and of course the rumors and speculation surrounding it.
It may be that this graphic non-fiction book format is really the most appropriate for depicting the mixture of fact and fiction that will probably continue to form the accepted story behind Area 51 far into the foreseeable future.
What other format can successfully meld elements ranging from the Cuban Missile Crisis and bleeding edge aerospace technology to extraterrestrials and Shirley MacLaine into a seamless narrative?
Best-selling author Zimmerman’s concise story, allied with Scott’s black and white illustrations, hook the reader with a narrative that addresses both myth and reality. While acknowledging the rumors of dark alliances with aliens, aircraft reverse-engineered from UFOs, and vast tunnel complexes stretching beneath most of the United States, the book depicts the kernel of truth behind many of them. It also reveals many of the often more interesting stories of actual activities at Area 51, all in a format attractive to readers investigating Area 51 for the first time. 
While the book, at 90 pages, is by no means a complete history of Area 51, it’s an engaging story of the first 60 years of a legendary installation in a compact package, delivered in a format that is bound to appeal to those wanting to learn more about a place of enduring mystery.