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Product Description The actual history of the United States' worst-kept military secret revealed in graphic format. Though nearly everyone has heard of it, almost no one has known anything about it . . . until now. Located in the remote Nevada desert near the dry bed of Groom Lake, Area 51 is the most famous military installation in the world that doesn't "officially" exist. In Area 51, author Dwight Zimmerman and artist Greg Scott unravel the real history - minus the aliens and sci-fi movie plots - revealing in detail how for more than 60 years, the CIA, the U.S. Air Force, and aerospace company Lockheed Martin have all used Area 51 as a staging ground for test flights of experimental or highly classified aircrafts. Scott illustrates the Archangel-12 as well as follow-on aircrafts, such as the U-2, the SR-71 Blackbird, and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, while author Zimmerman tells the history of how they sprang from the research and development conducted at Area 51. This first-of-its-kind graphic history strips away the fantastical aspects of this mysterious location and establishes the actual, significant history made there. "Zimmerman's rendition of the Area 51 story is a walk down memory lane for this former USAF insider. It superbly captures the history, mystery and folklore of one of America's best-kept secrets. Riveting, accurate, and thought-provoking for anyone with - and even those without - a Need-to-Know!" - Michael Angley Colonel, USAF (ret) Special Agent, OSI (ret) "Of all the books written about Area 51, the best and most accurate is the striking new graphic history written by best-selling author Dwight Jon Zimmerman and expertly illustrated by comic-book artist Greg Scott. Military historians and aviation enthusiasts will love it, as will anyone else who wants a fascinating and easy-to-digest history of America's most secret site. UFO enthusiasts, conspiracy theorists and sci-fi fans might not find exactly what they're looking for here (though I suspect they'll enjoy it too), but this is the real story of the place where a handful of intelligence chiefs, aeronautical engineers and test pilots made history and changed the world." - Nick Pope (UK Ministry of Defense, 1985-2006) Review "In the pop culture consciousness, Area 51 is a secret government base in the deserts of Nevada, housing everything from crashed UFOs to live extraterrestrial beings to ancient magical artifacts. With this book, Zimmerman (Uncommon Valor; The Vietnam War: A Graphic History) pulls back the curtain to reveal the true story of this cutting-edge aerospace research and testing complex. Spy planes flying on the edge of outer space, radar-defeating stealth technology, and even today's deadly strike drones can all trace their origins to Area 51 and the teams of designers, engineers, and pilots who served there through decades of total secrecy. Apart from a few brief asides, little mention is made of the facility's role as the Shangri-la of UFOlogists, and the well-known conspiracy theories regarding the facility are ignored, much less refuted. Scott's illustrations do a fine job of conveying the seriousness and tension that permeated every aspect of the base's many projects, but confusing page layouts disrupt the flow of the narrative in a few places.Verdict The history-heavy, conspiracy-light treatment may disappoint some readers initially, yet those who stick with it should enjoy the fascinating true-life tales of espionage, diplomacy, and high-tech aerospace innovation. Recommended for Cold War history buffs and aviation aficionados." - Library Journal "Zimmerman packs a ton of information into a book that helps explain and understand one of America's worst kept secrets about one of it most vital technological national assets. Area 51, while "Black" for years, has been the focus of crazy legends and conspiracies and Zimmerman helps demystify the legends and put things in perspective in a unique, highly readab