Brain Drain is a riveting and humorous crime caper. It is very, very, very loosely inspired by the bizarre true story of what happened to Albert Einstein brain he died.

Our protagonist is Thomas Stoltz Harvey, a fed up pathologist who seizes the opportunity to steal Albert’s brain. His flimsy justification for this breach of the hypotactic oath is to make scientific discoveries about the nature of Einstein’s genius.

What follows is an exquisite and layered comedy caper. It is so funny. Gomont has a full bag of tricks from sight gags to snappy one liners. I particularly enjoyed the whimsical Walter Mitty-esque flights sequences that are skewered in the next panel by the awful reality of the situation Stoltz has put himself in.

What I really like about Brain Drain is that it is prepared to go weird which in my opinion really heightens the farcical tension.

From the moment that Stoltz steals the brain he is hiding or running away from the hospital administration, his family, Einstein’s executors, and the FBI. It’s rare for me to read a comic with my hands over my eyes due to cringe inducing panels.

The cast of characters in Brain Drain is delightful. My favourite the no-nonsense Otto who berates everyone within earshot. Stoltz despite all his flaws is a character that you root for. Reading how he gets himself and out of jams was just a joy. I really enjoyed Brain Drain. Can’t wait for part 2. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.