Set in 1918 at the Orange, N.J. factory of the U.S. Radium Corporation, this new graphic novel is a fictional retelling of the story of the Radium Girls, working-class women who unknowingly painted the dials of clocks and watches with the radioactive substance—dabbing the deadly iridescent paint on their lips to point the brushes after being told it was harmless—that would destroy their health and ultimately take their lives. Written (and partially based on Kate Moore’s 2017 nonfiction work) and stylishly illustrated by Cy., aka Cyrielle Evrard, in eerily luminous pastel shades, Radium Girls offers a lively and haunting portrayal of the women who eventually won a legal ruling against the company in a suit that changed U.S. labor and occupational health laws. In this eight-page excerpt some of the women begin to realize something is wrong—at home their hands glow in the dark; later a company doctor is fired after warning them not to touch the stuff to their lips. Radium Girls by Cy. will be published by Iron Circus Comics in July.
