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TRACING the history of DNA from Gregor Mendel’s peas to genetic engineering, DNA: A graphic guide to the molecule that shook the world outlines the key scientists, experiments and advances in the field of genetics. It also provides a helpful stepwise introduction to biological concepts.

Given the visual potential of a graphic guide, it is a shame to see text dominate at the expense of images. The cartoons often feel like they exist merely to fill blank spaces between chunks of text, a problem exacerbated by a series of visual non sequiturs. Watson and Crick are depicted as Batman and Robin for no discernible reason, for example, and enzymes are shown as complicated trucks, which distracts from the concepts being illustrated.

A graphic guide should make technical subject matter more accessible through illustration. Unfortunately, in this case the result reads more like an abridged textbook. Comic-book fans should seek their biology elsewhere.