Posted June 20, 2013 by Alvin Minon in Comics

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Strange Attractors OGN

Strange Attractors

Chaos theory, computational complexity theory and butterfly effect; they have never sounded this good, imho.

Well that’s what Archaia Entertainment’s Strange Attractors did when I picked up the comic. Strangely attractive I’d say (sorry for the pun). All these numbers and complex theories tweaked to lay down an intricate set-up that’s sure to captivate despite the expectation that it’s all geektalk.

The Butterfly Effect tells us of how a small change can create a ripple, causing differences to what’s supposed to be a determined system. Strange Attractor’s all about that. It depicts the story of mathematics graduate student, Heller Wilson and his encounter with Dr. Spencer Brownfield as he attempts to finish his thesis. Brownfield, acting like some mix of Mr. Miyagi and Yoda, shares his ideas and vision to Wilson, allowing him to take control not only of his life but also of the events that affect the city of New York.

There are a lot of math tidbits here and there that all sound Star Trek-ish but the comic never felt like a bore. It’s all fast-paced, giving that feeling of a sci-fi television drama. Writer Charles Soule made sure that Strange Attractors contains all those feelings towards math and science, music and the love for New York.On the other hand, Greg Scott really did a piece on this one. Aside from the heavy work on details, NYC looks teeming with its everyday business, from the parks to the subways. The love for the city that Soule conveyed in his story, Scott brought that up pretty nicely into life. Plus there’s also colorists Art Lyon and Matthew Petz, and letterer Thomas Mauer, to set up the atmosphere while the story transpires. Some parts just looked so vivid and the colors bring out the tension building up in the city.

And, you can’t really leave out Robert Saywitz and his complexity maps. They’re all over the comic and any reader would recognize how much work’s put into them. Dr. Brownfield’s notebooks, the computer maps, Jenkins and Keller’s maps were all done by Saywitz. They all look so complex and real but at the same time beautiful and intriguing.

All in all, Strange Attractors gave me a great time. I picked it up and never let go of it until I finished, then I read it some more. The math and concepts are made easy to chew and I actually understood them with no trouble as I got absorbed into NYC. The idea’s intriguing, the story compelling and the artwork’s splendid. Kudos to the team and I’d say Strange Attractors is one breathtaking read.

STRANGE ATTRACTORS is an Original Graphic Novel Hardcover by writer – Charles Soule and artist Greg Scott with cover done by Dan Duncan and published by Archaia Entertainment.