Have you ever wondered what keeps New York City ticking? How Central Park was able to go from a cesspool of crime and filth to the family-friendly, beautiful park that it is today? How it was able to recover from 9/11 with relative quickness and ease? Well, you have one man to thank, Doctor Spencer Brownfield. In a book that I would classify as taking elements from TV’s Fringe, NUMB3RS, and novelist Paul Auster, Charles Soule and Greg Scott explain all of the above, and more!
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Greg Scott
Publisher: Archaia Entertainment
Age: 16+
Heller Wilson is well on his way to earning his PhD at Columbia University when he comes across to findings of Doctor Spencer Brownfield, a former professor at Columbia who became so consumed by his work that his peers believed he had gone crazy. During the end of his time as a professor at Columbia University, he even attempted to teach his theories “Modeling and Manipulation of Discrete, Multiple-Attractor Systems” in the classes he was giving. Using complex mathematical theories, Dr Brownfield believes that he alone is responsible for bringing the city of New York out of the disarray it was in during the 80s, picking it back up after the tragedies of 9/11, and along with Heller’s help, that they can save the city of the impending doom that it will inevitably be hit with. Together, they work towards completing Dr Brownfield’s life’s work; keeping New York City from destroying itself, while putting everything Heller holds dearly at risk of falling apart as well.
The idea that one can make small adjustments to a city is a fascinating one, but is not new; it is basically an example of the butterfly effect. Soule takes this simple notion and multiplies it tenfold while quantifying it with Complex Theory, the theory that one can predict large-scale outcomes caused by slight alterations to the environment using mathematics. While this concept might seem absurd to most, especially to a PhD student, Dr Brownfield was able to convince and recruit Heller to aid him in his quest to save the city.
The entire time I was reading this graphic novel, I could not help but compare it to a Paul Auster novel. There are so many similarities in the writing style, Strange Attractors feels like it was structured as a novel first then adapted into a graphic novel, à la City of Glass, but it was not. While it is difficult for me to pinpoint exactly why I see Paul Auster in this book, it felt so familiar yet fresh at the same time; possibly because I have never read “this Paul Auster book” before.
Reading through this book brought me back to the show NUMB3RS and how it had a similar feel, mathematically speaking. I was a big fan of this television series about an FBI agent and his brother, a university professor of mathematics, working together to solve crimes. Throughout the series, they would focus on real mathematical theories and showcase how they relate or apply to everyday life. It is a great show, available on Netflix, and I would highly recommend it. Strange Attractors also reminded me of the television series Fringe, also available on Netflix. Using fringe science, FBI agents along with a former Harvard professor investigate and solve mysterious occurrences that are based entirely on actual scientific finding, but exaggerated with a futuristic twist. Like Fringe, the theories covered in Strange Attractors are all based on actual mathematical theories, but applied to concepts that make you scratch your head and think to yourself, “Could this actually work?” If the concepts in Strange Attractors interest you, I would encourage you to read the following which discuss the mathematical basis of this book.
This book also features an amazing cover by Dan Duncan, former artist on the TMNT ongoing series. He has a new sketch book out that is being released in limited supply. If you hurry, you can probably still pick up a copy before they are all gone!
Also included in the hardcover book is a bonus section full of complexity maps created by Robert Saywitz. It is a really nice touch! And what is nice about this collection is that you get all of this bonus material, it really shows that they went the extra mile for this printing and makes it extra special.
There were little gems hidden in this book that made me smile: Brownfield’s dog was named Bolean, Heller being called a math wizard, and the use of the phrase, “It’s just math.” Overall, this book really surprised me. I picked it up on Friday night and expected to flip through it for a little while and not finish it (I tend to do that a lot). To my surprise, it had me hooked all weekend and trying to find time to finish it was not easy being Mother’s Day weekend and all. Definitely worth a read!
I do not know how this book only came to my attention recently, but Strange Attractors was being released monthly as a digital-only comic and is being collected and printed for the first time in May 2013.