This week is the debut of the new Archaia OGN from Charles Soule and Greg Scott. I’ve had the chance to read it, and found it to be pretty fantastic. So much so, I sought out the the writer to find out more about it.
Charles SouleIt’s a story about New York City, where I’ve lived for the past sixteen years or so. In essence, it’s about a genius mathematician who figures out how to use complexity theory (the Butterfly Effect, basically) to turn the entire city into one integrated system, or machine. He makes it his life’s calling to keep the whole thing running no matter what happens. However, he’s quite old and sickly, and he’s terrified that NYC will simply collapse after he’s gone, in particular because his techniques allow him to forecast an oncoming crisis that will level the city. So, he takes on an apprentice, a young grad student. There’s a ticking clock related to whether the young guy can learn the old guy’s techniques in time, not to mention whether the old dude’s just some ancient nutbag. It’s a little sci-fi, a little secret history and a lot of NYC. I love it.
The premise sounds like a cross between Asimov’s “Foundation” series and the Person of Interest television show. Are you familiar with either of those?
CS:Foundation, certainly, although I haven’t seen Person of Interest. I’ve heard good things, though. The main foundation (ahem) of the story is based in actual science, even if it’s applied in a fictionalized way in the book. The idea that small initial efforts can have gigantic end results when applied to a complex system is a long-established principle that’s popped up a number of times in books, films, etc. I’d just say that here it’s applied in a way that I hope is unique and interesting – that was the goal, anyway. I mean, 2001 and Star Wars both have spaceships in them, but they take a pretty different approach.
There’s a number of theories from math and physics represented in this book. Are those areas of interest for you, or did you research them just for this project?
CS:I’m no expert, although I certainly tried to do my homework for this book. I knew I wasn’t going to bring in too much as far as actual formulae, because I thought that might be off-putting. However, I did try to make the underlying principles as sound as possible. I wanted to set up the book’s systems in a way that could work, if you had genius on the level of the people in the story. Whether I succeeded or not, well, that’s for mathematicians to email me about (feel free to use the handy Contact Me link at www.charlessoule.com!) – but I gave it the old college try.
Why was Archaia the right home for this book?
CS:Have you seen the book? Archaia makes the most beautiful products in the business. One of the big attractions for me about Archaia was the fact that they were going to be as invested in making the book look amazing as I was. I think the final product speaks for itself. Beyond that, they have a great track record of bringing some of the most interesting and unique products to market, from Tale of Sand to Return of the Dapper Men to so many more. I was thrilled that they picked it up, and I’m thrilled now that the hard work of creating the book is finally done.
Did you ever consider serializing this book, or had you planned it as an OGN from the beginning?
CS:I think this story works best as a done-in-one. That said, it was serialized digitally on Comixology before the hardcover came out, and I know people did enjoy reading it that way, so what do I know? I don’t care how people find it, as long as they find it. Stories are meant to be read.
“Strange Attractors” contains lots of references to New York music. Are any of those shout-outs to bands you like?
Continued belowCS:Just about all of them. If you’re familiar with my Image/Shadowline series 27, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of music generally. I saw Strange Attractors as a way to combine two of my great loves – music and NYC. Music isn’t as prominent a theme in SA as it was in 27, but it’s definitely there. I think it will influence all my work, to some degree.
In the introduction to “Strange Attractors”, you mention having lived in Europe and Asia as well as the US. Where all have you lived, and how do you think your experiences around the world affects your writing?
CS:I’ve actually lived in Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines. My times in Europe and other parts of the world were related to travel as opposed to habitation, but they certainly contributed to the overall picture. There’s no substitute for life experience when you’re trying to bring a unique perspective to a story, and getting out of your home town, city, state and/or country from time to time can be a big part of that.
Do you have more stories planned for the “Strange Attractors” world?
CS:There are places I could see it going, but right now I’m just happy that the book exists and is out in the world for other people to hopefully find and enjoy. If enough of them do, then sure, I’d love to tell more stories in this world.
How did you connect with your artist, Greg Scott?
CS:He was introduced to me by a mutual friend, the excellent writer Nathan Edmondson (Who is Jake Ellis? among many other awesome titles). Basically, I needed a guy who could render NYC in a detailed, accurate way, and that’s Greg to a T. He lives on Staten Island, and he immediately got on board with the idea of creating a book that’s a love letter to this city we both adore (and sometimes despise – but that’s life in New York City.) He’s fantastically talented, and I can’t wait to work with him again.
CS:I think that depends on the fan/reviewer, and where they come from as far as their approach. I know a lot of artists, and they always talk about the art in a book first. I, on the other hand, tend to focus on words first, art second. The nice thing about comics is that it doesn’t matter. If you enjoy a book, then you enjoy it. Comics have twice the paths to enjoyment as the
Do you pay any attention to feedback from fans and critics via websites or social networks. Does it affect you?
CS:Oh, of course. Everyone wants to be loved.
What comics are you reading right now?
CS: As many as I have time for. Highlights: Saga, Locke & Key, Ennis’ Fury, Hawkeye, Green Arrow, Batman, Daredevil, Brian Wood’s Conan and Star Wars – but I read a lot of books, and I’m certainly leaving many great titles off the list.
How do you feel about the current comics industry? Is it a good time for new creators?
CS: I think so, especially with digital and web-based options. It’s easier to access an audience than ever before. Of course, that also means that there’s a lot of noise to break through for your signal to get heard, but I think it was always that way.
You’re taking over the “Red Lanterns” series with issue 22. Can you tell us what to expect for the corps?
CS:I’m going to give the Reds their very own reason for being, and within that I want to give the book a very particular tone, sort of like Sons of Anarchy or The Shield. To put it another way, I see the Reds as the Really Bad Guys of the Lantern universe, who are capable, on occasion, of doing Really Good Things. It’s a lot of fun to write. (Not to mention Guy Gardner’s in it, who is REALLY fun to write.) I just got my first batch of pages in from Alessandro Vitti, and they are lovely indeed.
Continued belowDo you have any other projects coming soon?
CS:I do! I’m taking over as the regular writer on Marvel’s Thunderbolts series from issue 12, with a stand-alone story focusing on the Punisher, who’s one of my favorite characters over there. The big one beyond that is an ongoing series from Oni Press called “Letter 44.” It’s a creator-owned project that’s deeply grounded in real-world space travel, which is a subject I truly love. In brief, an incoming President reads the letter left on his desk by his predecessor and is informed that seven years earlier, the US detected what appears to be a non-human construction site in the asteroid belt. A mission was sent, and they’re about 6 months away. The A story takes place on Earth as the new Prez deals with all this, and the B story follows the astronauts as they get closer to whatever’s up there. It arrives in October, but it’s my understanding that a pretty substantial preview will be available at SDCC this July. Should be great. For news on those and other projects, you can always find me on Twitter @charlessoule , as well as on Facebook. I keep a blog, too.
What would be a dream project for you? Would you like to work with any particular creators or publishers?
CS:I’m doing my dream projects, honestly. I have some creator-owned things I’d like to do at some point, but right now I literally could not be happier (or busier!) I wouldn’t mind writing some Star Wars someday, and I’ve got stories for Captain America and Green Arrow that would be fun to play out at some point, but I’m in no rush. We’ll see what the next few years bring!
