Sometimes – shoot, most times really – you know how a story will end. This is one of those books. The plot will barely develop before you can predict the climax, but Soule and Scott tell it with such style you’ll be too engaged to mind.
Written by Charles Soule
Illustrated by Greg ScottHeller Wilson, a brilliant mathematics student, needs one revolutionary idea to complete his thesis. Just one. To find it, he’s tracked down Dr. Spencer Brownfield, once the most promising mind of his generation. These days, he’s still a genius, but also quite possibly insane; he claims he’s been secretly controlling the entire city for a decades through complex applications of the Butterfly Effect. Even worse: Spencer refuses to give up a single theorem until Heller signs on as his apprentice. Bad things are coming, he believes, and someone has to keep New York safe after he’s gone.
Quite possibly insane – but quite possibly not.
“Strange Attractors” opens with the resignation of Dr. Brownfield’s previous apprentice, and it allows for quite a bit of exposition without feeling awkward or unnatural in anyway. From there, the solicitation is pretty much a perfect summary/setup. Along Heller’s journey there are lots of references to New York locales and music which are specific if you’re familiar with them, but general and inviting if you aren’t. Knowledge of the city and its culture will enhance the story for you, but any and everything you actually need to know to enjoy the story can be found between the covers.
Soule’s primary cast is small – just Heller and Brownfield. considering the amount of page time they get, it’s no surprise they’re well developed. What’s truely impressive is how every other character feels just as deep. The secondary and tertiary cast all have just as much nuance and subtlety as Heller. They have interests, jobs, and hobbies outside of what Heller is doing, making it feel like they have a life outside of their role in this book. They don’t exist as foils for Heller, they exist because Heller isn’t the center of the world. Though brief, other characters like the mayor and various unnamed New Yorkers get a few panels where they, too, feel like they could be the star of another story. A central theme in the book is how small actions by one person are felt by others, and Soule captures this perfectly by turning the whole city into more than just a setting.
Something else he does to make “Strange Attractors” an above average book is respect you. There are lots of high concepts from math and physics in the plot, but he never talks down to you. The ideas are expressed clearly but without technical jargon or oversimplification. He also avoids the very common “once more, with clarity” trope common in tales like this. You know the one, where after a mystery is revealed, flashbacks repeat previous scenes just to make sure you understand that oh! that was a clue! If you want to pick up on how some of the threads intertwine, you’ll have to read it a second (or third) time. And other times, Soule never shows how some action Heller takes affects the main plot. It’s this open-endedness combined with the inclusion of apparently irrelevant material that makes the story feel even more real. Not everything in your life has closure or relevancy, neither is it so in Heller’s.
Soule isn’t the only one who does a good job telling this story though. Artist Greg Scott’s rough line work suits this story perfectly. Through facial expressions and body language, he brings even more life to these already rich characters. Scott also finds clever ways to illustrate how Heller’s view of the world changes as he delves into Brownfield’s theories, conveying complicated connections and potential pathways without any expositional aid from Soule. His work brings to mind comparisons to Tony Harris, complete with the occasional panel which looks a little too static. While his efforts probably wouldn’t be right for a superhero style action book, his name on another sci-fi or drama series would warrant a look.
Scott is helped in no small part by his two colorists, Art Lyon and Matthew Petz. The duo tag teamed duties here, but you’ll be hard pressed to tell who did what. They utilize shadow and monochromatic panels to harness a mood when the story calls for it, and they use color coding as one more way to visualize the theories of “Strange Attractors”. It’s not obvious, though, and it’s never specifically pointed out to you. You’ll only realize it’s happening in the last third of the story. This attention to detail without drawing your attention to the detail is just one more way this book will respect your intelligence.
The hardcover comes with a nice intro from Soule talking about New York and his love for the city in a way which will make you jealous you don’t have such strong feelings about your city. It very neatly and precisely primes you for the way he approaches the narrative of “Strange Attractors” – acknowledging all the city’s faults, but remaining optimistic. After the finale, artist Robert Saywitz explains at length the process he used to create two images for the book. The two images in question are vital to the plot, but are easy to overlook on a first read. This detailed coverage of them will give you a better appreciation of them and remind you once again just how much thought went into the book’s complete design.
Final Verdict: 9 – Buy. I wish every book thought as highly of me as this one does.
