Strange Attractors
Hardcover
Written by Charles Soule
Illustrated by Greg Scott
Colors by Art Lion & Matthew Petz
Letters by Thomas Mauer
Cover by Dan Duncan
Complexity Maps by Robert Saywitz
Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Cover Price: $19.95

Every once in a great while I stumble upon a book or comic that truly amazes me. Whether it is the artwork or the storyline, sometimes I am simply flabbergasted. Strange Attractors has made it onto this short list. I read it the same afternoon that it arrived but found myself reading it again the next day. I’ve already loaned it out to a friend, something I seldom do, because the graphic novel is just that good and needs to be shared with the world.

Combining science fiction and mathematics, the story revolves around complexity theory as it applies to the metropolis of New York City. Basically, this means that every small action creates a chain reaction that affects the greater whole. The main character, Heller Wilson, is a young man working towards his postgraduate degree on this very concept. He seeks out a former professor from Columbia University, a Doctor Spencer Brownfield, who was a known expert on the subject before leaving his teaching position under mysterious circumstances.

Strange Attractors
Written by Charles Soule
Art by Greg Scott
Colors by Art Lyon & Matthew Petz
Letters by Thomas Mauer
Cover by Dan Duncan
Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: May 15, 2013
Cover Price: $19.95

The Butterfly Effect.

A phenomenon in which a minor change in circumstances can cause a large change in outcome.

If you had the ability to manipulate the outcomes of several small events to prevent something on a larger scale from happening, would you do it? In the new graphic novel, Strange Attractors, the themes of chaos theory are explored and examined.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7
Story by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz
Script by Tom Waltz
Art by Dan Duncan
Colors by Ronda Pattison
Letters by Shawn Lee
Covers by Dan Duncan, Kevin Eastman & Mark Torres
IDW Publishing
Release Date: February 22nd, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

My greatest fear for this book finally hit this issue, but on the whole, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7 was surprisingly the best issue of the series so far! By a long shot!!

While I’m a huge fan of the Turtles, I’m not a fan of their science fiction stories. I’m a fan of them, on Earth, in the sewers, fighting ninjas. Every time they’ve lapsed over into “Turtles in Space” I have immediately lost interest completely. So, you can understand my disappointment when this issue opens in space, with a sci-fi battle. But, writer Tom Waltz quickly turned my worst fears into one of the COOLEST plot points (that I will NOT spoil here) so far in this book.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6
Written by Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script by Tom Waltz
Art by Dan Duncan
Colors by Ronda Pattinson
Letters by Shawn Lee
Covers by Dan Duncan, Kevin Eastman, and Rob Guillory
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 25, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Month after month, this book gets more entertaining and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 is no exception. You get everything you wanted in a Turtles comic, in spades.

I’m not sure how Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz split the writing chores, but they are doing a fantastic job on this book. There’s SO much going on, but the audience is never confused or overwhelmed. What impresses me most is that they’ve stuck to the characteristics of the Turtles, but yet, there’s a tangible tension at times between the four brothers.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5
Written by Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Script by Tom Waltz
Art by Dan Duncan (New York City), Mateus Santoouco (Feudal Japan)
Colors by Ronda Pattinson
Letters by Shawn Lee
Covers by Mateus Santoouco, Dan Duncan, Kevin Eastman
IDW Publishing
Release Date: December 21, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

Man, it’s a great time to be a Turtle fan! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 is probably my favorite issue of the series so far. It’s got everything!

Tom Waltz lays out a killer script based on a story by himself and Turtles co-creator, Kevin Eastman. Just when we think we know where the story is going, they both pull the rug out from under us, and the payoff is one that fans have been waiting for and wondering about since the first issue. To their credit, they leave a huge part of a mystery unsolved, ready to be revealed in another issue.