Written by Carlo Wolff, THE BOSTON GLOBE

Sunday, 03 January 2010 15:04

In examining the life of philosopher-mathematician Bertrand Russell, “Logicomix’’serves up Set Theory, Ludwig Wittgenstein’s questioning of “objective existence’’ and the work of mathematicians spanning Gottfried Leibniz and Alfred North Whitehead. Heady stuff, especially for the math-challenged. But the authors of this warm homage achieve the miraculous: popularizing the abstruse by way of vivid, vigorous coloring, a sweet, engaging subplot about their crafting of the book, and the humanizing of these mighty thinkers. Many of these geniuses were flawed, including the largely sympathetic Russell, but Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou effectively contextualize them, making this a spirited exercise in the history of ideas. Reading “Logicomix’’ is like stumbling upon the best college class you never expected and settling down for enlightenment.

Read the full review (including other graphic novels) here.