LOGICOMIX is an eager attempt to communicate the history of math and logic through comics. I don't have previous knowledge of the characters and the historical background so I'll have to assume that they did a good job of representing the characters and what they did (there is a host of footnotes in the back with further information, details, and resources). However I do read lots of comics and graphic novels so I can comment from that perspective. LOGICOMIX doesn't make full use of the comics form to communicate information. Too often, mathematical principles are discussed by talking heads on the page rather than made visual. For a math comic that uses comics to their full potential I would suggest checking out the math section in Ron Rege's AGAINST PAIN.

However this book would be very good for use in perhaps a middle or high school classroom, which I think it was probably intended for.

Logicomix, a biographical graphic novel written by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou and illustrated by Alecos Papadatos, Annie Di Donna, Dimitris Karazaferis, and Thodoris Paraskevas, is a story about logic and mathematics, focusing on the late-18th/early-19th century mathematician Bertrand Russell.

(In this case Logic means the study of methodical thinking. Logicians apply Logic to any problems that need solving, be they math, social issues, or anything else)

Troubled as a child by the presence of mental illness in his family, Russell found refuge in the one thing that consistently made sense: math. While attending Cambridge Russell found a flaw in the fundations of mathematics, that being that instead of accepting axioms as givens (i.e. 1+1=2) even those axioms have to be proven in order for any math based on them to be valid. This quest to fix the foundations of mathematics was shared with other contemporaries and was the main focus of Russells career.

We are being told the story of Apostolos telling Christos of the story of Bertrand Russell speaking at a University, telling the story of his life. Despite that complicated premise the story is easy to follow. I admit I didn't always understand the math, but the it's clear enough when the characters are happy or unhappy with the concepts, and that's the main focus of the story. The characters are clearly illustrated, expressive and easy to tell apart.

I admit that when I read the high brow concept of this graphic novel, I was a bit intimidated. I in the end I found it to be a very readable biography.

This graphic novel focuses on British philosopher/logician/Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell and his "pursuit of the ultimate truth". The narrative unfolds at a September 1939 Russell lecture entitled "The Role Of Logic In Human Affairs", with a passionate audience fervently divided on the question of America entering WWII. Asked to choose a side, Russell instead embarks upon the story of his life. He describes his childhood at Pembroke Lodge under his affluent but strictly religious grandmother. He rejects her dogma and embarks on intense scholastic pursuits, especially in mathematics. His world travels offer meetings with various philosophers of the day, and he mentors a young Ludwig Wittgenstein. Twice divorced, Russell's personal life is not as successful as his academic endeavors.
Alecos Papadatos' wonderfully detailed splash page (page 23) of a walk through the city is a highlight of the artwork. Only the sixteen page "Overture" was colored in my advance copy, though I suspect the actual book will be in full color. The authors appear frequently with comments, irritatingly disrupting the flow. I disliked these characters more with each digression. The book encapsulates complex mathematical and philosophical ideas in an interesting manner, but the dry main narrative makes for a dull read. This is only recommended for those with significant interest in the aforementioned areas of study: it would probably not interest a wider audience.