I picked up Logicomix from the library at $4 when I saw it in the donation rack. A comic book written by a Berkeley professor about Bertrand Russell's Principia defintely got my attention in a "wait, how the heck did I miss this?" kinda way. The book basically follows the life of Bertrand Russell as well as the history of logic in mathematics. It includes many many illustrious mathematicians, including George Cantor, Gauss, Turing, Whitehead, Boole, Godel. It does take some artistic license, all acknowledged in the appendix, that Russell could not possibly have met some of them in person.
Besides a (very non-technical) tour of logic, sets, and mathematics, it covers Russell's anti-war work, his childhood, and illustrates that many of the mathematicians mentioned effectively went crazy. Fortunately, the book shies away from drawing any unwarranted conclusions since I know many sane mathematicians. The story's covered very nicely and the art serves the story rather than drawing attention to itself.
The book is self-referential, at times dipping into discussions amongst the authors and artists about how to depict a scene, or about the various concepts that Russell was grappling with. I thought this was fun, though sometimes a little on the tangential side.
The back of the book includes a glossary and cast of characters as well as a detailed explanation of some of the mathematical concepts involved. It's quite thorough and enjoyable to read as well.
This was a fun and surprisingly educational comic to read. Highly recommended!
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