Nearing the end of the titles that received single votes in the fave ’90s indies poll! (Again, that doesn’t say anything about the comic, just about how many different good comics that came out in the 1990s!)
Stranger Attractors (RetroGrafix, 1993-1997)
I’ve noted before the main difference between this series of posts and the series I did focusing on 1980s books is that I’m largely more familiar with the ’80s titles. Even if I didn’t read the title itself, I usually had enough working familiarity with it so that I can discuss it at least somewhat non-foolishly.
Once the ’90s rolled along, I just didn’t have the time to keep up with every new title, sometimes only knowing things by their titles and not being aware of the actual contents. Just the sheer number of books available made that difficult, and my ability to keep up with every ‘zine and trade paper that possibly would have filled in the blanks fell to the wayside as well.
Which is a long way of me saying, yeah, I don’t know a whole lot about this comic. We absolutely carried the comic at my previous place of employment, and I recognize many of the covers. Couldn’t tell you how it sold for us, other than having a vague recollection that I had a couple of pull list customers for it.
I apologize for this oversight of mine, and certainly not a reflection on the quality of this comic. I did a little bit of research, thanks to my copy of the Slings and Arrows Comics Guide and judicious usage of the ‘zine search engine, so I can at least tell you that the book, by Michael Cohen and Mark Sherman centers around Sophie, a curator of an extensive museum of unusual artifacts. Normally an introverted and reserved person, she finds herself drawn further and further into an adventurous and exciting life. In space, I should probably mention.
The series also features flashbacks to Sophie’s childhood, and her fascination with sci-fi comic books. In a 1997 Comic Buyer’s Guide interview, Sherman says
“Sophie is a kind of mirror for all of us who are involved in this comics world. I think a lot of us see ourselves in Sophie and herencyclopedic knowledge of comic books. […] We get an almost transcendental thrill out of reading this fantastic literature called comic book. That is kind of where much of Strange Attractors comes from.”
From the sounds of it, it’s a sci-fi comic book adventure informed by sci-fi comic book adventure. Not in the sense of “the writers have only ever read comics, and that’s their only influence,” but in the sense of trying to impart that old energy and appeal into modern storytelling.
That original series ran 15 issues, with a mini published by Caliber Press in 1997. There was at least one reprint collection, Chaos Jitterbug, released by RetroGrafix in 1996, reprinting the first seven issues. In 2021 It’s Alive Press began reprinting the series, releasing at least six issues. (There is an unrelated series with the same name written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Greg Scott.)
All that is out of print, of course, but I imagine it wouldn’t cost too much to assemble a collection of these. The trick would be finding them, I would think. I can’t even say for sure I have any copies in my shop currently.
I hope this was a sufficient if brief overview of the title. I can only beg your pardon for having a hole like this in my knowledge, where I know the title, I know the covers, but could only relate what others have said about it. It’s like asking an A.I. bot, but getting your repsonse from a genuine if flawed human brain. If any of you have anything to add, my comment section is, as always, wide open.
I did buy and read Strange Attractors, though TBH this many years later I don’t remember that much except that I recall enjoying it, and that it remained unfinished. IIRC the Caliber series was supposed to be four issues but only two issues were ever released.
I picked up a copy of Strange Attractors in a dollar bin several years ago but never got around to reading it. I do think that the art by Michael Cohen is very charming. It reminds me a bit of Jaime Hernandez’s art on his The Adventures of Rocky & Fumble stories in early issues of Love & Rockets, as well as Mike Kaluta’s art on Starstruck, and Dave Stevens’s art on Space Vixens–although not as refined.
Then there is the whole homage to vintage Golden Age age Planet Comics published by Fiction House angle; as well as the Barbarella angle–with Pirate Peg’s eye patch harking back to the one worn by The Black Queen, Great Tyrant of Sogo.
Belatedly I realise that ‘It’s Alive!’ is a witty name for a publisher specialising in reprints. (I bought their ‘Roachmill’ series.) Alas, it seems their titles died with Drew Ford, R.I.P.