At first glance, mathematics and comics may not seem to have much in common. Some might think of the geometry of certain pages by Edgard Félix Pierre Jacobs, better known as Edgar P. Jacobs (1904–1987), with their more or less daring layouts, or by Philippe Druillet (born 1944), creator of the "Salammbô" trilogy (Dargaud). Others will recall a few Asterix characters with evocative names: the foolish Aplusbégalix, Abraracourcix's rival in Le Combat des chefs (Dargaud, 1966); the despicable Quatrédeusix, who is ready to betray the famous Gauls in Le Tour de Gaule (Dargaud, 1965); the double agent Zérozérosix in L'Odyssée d'Astérix (Albert René, 1981); or Anglaigus, the architect of the Domaine des dieux (Dargaud, 1971). Asterix's creators, René Goscinny (1926–1977) and Alberto Aleandro Uderzo, better known as Albert Uderzo (1927–2020), never ran short of puns. Others may long cherish fond memories of Claudia Chiffre, Little Spirou's arithmetic teacher (Dupuis), with her decidedly curvaceous figure. One of the most influential French cartoonists of the 20th century even borrowed one of his pseudonyms from a mathematician. Jean Giraud (1938–2012), the artist behind Blueberry, achieved international recognition for his science-fiction work published under the name Moebius—a nod to August Möbius (1790–1868), the "discoverer" of the famous Möbius strip.
Beyond these more or less anecdotal connections, what is striking about comics and mathematics is their universality. Regular readers of Tangente already know how deeply mathematics permeates the sciences and many other fields of knowledge. Long dismissed as mere entertainment for children, comics now tackle absolutely every subject, whether through narrative or documentary. Finally, their modes of expression give both fields a certain ability to cross borders.
Comics that explore mathematics ----------------------------
The simplest way to build a bridge between mathematics and comics is probably to look at books devoted to mathematics. Several titles offer textbooks in comic-book form, and there is even a linear algebra textbook in manga form. The Éditions du Kangourou catalogue also includes Les Aventures d'Epsilon et Maëlis (two volumes, 2012), featuring two characters brought to life by Nicolas Clément as they embark on a mathematical journey through time and space.
More demanding but utterly compelling, the essential graphic novel Logicomix (Vuibert, 2008) plunges us into the life of logician Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872–1970). Partly scripted by Apóstolos Doxiádis (born 1953), who is also the author of the novel Oncle Petros et la Conjecture de Goldbach (Points, 2002), this work of more than 350 pages follows the quest for the foundations of mathematics from the late 19th century to the mid-20th, while also dramatizing its own authors' debates and questions.