The proliferation of pseudo science and stupidity cannot be counteracted by non-fiction books or not fun (at least to a fictional normal person) reading material. We really need to counteract this by playing to what the market wants.
One of the reasons Japan leads in Robotics is probably anime. We need more of things like this. We must try to make science fun. A novel such as Logicomix for a host of subjects may probably help; although I suspect that the bestseller status of Logicomix just says how large the geek and nerd market is.
Shock seller
Originally published in Greek in the fall of 2008, Logicomix enjoyed a successful run at home. But its authors were unprepared for the reception in the United States and Britain, where it sold out on the first day of its release in last month.
The New York Times greeted the comic’s U.S. debut with a bemused “well, this is unexpected”. It said the story was “presented with real graphic verve” and “for the most part the ideas are conveyed accurately, with delightful simplicity.”
“I think the publishers (Bloomsbury) were shocked. I was shocked, too,” Doxiadis said. It sped up bestseller lists to occupy top 10 spots in comics, fiction and general book rankings on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Unlikely topic for a comic book
“No Greek book has sold abroad like this in 30 years,” said Dinos Vrettos, a manager at a major Athens bookstore.
The aim of Logicomix is “to tell a fascinating story about the history of ideas” said Doxiadis, who in 2001 published a novel titled “Uncle Petros and Goldbach’s Conjecture” about a boy’s quest for knowledge on his reclusive mathematician uncle.
“In Logicomix, the story I think is in some ways emblematic of much of what happened in the 20th century, with its search for certainty, for knowledge, and what often went with it, for power over life,” he added. “The fact that this idea looked like, to put it mildly, not a very likely idea for a comic book, never deterred me.”
via Greek maths comic is surprise bestseller | COSMOS magazine.
