Fractal Cascade

Fractal Cascade looks at the question of what it means to be an intelligent life form confronting the abyss. From the end of the dinosaurs to the end of time, and from spontaneous technogenesis to the creation of lower-dimensional universes, our protagonists are faced with the macro and the mundane. Charles the Person, a biobot created by a race of aliens who evolved directly to technology, wanders a Tuscany on the cusp of the Renaissance. Forbidden from harming biologicals, he is an outlier in a traumatized society emerging from the Black Death. Meanwhile, 21st century explorers embark on a decade-plus mission to a bizarre rogue planet called Phaethon and its moon Aerion, as the objects move from interstellar space through our solar system. Needing to spend most of their time in gravity-simulating haptic suits, they train in immersive VR games run by the ship's AI, Zhu Zhu. As they approach the Phaethon system, it becomes clear that these are not normal worlds, and without profound modifications their mission will be impossible, as will their intimate connection to Charles the Person.

Fractal Cascade is a graphic novel in woodcut, ink, and watercolor. It grew out of themes that have been present in my woodcuts and previous comics, particularly on ideas of emergent phenomena and superorganisms, and what these subjects can teach us about ourselves.

Physical version available at https://www.jrenzella.net/store/fractalcascade

ISBN: 978-986-91676-3-5 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-986-91676-6-6 (PDF)
ISBN: 978-986-91676-7-3(softcover)
Publication Date: May 2024 (hardcover & digital), July 2024 (softcover)
96 pages (hardcover) 104 pages (expanded softcover)
US$20 (softcover) US$8 (digital)
Also available in Traditional Taiwanese Mandarin