100%

DC/Vertigo

(Written and art by Paul Pope)

May 14, 2010 Web Exclusive By Jeremy Nisen Bookmark and Share


While my appreciation of Paul Pope's Heavy Liquid is on record, I'll submit that his 100% series, published in the early 2000s and now collected in a single edition from Vertigo, was definitely a step forward in maturity, subject matter, and storytelling. Not better, necessarily, but a natural and appropriate follow-up.

Against a low-science fiction backdrop in the year 2038, six characters with interwoven stories take the spotlight. As clever as the science fiction-isms of the book are, the relationships and very human situations are rightly the focus; the future stuff is more or less local color.

To borrow from Pope's own notes in the background material that closes the collected volume: "Sci-fi is the literary vehicle through which we can express and address our anxieties about the world we're—either intentionally or unintentionally—creating."

The art seems more fluid than in Heavy Liquid, more natural, more of that Pope signature "beautifully ugly" stuff. A very strong art and counterculture vibe permeates; four of the six main protagonists work at a space-age strip joint where the insides of a dancer are on display (where but one is actually a dancer). Despite the backdrop, situations involving love, family, art, money, and relationships are timeless. While sometimes bits of emotional dialogue seem a touch melodramatic, the art never fails to impress; most of the book just seamlessly transports the reader into other times and lives. It's really beautiful. Oh, and the 2038 version of eyeglasses are pretty stylish to boot. (www.dccomics.com/vertigo)

Author rating: 8/10

Rate this comic book
Average reader rating: 6/10

Comments

Submit your comment

Name Required

Email Required, will not be published

URL

Remember my personal information
Notify me of follow-up comments?

Please enter the word you see in the image below:

There are no comments for this entry yet.