|
HEAVY
LIQUID.
Stylistic
science-fiction from the self-styled "Destroyer of Comics".
 Writer
and Artist: Paul Pope
Letterer: John Workman
5 issue series
Published by DC Vertigo 1999
$5.95 each
Reviewed
by Paul Hanna
If
you took Paul Pope literally when he proclaimed that he would
destroy comics, read HEAVY LIQUID. It is perhaps among
the finest examples in recent memory in which the comic book format
has been applied to its full potential.
A
five-issue story set against a science-fiction backdrop, HEAVY
LIQUID, at its bare bones, is a story about someone trying
to move on. Our protagonist, a fellow called S, is a finder. He
finds people. And he has been hired, one last time, to find an
artist for a spooky, monolithic art collector. But S finds that
perhaps he is pursuing more than just an artist on this last job.
S
also has a shady past, many facets of which pursue him throughout
the story: crime syndicates, government, even his own memories.
Add this with S's psychological dependency upon the mysterious
substance, "heavy liquid," and you've got a story with a wonderfully
strong surreal edge to it.
| "HEAVY
LIQUID
is a godsend to the side-stapled pamphlet format" |
The
story, as the title might indicate, is a little on the dense side;
Pope has thrown a lot into the mix. The inside front and back
covers are a thoughtful touch, as are the first few pages of each
issue; all of these expound on peripheral elements to the story,
from makeshift maps of Manhattan and Paris to details of unique
outfit that S wears. While interesting footnotes, they might overwhelm
or bore certain readers. Fortunately, reading them isn't integral
to the enjoyment of the story.
The
words are those of a keen craftsman. S's narration has a poetic
feel at times and is crucial to understanding him, especially
as it develops into an internal monologue and then into an internal...
dialogue?
Cosmetically,
HEAVY LIQUID is a godsend to the side-stapled pamphlet
format. The covers are intricate and eye-grabbing without being
an ugly complex mess. Pope has even one-upped those variant cover
yaysayers by illustrating a second cover on the back of each book.
The
inside art is even more stunning. One of Pope's obvious strengths
is setting the mood of a story with only a couple of pages, simply
by playing with setting. The jolting whistle of a teakettle, an
alarmingly pink-hued neon sign against an otherwise serene cityscape.
Pope's tricks seem simple, but they work well.
Also,
many times in HEAVY LIQUID, playing with a character's
environment will reflect their state of mind in addition to facial
expressions. And Pope's energetic drawings mesh well in a story
with such a kick to it.
| "An exceptional
technical achievement in comics storytelling" |
The
colors straddle the worlds of black-and-white and color. The blue
and red hues Pope employs allow him to play with a wider range
of lights and darks than a black-and-white book would not. The
end result is a something that feels like a black-and-white work
but isn't.
Writer/artist
Paul Pope may have authored one of the best Vertigo miniseries
to date in HEAVY LIQUID. It is anything but a destructive
threat to the medium, more of an exceptional technical achievement
in comics storytelling.
Recommended
Paul
Hanna is a regular contributor to PopImage.
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