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Heavy Liquid
Paul Pope's Eisner Award-nominated epic is collected in hardcover for the first time, completely recolored, with bonus sketch material. Meet "S," a man addicted to "heavy liquid," a substance that's both drug and art form, in a future New York that's a sci-fi metropoli
256 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2001
About the author
Paul Pope
263 books239 followersPAUL POPE is an American cartoonist living and working in New York City. Pope has made a name for himself internationally as an artist and designer. He has been working primarily in comics since the early '90s, but has also done a number of projects with Italian fashion label Diesel Industries and, in the US, with DKNY. His media clients include LucasArts, Paramount Pictures, Cartoon Network, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Conde-Naste, Kodansha (Japan), Sapporo (Japan), Marc Ecko, Dargaud Editions (France), EMI Canada, Warner Brothers, and The British Film Institute. His iconic Batman: Year 100, a science fiction take on the classic Batman origin tale, has won numerous awards, seen print in many languages, and appears frequently on many Top 10 Batman story lists. In 2010, Pope was recognized as a Master Artist by the American Council Of The Arts, and is currently sitting on the ACA advisory board. His 2010, short science fiction comic strip Strange Adventures (DC Comics)--an homage to the Flash Gordon serials of the '30s-- won the coveted National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award for Best Comic Book of the year. He has won 5 Eisners to date.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
March 15, 2023
Wonderful sci-fi/crime story that will keep you guessing till the end! Really kind of anticipates the designer drug problem we are now facing. Paul Pope has done some amazing stuff - if you like books where sci-fi and crime intersect then you will want to check out this GN and some of his other works.
January 13, 2018
Heavy Liquid is a thoroughly enjoyable fusion of art and thrills. With a deceptively simplistic palette, light turquoise playfully intertwines with equally light pinks that could be found on ballet shoes. With blacks that range from wavy outlines toward more denser depictions, the simplistic duo drives the story until punctuated with strong overlays of red that convey urgency and poignancy.
The colors are great as so are the characters and the plot that guides them along. Following a not-so-simple drop off of narcotics, our main character is given a job from the local underboss. And I'll just let you read to discover what happens next.
Needless to say it involves lots of chases, action, art, the whole kit and caboodle of thriller fun in all its varieties. With a highly unique style of art and font (I suspect Pope created his own - which is pretty cool) action comics have never been so fun!
A true hidden gem waiting to be read.
2 thumbs up!
The colors are great as so are the characters and the plot that guides them along. Following a not-so-simple drop off of narcotics, our main character is given a job from the local underboss. And I'll just let you read to discover what happens next.
Needless to say it involves lots of chases, action, art, the whole kit and caboodle of thriller fun in all its varieties. With a highly unique style of art and font (I suspect Pope created his own - which is pretty cool) action comics have never been so fun!
A true hidden gem waiting to be read.
2 thumbs up!
January 12, 2009
Rarely have I been so entirely unaffected by a book I actually finished. The best thing I can say about Heavy Liquid is that it was short, but I don't have anything really horrible to say about it either. Paul Pope is not a great talent. His dialogue is damningly sparse and his artwork isn't kinetic enough to convey the action it's supposed to, so the story feels plodding when it should spark and muddy during ostensible moments of clarity/revelation. The relationships and archetypes are stamped on, and nothing more: Lover, Sidekick, Bad Guy, Really Bad Guy. I kept waiting for something to surprise me, and nothing did.
If there's a good bit to Heavy Liquid, it's the chapter intros. They're designed as dramatis personae, catalogue pages, TV Guide articles. They hint at a rich, fully realized world somewhere in Pope's head that he just can't quite commit to paper. This book was Eisner nominated, and I get the feeling that's because of the pricing guide to the protagonist's "tricentennial boots." That, or it was just a thoroughly lackluster year for comics.
If there's a good bit to Heavy Liquid, it's the chapter intros. They're designed as dramatis personae, catalogue pages, TV Guide articles. They hint at a rich, fully realized world somewhere in Pope's head that he just can't quite commit to paper. This book was Eisner nominated, and I get the feeling that's because of the pricing guide to the protagonist's "tricentennial boots." That, or it was just a thoroughly lackluster year for comics.
December 20, 2010
*sort of spoiler, but it's pretty vague since I don't understand the ending myself*
So after 40 pages of volume 5 (the last one), Paul Pope went, 'Shit, I need another 10 pages. I think I've exhausted all moon, star, planets, and really big planets. Maybe I should draw some boobs. But damn the only female character I have is actually single with no love interest. Would a gun chase sequence work? Explosions? I don't want to look like Michael Bay though. He gets a lot of hate. Come on brain, I know you can do this. GAH! The acid isn't helping. Ok, fine, here's what I'll do. I'll make my protagonist an alien.'
Yeah.
So after 40 pages of volume 5 (the last one), Paul Pope went, 'Shit, I need another 10 pages. I think I've exhausted all moon, star, planets, and really big planets. Maybe I should draw some boobs. But damn the only female character I have is actually single with no love interest. Would a gun chase sequence work? Explosions? I don't want to look like Michael Bay though. He gets a lot of hate. Come on brain, I know you can do this. GAH! The acid isn't helping. Ok, fine, here's what I'll do. I'll make my protagonist an alien.'
Yeah.
May 13, 2014
I love manga, I love comics, I love bandes dessinées, I love science fiction, I love rock’n’roll, I love to draw. I wanted to find some idea that would blend all these impulses in one story and come off like a barrage of visual noise and read like a comic book from the future. The scary future, the screaming future—a place where people are becoming machine-people, where people live in crumbling cities, where people sleep in cramped ghettos and move faster than sharks across vast blue oceans, a world of people with false-faces, addictions, secrets and conceits, people with hopes and losses, people snatching tiny victories from the jaws of a wasted world.
This is from Heavy Liquid's endpages, from Paul Pope himself. And while HL is trying to be all the things he wants it to, I'm still left pretty dissatisfied. Pope at his best performs effortlessness, --- 100%, the spiritual partner to this book, is effortless in every page. According to Pope, 100% was written by day, and this by night, so that both books came about in relatively the same period of time. And while by night should imply that HL takes the lion's share of the alchemic ballsiness laid out in the above manifesto, it instead just feels labored, overwrought, and premeditated. It certainly has clearer trappings of sci fi and noir -- a clearer sense of being the kind of book that it wants to be than 100%'s relative messiness could hope to aspire to.
But without the recklessness and improvisation infused in Pope's better work, HL lays bare his usual weaknesses -- all the hamfisted plotting, tin dialogue, and goofy swagger just feel a little sad. It's easy to forgive a book for being rough around the edges if it reads like it was tossed off in an afternoon. HL's concerted intensity and naked ambition, in this case, work against the book as a whole.
This is from Heavy Liquid's endpages, from Paul Pope himself. And while HL is trying to be all the things he wants it to, I'm still left pretty dissatisfied. Pope at his best performs effortlessness, --- 100%, the spiritual partner to this book, is effortless in every page. According to Pope, 100% was written by day, and this by night, so that both books came about in relatively the same period of time. And while by night should imply that HL takes the lion's share of the alchemic ballsiness laid out in the above manifesto, it instead just feels labored, overwrought, and premeditated. It certainly has clearer trappings of sci fi and noir -- a clearer sense of being the kind of book that it wants to be than 100%'s relative messiness could hope to aspire to.
But without the recklessness and improvisation infused in Pope's better work, HL lays bare his usual weaknesses -- all the hamfisted plotting, tin dialogue, and goofy swagger just feel a little sad. It's easy to forgive a book for being rough around the edges if it reads like it was tossed off in an afternoon. HL's concerted intensity and naked ambition, in this case, work against the book as a whole.
August 14, 2010
“Kid, if I had something snappy to say, I would. But I don’t.” – S, Heavy Liquid Chapter 4.
That line comes at the end of a scene full of snappy dialogue. It breaks a rhythm seemingly designed to lull the reader into a sense of security in order to break it before launching into a new set piece, shattering our expectations as it takes us somewhere completely new.
It happens a lot in this book. Just when Pope lulls the reader into thinking he knows what he’s looking at and can relax, he comes out with a line like that. Or the image of a Cubist hitman walking down the middle of a crowded street, coming to pull our protagonist out of a cab stuck in traffic and blow his head off. This is Chandler by way of Philip K. Dick through a dirty Eisner lens.
We’re big fans of his later Vertigo work, 100%, in my house, so I knew I would love whatever this presented me. I should have known it would be just as challenging. Although both start from a future New York City and both follow a group of starving and desperate young people, where 100% turns romantic, Heavy Liquid turns urban crime fantasy. Pope runs us through a dark, grimy, yet hip and alluring NYC just long enough for us to get comfortable there, then he sends us flying to a Paris out of our twisted dreams, then, by way of a black-as-ink tunnel, he sends us to the stars. I’m not giving anything away by laying all that out because the journey is the point itself. Heavy Liquid, like Pope’s other work, is to be savored as it’s consumed, like a red wine so dry and deep you have to drink it slow.
About the art: Pope’s art always reminds me of an artsy underground punk band. Educated and trained to the point of boredom with form, Pope flies into wild and scratchy experimentation, keeping his layouts and his linework just grounded enough to never sacrifice story. The use of pinks and blues is evocative of the drug addiction and paranoia at the center of the book, keeping the reader sublimely unnerved. I could go on for pages. I’ll just end by saying it’s gorgeous and always pleases this reader.
That line comes at the end of a scene full of snappy dialogue. It breaks a rhythm seemingly designed to lull the reader into a sense of security in order to break it before launching into a new set piece, shattering our expectations as it takes us somewhere completely new.
It happens a lot in this book. Just when Pope lulls the reader into thinking he knows what he’s looking at and can relax, he comes out with a line like that. Or the image of a Cubist hitman walking down the middle of a crowded street, coming to pull our protagonist out of a cab stuck in traffic and blow his head off. This is Chandler by way of Philip K. Dick through a dirty Eisner lens.
We’re big fans of his later Vertigo work, 100%, in my house, so I knew I would love whatever this presented me. I should have known it would be just as challenging. Although both start from a future New York City and both follow a group of starving and desperate young people, where 100% turns romantic, Heavy Liquid turns urban crime fantasy. Pope runs us through a dark, grimy, yet hip and alluring NYC just long enough for us to get comfortable there, then he sends us flying to a Paris out of our twisted dreams, then, by way of a black-as-ink tunnel, he sends us to the stars. I’m not giving anything away by laying all that out because the journey is the point itself. Heavy Liquid, like Pope’s other work, is to be savored as it’s consumed, like a red wine so dry and deep you have to drink it slow.
About the art: Pope’s art always reminds me of an artsy underground punk band. Educated and trained to the point of boredom with form, Pope flies into wild and scratchy experimentation, keeping his layouts and his linework just grounded enough to never sacrifice story. The use of pinks and blues is evocative of the drug addiction and paranoia at the center of the book, keeping the reader sublimely unnerved. I could go on for pages. I’ll just end by saying it’s gorgeous and always pleases this reader.
Read
October 18, 2018Paul Pope has been one of my favourite comics creators since I picked up issue #6a of THB back in 2000.
Heavy Liquid, which I first read ages ago and am rereading now, is pretty much everything I love about his stuff. The beautiful art, the ideas, the attention to detail, the fashion, the world that he created. Heavy Liquid is just an awesome cyberpunk comic about art and crime.
Kind of weirdly, the hardcover is not actually the best way to read this comic. If you can, you should try to track down the original five issues. There aren't any ads in them, they have some content that isn't in the collection (though admittedly, the hardcover has some stuff not in the issues), and the covers are in full colour. The colouring also seems to have been redone somewhat for the collection, and I like the original version better. (Plus, the final issue has a letter from Brandon Graham in it!)
Heavy Liquid, which I first read ages ago and am rereading now, is pretty much everything I love about his stuff. The beautiful art, the ideas, the attention to detail, the fashion, the world that he created. Heavy Liquid is just an awesome cyberpunk comic about art and crime.
Kind of weirdly, the hardcover is not actually the best way to read this comic. If you can, you should try to track down the original five issues. There aren't any ads in them, they have some content that isn't in the collection (though admittedly, the hardcover has some stuff not in the issues), and the covers are in full colour. The colouring also seems to have been redone somewhat for the collection, and I like the original version better. (Plus, the final issue has a letter from Brandon Graham in it!)
August 24, 2019
A noir-tinged dystopian graphic novel that centers around a highly addictive drug, a sculptor, some hoods in Halloween masks, and a trip to Paris. Story a bit hard to follow at times.
January 9, 2023
Najlepszym określeniem tego komiksu jest słowo "szybko". "Heavy Liquid "szybko" się czyta, bo kreska sprzyja dynamicznej akcji, ale równie "szybko" się o nim zapomina, bo historia outsidera w dystopijnej scenerii, który przyjmuje zlecenie i walczy ze "złymi" oraz ze ścigającym go przedstawicielem władzy wydaje się tak nieświeża, że trudno całość traktować inaczej niż "szybki" odmóżdżacz na czas intelektualnego kryzysu. No i ten wyszukany pomysł, by gra toczyła się o materię, która po prostu spadła z kosmosu, też jakby stworzony "na szybko"
March 1, 2020
Bringing thoughts of a character out of the characters mind is not easy. Here I think it made the pages unnecessarily verbose. Most of the lead character's commentary is trivial and does not add up to the scenes. Since there is a very original sublety to this story, in which the tech is really advanced but inconspicuous, and there are hints of influence from film noir, the author could have used that film noir story telling to match the sublety of his art. And make the characterś speech sparse, like a backgroung rhythm.
June 5, 2012
Another 5 star PP Illustrated novella. Close to perfect. Nearly animated and come to life as it is read. Fast, tense, sexual, youthist, futuristic, restrained, smart, urbane, sweet, ripe....This is how I think PP would describe his own book.
It IS full of the juice of the generation it was written for and about. His best, most complete work, and the one that drops you off, just at the edge of a potential revelation/epiphany...the very last page and panels show you the glimpse of the solution to the puzzle of "Heavy Liquid", but it is for the reader to live with that teasing clue and to consider what goes on next, on that train, in the mind of S and of the riding passenger that has been alongside him all along.
It IS full of the juice of the generation it was written for and about. His best, most complete work, and the one that drops you off, just at the edge of a potential revelation/epiphany...the very last page and panels show you the glimpse of the solution to the puzzle of "Heavy Liquid", but it is for the reader to live with that teasing clue and to consider what goes on next, on that train, in the mind of S and of the riding passenger that has been alongside him all along.
April 12, 2014
I took awhile to finish this, but that was mostly from lack of appropriate times to get back "into" it, because it's a dense atmosphere that makes up 'Heavy Liquid'. Out of 5 stars, I lean more toward 3.5, only because I "liked it+" and it had some moments where I couldn't make out what I was seeing in a panel or two. That's mostly Pope's frenetic art stylings, and not necessarily a flaw.
Either way, this is a cool, broody book, kinda set in the future-ish. At least, there are some gadgets and such that elevate the "now-ness" of the story—pretty sure it's a fifty-to-a-hundred years on, or so.
Lastly, already I've compared Pope's art to Nathan Fox's, so I knew what I'd get here, and am glad I did. Pretty original stuff, and art that can really hook you.
Either way, this is a cool, broody book, kinda set in the future-ish. At least, there are some gadgets and such that elevate the "now-ness" of the story—pretty sure it's a fifty-to-a-hundred years on, or so.
Lastly, already I've compared Pope's art to Nathan Fox's, so I knew what I'd get here, and am glad I did. Pretty original stuff, and art that can really hook you.
December 22, 2009
paul pope is a genius. this book moves like an akira kurosawa movie on the pages, beautifully crafted in a very post-modern pop art pulp style. feels like a blend of techno-thriller ala william gibson fused with phillip k dick, only with such a cinematic feel that this book moves like a noir ballet. i am in awe of the storyboards, the panels and most of all, they style of his inks. what looks so offhand at first, begins to look so calculated, so stylish and so cunning in its strokes that it becomes intricately tied to the story, unlike other books that seem disjointed. i would compare it to sin city in this way, that the art and story are one and the same, symbiotic. brilliant.
October 10, 2013
Perhaps Pope's best sustained story. It is a unique twist on noir narrative, a detective-like tale with drugs and even some sci-fi thrown in. One could try to dismiss Pope's comics as being too hip or enmeshed in trendy youth culture (including the big manga influence), but that would be ignoring the depth and complexity of his storytelling.
June 19, 2017
"Have you ever faced art for art's sake?
I wonder if you have the stomach..to face death for art's sake."
This sums up the trippy graphic novel by Paul Pope. Playing with shades of green, red and blue, he creates the psychedelic experience on paper, accompanied by a solid noir/mystery story about a rare expensive drug and a guy that always runs from the ghosts of his former life.
I wonder if you have the stomach..to face death for art's sake."
This sums up the trippy graphic novel by Paul Pope. Playing with shades of green, red and blue, he creates the psychedelic experience on paper, accompanied by a solid noir/mystery story about a rare expensive drug and a guy that always runs from the ghosts of his former life.
August 1, 2007
This comic is great; the illustrations and dialogue are all fantastic. It's so seedy and grimey you feel like you need to take a shower after reading it.
And if you ever come across a cheap copy, snatch it up because they are apparently out of print and the prices are way jacked up.
And if you ever come across a cheap copy, snatch it up because they are apparently out of print and the prices are way jacked up.
December 13, 2021
I read Batman 100 quite some time ago, and I barely remember it. But the name "Paul Pope" stuck in my mind.
When I saw this book at my local comic book shop, I hesitated to purchase it. Not because of Pope, but because the book looked ugly. The drawing is messy, but energetic. The color palette is limited to about three garish colors, too.
The story sounded interesting though. It's set in the future and concerns an addictive drug, espionage, travel, violence and adventure.
At first, I was so put off by the color scheme and the messy drawing that I wasn't sure I could make it through. Also, there didn't seem to be much of a plot and the focus seemed to be on action, peril, and violence.
But then, something changed. I began to appreciate Pope's energy. The story became more interesting. By the time I was done, I wanted to start over from the beginning.
Bravo, Mr. Pope!
When I saw this book at my local comic book shop, I hesitated to purchase it. Not because of Pope, but because the book looked ugly. The drawing is messy, but energetic. The color palette is limited to about three garish colors, too.
The story sounded interesting though. It's set in the future and concerns an addictive drug, espionage, travel, violence and adventure.
At first, I was so put off by the color scheme and the messy drawing that I wasn't sure I could make it through. Also, there didn't seem to be much of a plot and the focus seemed to be on action, peril, and violence.
But then, something changed. I began to appreciate Pope's energy. The story became more interesting. By the time I was done, I wanted to start over from the beginning.
Bravo, Mr. Pope!
April 15, 2024
(4,2 of 5 for this neo-noir cyberpunk-ish dystopian action-adventure)
I do like the parts which Paul Pope used to create this comic book. Noir mechanics, dystopian near-future world, with something like pre-cyberpunk feeling. I like how the story evolves, the investigative aspects, and the "on run" trope used here. The story is good. Maybe even excellent. I didn't expect much and I was very much surprised. And it also has good art. I like the tones and thick inks here. The only thing I disliked, but also respect, is the ending, which ends kind of open. But thanks to that the main character feels more "real" because you immediately know there will be more story after that and it creates the illusion that the character lives also outside this story. So, nice surprise Paul. This stuff is actually really good.
I do like the parts which Paul Pope used to create this comic book. Noir mechanics, dystopian near-future world, with something like pre-cyberpunk feeling. I like how the story evolves, the investigative aspects, and the "on run" trope used here. The story is good. Maybe even excellent. I didn't expect much and I was very much surprised. And it also has good art. I like the tones and thick inks here. The only thing I disliked, but also respect, is the ending, which ends kind of open. But thanks to that the main character feels more "real" because you immediately know there will be more story after that and it creates the illusion that the character lives also outside this story. So, nice surprise Paul. This stuff is actually really good.
Read
May 13, 2024lo que me gusta a mí un buen sci-fi noir
January 22, 2013
I bought this to support my daughter's yard sale, but it turned out pretty good.
The art has a unique voice, sort of a surreal, dark, South American-ish feel. Thugs in face masks like Cubist art are chasing our hero. The plot is cyber-punk. Our tough looking hero has cybernetic implants that enable him to commune with special investigative devices that mine the world's data. He took this case partly to get the latest such, the "P'tit Salaud".
There's a new material, 'Heavy Liquid'. Our hero has stolen a bunch of it. It's explosive, addictive, expensive, and yet maybe even more, and more weird.
There's art, humour, violence, romantic pining, even an attack by spider robots. They are sent by a little girl in a pirate outfit serving an ancient wealthy crone. It's pretty weird.
I have two complaints. It's not complete. This is just a collection of the first several issues. Maybe it constitutes Act I of a limited work, or maybe it's just a serial that will drag it out as long as somebody will buy it. I don't know yet.
And the art is too murky. It's hard to tell what's happening sometimes, and it's much darker than it should be. Shouldn't South American-ish style be vibrant. Actually, the afterword by the artist brags, "I figured out how to make two solid colors into an entire color palette...", so maybe it was logistics, not choice. Weird I didn't notice before, it is only black and a sort of orangish-pink.
The art has a unique voice, sort of a surreal, dark, South American-ish feel. Thugs in face masks like Cubist art are chasing our hero. The plot is cyber-punk. Our tough looking hero has cybernetic implants that enable him to commune with special investigative devices that mine the world's data. He took this case partly to get the latest such, the "P'tit Salaud".
There's a new material, 'Heavy Liquid'. Our hero has stolen a bunch of it. It's explosive, addictive, expensive, and yet maybe even more, and more weird.
There's art, humour, violence, romantic pining, even an attack by spider robots. They are sent by a little girl in a pirate outfit serving an ancient wealthy crone. It's pretty weird.
I have two complaints. It's not complete. This is just a collection of the first several issues. Maybe it constitutes Act I of a limited work, or maybe it's just a serial that will drag it out as long as somebody will buy it. I don't know yet.
And the art is too murky. It's hard to tell what's happening sometimes, and it's much darker than it should be. Shouldn't South American-ish style be vibrant. Actually, the afterword by the artist brags, "I figured out how to make two solid colors into an entire color palette...", so maybe it was logistics, not choice. Weird I didn't notice before, it is only black and a sort of orangish-pink.
August 9, 2013
Audience: Ages 16 and up
The year is 2062 and S, like most people in the world of organized crime, would do anything to obtain the mysterious metal like substance, heavy liquid. S has just finished stealing a large quantity of the stuff for an exorbitantly wealthy art collector when he is confronted with a new challenge: locating a young artist who disappeared five years ago. Although he is not in the business of finding people, S has a personal interest in the artist and decides to accept the challenge.
This gritty, violent sci-fi thriller paints the near-future as a dark world largely overtaken by crime-lords and covert, corrupt government agencies. Characters are convincing and well-developed and the plot moves along swiftly with a good deal of action. The images move quickly from frame to frame from close- up, emotional facial shots to more wide-focus angles. The artwork is nearly monochromatic with hints of reds, pinks, and muted blues used sparingly for emphasis. This Eisner nominated graphic novel is recommended as a supplemental purchase for libraries serving adults.
The year is 2062 and S, like most people in the world of organized crime, would do anything to obtain the mysterious metal like substance, heavy liquid. S has just finished stealing a large quantity of the stuff for an exorbitantly wealthy art collector when he is confronted with a new challenge: locating a young artist who disappeared five years ago. Although he is not in the business of finding people, S has a personal interest in the artist and decides to accept the challenge.
This gritty, violent sci-fi thriller paints the near-future as a dark world largely overtaken by crime-lords and covert, corrupt government agencies. Characters are convincing and well-developed and the plot moves along swiftly with a good deal of action. The images move quickly from frame to frame from close- up, emotional facial shots to more wide-focus angles. The artwork is nearly monochromatic with hints of reds, pinks, and muted blues used sparingly for emphasis. This Eisner nominated graphic novel is recommended as a supplemental purchase for libraries serving adults.
June 10, 2016
I originally read this in its original, issue-length format, and I remember really, really enjoying it. Going back to it now, many, many years after first checking it out, I find myself not *quite* as enthralled as I was then. Nevertheless, my understanding of the world, and of art in general, has broadened some, and so while I can't say I'm thrilled by the experience of reading this, it definitely is a book quite unlike any other. Strange, fever-dream imagery combined with a murky, difficult palette wholly appropriate to the narrative serve to make this a unique exploration of the future. Some of the tropes included have grown tedious in the 17 or so years since this arrived, but here, they are more visceral, more experiential, than your usual drug fare.
Good stuff. Paul Pope seldom disappoints.
Good stuff. Paul Pope seldom disappoints.
May 26, 2017
A mysterious metal that can be cooked to produce a peculiar drug, an art collector looking for the perfect artist, a bunch of violent thugs on the hunt, and S, who stole the metal, takes the drugs, is hired by the collector to look for the artist while the thugs are on his tail. Near future sci-fi hard-boiled crime art chase detective thing, painfully hip and cool and street-smart, thoroughly rock'n'roll and a little bit out of this world.
April 8, 2010
So it starts off normal, just an everyday type of story about some drugs, then ROBOT SPIDERS OUT OF NOWHERE.....then back to normal, more about drugs, like it's just everyday to get attacked by robot spiders yet never see anything else that resembles a robot. Then just ends abruptly.
February 6, 2016
Paul Pope's art is alive with movement in his loose brushy strokes of black ink. It's definitely got style going for it. The story itself has some interesting ideas about consciousness and perception, but it can be a bit hard to follow at times.
March 2, 2017
The book leaves me wondering what would happen next based on the discoveries and interactions that lead up to its end. It started a bit slowly, so I had trouble returning to it and pushing onwards, but I'm glad I did.
January 21, 2022
A bizarre, strange story with a fantastic ending. Sci-fi doesn't get trippier, and the art is gorgeous.
May 17, 2022
Bohaterem, którego losy mamy tutaj okazję śledzić jest S. Detektyw, który został wynajęty do odnalezienia pewnego artysty. Rzeźbiarza, który jest w stanie przekształcić metal (tytułowy Heavy Liquid) w zjawiskowo zachwycające dzieło sztuki. Jego niezwykłość polega na tym, że jest jedyną osobą na świecie, która może pracować z tym „niezwykłym” tworzywem. Najrzadszym i najcenniejszym metalem na naszej planecie, który dodatkowo jest zabójczo toksyczny i mocno wybuchowy. Nic więc dziwnego, że przyciąga on uwagę możnych tego świata.
Nie są to jednak wszystkie „możliwości” tego materiału. Jest on również jednym z najbardziej uzależniających i najmocniejszych psychodelików, jakie kiedykolwiek się pojawiły. Jego destrukcyjna siła zmienia oblicze i zachowanie wielu ludzi. Przekona się o tym główny bohater, który przemierzając futurystyczny Nowy Jork oraz Paryż, będzie musiał zmierzyć się z różnymi przeciwnościami losu. Na jego drodze staną zamaskowani zabójcy, niebezpieczne gangi, niezwykli artyści, pajęcze roboty. Jest to zaledwie część całej plejady „dziwacznych” postaci, które przewiną się na kolejnych stronach komiksu.
Jak na mroczny thriller noir przystało, Paul Pope dobrze radzi sobie z kreśleniem klimatycznych wątków. Scenariusz utrzymany jest za mgłą tajemniczości, stopniowo odsłaniając przed nami swoje sekrety (powiązane między innymi z przeszłością głównego bohatera). Do tego wszystkiego dochodzi cyberpunkowa otoczka nadająca historii jeszcze większej zagadkowości, niezwykłości i widowiskowości.
Nie wszystko w fabule jest jednak doskonałe. Pojawiają się tutaj momenty, w których opowieść przybiera… „specyficznej” formy. Jest to chyba najlepsze możliwe określenie tego z czym mamy tutaj chwilami do czynienia. Enigmatyczność fabuły to jedno. W paru miejscach można wręcz odnieść wrażenie, że autor podczas pracy nad tytułem czymś „ciężkim” się wspomagał. Niektórym miłośnikom niestandardowego sci-fi szalone pomysły twórcy, mogą się jednak spodobać. Pewne zastrzeżenia można mieć również do tempa opowieści w niektórych fragmentach. Kilka scen jest niepotrzebnie wydłużonych (i to bardzo) niewiele przy tym wnosząc do historii.
Tym, co najmocniej wyróżnia album, nadal jest jego największą zaletą i powinno przypaść do gustu szerokiemu gronu odbiorców, to świetna oprawa graficzna. Pope genialnie wizualizuje połączenie mrocznego świata z elementami sci-fi. Świetnie radzi sobie z ukazywaniem i reżyserowaniem scen akcji. Kiedy historia tego wymaga, potrafi on zaś mocniej skupić się na postaciach i towarzyszących im emocjach.
Cała recenzja na:
https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/recen...
Nie są to jednak wszystkie „możliwości” tego materiału. Jest on również jednym z najbardziej uzależniających i najmocniejszych psychodelików, jakie kiedykolwiek się pojawiły. Jego destrukcyjna siła zmienia oblicze i zachowanie wielu ludzi. Przekona się o tym główny bohater, który przemierzając futurystyczny Nowy Jork oraz Paryż, będzie musiał zmierzyć się z różnymi przeciwnościami losu. Na jego drodze staną zamaskowani zabójcy, niebezpieczne gangi, niezwykli artyści, pajęcze roboty. Jest to zaledwie część całej plejady „dziwacznych” postaci, które przewiną się na kolejnych stronach komiksu.
Jak na mroczny thriller noir przystało, Paul Pope dobrze radzi sobie z kreśleniem klimatycznych wątków. Scenariusz utrzymany jest za mgłą tajemniczości, stopniowo odsłaniając przed nami swoje sekrety (powiązane między innymi z przeszłością głównego bohatera). Do tego wszystkiego dochodzi cyberpunkowa otoczka nadająca historii jeszcze większej zagadkowości, niezwykłości i widowiskowości.
Nie wszystko w fabule jest jednak doskonałe. Pojawiają się tutaj momenty, w których opowieść przybiera… „specyficznej” formy. Jest to chyba najlepsze możliwe określenie tego z czym mamy tutaj chwilami do czynienia. Enigmatyczność fabuły to jedno. W paru miejscach można wręcz odnieść wrażenie, że autor podczas pracy nad tytułem czymś „ciężkim” się wspomagał. Niektórym miłośnikom niestandardowego sci-fi szalone pomysły twórcy, mogą się jednak spodobać. Pewne zastrzeżenia można mieć również do tempa opowieści w niektórych fragmentach. Kilka scen jest niepotrzebnie wydłużonych (i to bardzo) niewiele przy tym wnosząc do historii.
Tym, co najmocniej wyróżnia album, nadal jest jego największą zaletą i powinno przypaść do gustu szerokiemu gronu odbiorców, to świetna oprawa graficzna. Pope genialnie wizualizuje połączenie mrocznego świata z elementami sci-fi. Świetnie radzi sobie z ukazywaniem i reżyserowaniem scen akcji. Kiedy historia tego wymaga, potrafi on zaś mocniej skupić się na postaciach i towarzyszących im emocjach.
Cała recenzja na:
https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/recen...
April 17, 2022
"Nobody knows where the stuff came from.
Like curdled solid chrome cake batter.
Luis thought it came from outer space.
It's a myth, like Bigfoot or Roswell.
But for something that doesn't exist, I find it falling into my lap often enough."
Heavy liquid.
S (a.k.a the Stooge) deals in the stuff. Corrosive, volatile, but if heated in just right they way it turns into a 'black milk' which, if you then put it into your body...
New York, 2075. He stole a quantity of the mysterious substance from a crime syndicate who have now sent his goons (in disturbing clown masks) after him. Luckily for the clowns there is a big parade in progress and lots of people in fancy dress, so their grotesque disguises do not raise any eyebrows (not even the 'lifelike' distorted face of a screaming woman from Picasso's Guernica)...
There's someone else trying to find him, too; a big man in a suit who seems to have a different agenda.
S delivers his package to a go-between for a shady client who only speaks via a very obscure image on an old multi-monitor. The client is a rich recluse who has another job for S, to find an artist who has vanished without a trace.
He wants this woman to cast him a statue... made of heavy liquid. Can S find her? Possibly he can, seeing as they used to be lovers. So begins a race against time as our hero is simultaneously the hunter and the hunted.
And also haunted. Because the stuff he drops in his ear does more than just 'expand his mind'. It also seems to have started talking to him...
Heavy Liquid by writer/artist Paul Pope is a cyberpunk thriller set in an uncertain retrofuturistic world. The style and vibe is 1960s Beatnik with touches of Buck Rogers and William Gibson woven in. S moves around this landscape with a blithe disregard for the outcomes of his dealings and a chilled contentedness with his chaotic lifestyle.
He keeps up a constant internal monologue, narrating his own story to the reader in true noir style. But his smug self-awareness almost seems to invite disaster. When the monologue becomes a dialogue it is as if fate is calling his bluff.
The retro newsprint style of the pages creates an authentic, comforting nostalgic feel, and when things take a sharp left turn into truly nightmare territory it makes the impact that much greater.
S can keep running, he is good at getting out of tight spots, ducking and diving, always keeping one step ahead of the goons, the government, the consequences of his own actions...
But even he can't outrun his own shadow.
Like curdled solid chrome cake batter.
Luis thought it came from outer space.
It's a myth, like Bigfoot or Roswell.
But for something that doesn't exist, I find it falling into my lap often enough."
Heavy liquid.
S (a.k.a the Stooge) deals in the stuff. Corrosive, volatile, but if heated in just right they way it turns into a 'black milk' which, if you then put it into your body...
New York, 2075. He stole a quantity of the mysterious substance from a crime syndicate who have now sent his goons (in disturbing clown masks) after him. Luckily for the clowns there is a big parade in progress and lots of people in fancy dress, so their grotesque disguises do not raise any eyebrows (not even the 'lifelike' distorted face of a screaming woman from Picasso's Guernica)...
There's someone else trying to find him, too; a big man in a suit who seems to have a different agenda.
S delivers his package to a go-between for a shady client who only speaks via a very obscure image on an old multi-monitor. The client is a rich recluse who has another job for S, to find an artist who has vanished without a trace.
He wants this woman to cast him a statue... made of heavy liquid. Can S find her? Possibly he can, seeing as they used to be lovers. So begins a race against time as our hero is simultaneously the hunter and the hunted.
And also haunted. Because the stuff he drops in his ear does more than just 'expand his mind'. It also seems to have started talking to him...
Heavy Liquid by writer/artist Paul Pope is a cyberpunk thriller set in an uncertain retrofuturistic world. The style and vibe is 1960s Beatnik with touches of Buck Rogers and William Gibson woven in. S moves around this landscape with a blithe disregard for the outcomes of his dealings and a chilled contentedness with his chaotic lifestyle.
He keeps up a constant internal monologue, narrating his own story to the reader in true noir style. But his smug self-awareness almost seems to invite disaster. When the monologue becomes a dialogue it is as if fate is calling his bluff.
The retro newsprint style of the pages creates an authentic, comforting nostalgic feel, and when things take a sharp left turn into truly nightmare territory it makes the impact that much greater.
S can keep running, he is good at getting out of tight spots, ducking and diving, always keeping one step ahead of the goons, the government, the consequences of his own actions...
But even he can't outrun his own shadow.
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