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THB #1
THB #1
Revised reprint w/ new material added! Cover price $5.50.
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
Paul Pope
227 books250 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 18, 2018
THB is many things.
THB is an experiment. THB is an exposition. THB is ultimately a ride.
I think artistically its a success. And thematically there's definitely some good too. But as a cohesive unit its more meh than eh.
Instead of in media res, it'd be more accurate to say we're just tossed into the story, more than anything. We have a main character but we don't really have a (main) plot. Things just kinda happen as the author sees fit and pretty pencil-work drives the story along more than a proper narrative (as it were) would.
Jump shots and zoom outs, do give the story a cinematic feel as do the actions of some of the characters. Dialogue this, dialogue that. Imaginative (and less than so) devices zip across the screen and the characters do what they do.
Again, while the art is pretty (like most all of Pope's works) and the references/homages are there too (the depictions of the Martian were very similar to the basic form of Martian Manhunter/and the Obey depiction was classic) its more of a triumph of art than story.
If you like a story that prefers style over substance you'll dig it.
Verdict: One wavering thumb halfway up.
THB is an experiment. THB is an exposition. THB is ultimately a ride.
I think artistically its a success. And thematically there's definitely some good too. But as a cohesive unit its more meh than eh.
Instead of in media res, it'd be more accurate to say we're just tossed into the story, more than anything. We have a main character but we don't really have a (main) plot. Things just kinda happen as the author sees fit and pretty pencil-work drives the story along more than a proper narrative (as it were) would.
Jump shots and zoom outs, do give the story a cinematic feel as do the actions of some of the characters. Dialogue this, dialogue that. Imaginative (and less than so) devices zip across the screen and the characters do what they do.
Again, while the art is pretty (like most all of Pope's works) and the references/homages are there too (the depictions of the Martian were very similar to the basic form of Martian Manhunter/and the Obey depiction was classic) its more of a triumph of art than story.
If you like a story that prefers style over substance you'll dig it.
Verdict: One wavering thumb halfway up.
March 15, 2015
Paul, I understand the urge to partially redraw your poorly-rendered first issue because the original version looked like excrement from time to time -- but what is this? Literally a bunch of pages -- some very new, some originals, some just badly-scanned sketches -- all stitched together to sort of make a newer expanded version of your first-ever book.
Please, Paul. Please stop George Lucas-ing yourself. I hear you're doing it again for the inevitable THB rerelease through First Second, too.
Please, Paul. Just let the old stuff be janky. It's fine, it's cool, we forgive you. Don't try to erase the past, bro.
--
BOOKNOTES:
HR Watson and her best friend Lollie are taking the train across the Mars colonies to the Academy of Advanced Disciplines, their prep school. On the way, they run afoul of the conductor, a Bugman who reprimands them for Lollie's pet, Mister Pig-Dog, a sentient and hungry creature who helps Lollie with her homework.
The train is carrying an Earth ambassador to meet with Mars dignitaries, but the meeting is disrupted when Lollie and HR fall into the crowd covered in garbage from the train's waste disposal (where they'd been hiding from the Bugman). The girls run to school. END PROLOGUE.
NOTE: Mars seems to be domestically populated by Martians and Bugmen, as well as Earth colonists.
SCENE: Dr. Yukimoto tells the reader about THB, a rubberized supercondensed bodygaurd who can be kept in a small pill-shape sphere when dehydrated. Yukimoto is a scientist for Dr. Watson, HR's father and leading robotics mogul on Mars. Yukimoto's assistant is a young man named Percy; HR and Percy are friends and share a love for music. In particular, HR is obsessed with a Martian musician called Jiggler. Yukimoto would prefer she study her logic equations.
HR is being courted by Officer Willem, a middle-aged military man who disgusts her. After his visit, HR travels to V-City with Yukimoto, Percy and her robot footman Augustus in order to meet up with her father.
Meanwhile at Watson Robot, HR's father is being interrogated about his work by Mr Skrimshaw, a government representative. Watson evades questioning and sends Skrimshaw on his way, then welcomes McHain, who seems to be a personal bodyguard for HR. McHaine has brought THB (in capsule form). When HR arrives, THB is put into her care, as her father and McHaine have to leave town on business and they are concerned for HR's safety.
At the Hall of Justice, Skrimshaw arrives at work (a mix of humans, Bugmen and robots) and we get an overview of the bureaucracy (very 1984), and learn of the Hall's general obsession with Go-Go-Nam, an illegal comic book that everyone seems to secretly love.
At school, HR and Lollie skip out of lunch. Lollie shows HR her new collapso (a collapsing robot) and HR produces THB, who is gigantic and purple. School bullies discover the girls, but after HR slugs one of them, they only end up being impressed with THB's ability to help them cheat on their homework.
As HR and Lollie are coming home from school, robots/bugmen drop off some packages to Augustus at home -- a crate of food and a Steinway piano which they say are gifts from Officer Willem. HR and Augustus have a long conversation about food, and then a black collapso called Foil reveals itself from the food crate and attacks. HR is able to subdue Foil with a logic problem, but not before she accidentally drops THB down a grate in the bathroom.
Meanwhile, the Steinway comes to life and starts coming up the stairs...
Please, Paul. Please stop George Lucas-ing yourself. I hear you're doing it again for the inevitable THB rerelease through First Second, too.
Please, Paul. Just let the old stuff be janky. It's fine, it's cool, we forgive you. Don't try to erase the past, bro.
--
BOOKNOTES:
HR Watson and her best friend Lollie are taking the train across the Mars colonies to the Academy of Advanced Disciplines, their prep school. On the way, they run afoul of the conductor, a Bugman who reprimands them for Lollie's pet, Mister Pig-Dog, a sentient and hungry creature who helps Lollie with her homework.
The train is carrying an Earth ambassador to meet with Mars dignitaries, but the meeting is disrupted when Lollie and HR fall into the crowd covered in garbage from the train's waste disposal (where they'd been hiding from the Bugman). The girls run to school. END PROLOGUE.
NOTE: Mars seems to be domestically populated by Martians and Bugmen, as well as Earth colonists.
SCENE: Dr. Yukimoto tells the reader about THB, a rubberized supercondensed bodygaurd who can be kept in a small pill-shape sphere when dehydrated. Yukimoto is a scientist for Dr. Watson, HR's father and leading robotics mogul on Mars. Yukimoto's assistant is a young man named Percy; HR and Percy are friends and share a love for music. In particular, HR is obsessed with a Martian musician called Jiggler. Yukimoto would prefer she study her logic equations.
HR is being courted by Officer Willem, a middle-aged military man who disgusts her. After his visit, HR travels to V-City with Yukimoto, Percy and her robot footman Augustus in order to meet up with her father.
Meanwhile at Watson Robot, HR's father is being interrogated about his work by Mr Skrimshaw, a government representative. Watson evades questioning and sends Skrimshaw on his way, then welcomes McHain, who seems to be a personal bodyguard for HR. McHaine has brought THB (in capsule form). When HR arrives, THB is put into her care, as her father and McHaine have to leave town on business and they are concerned for HR's safety.
At the Hall of Justice, Skrimshaw arrives at work (a mix of humans, Bugmen and robots) and we get an overview of the bureaucracy (very 1984), and learn of the Hall's general obsession with Go-Go-Nam, an illegal comic book that everyone seems to secretly love.
At school, HR and Lollie skip out of lunch. Lollie shows HR her new collapso (a collapsing robot) and HR produces THB, who is gigantic and purple. School bullies discover the girls, but after HR slugs one of them, they only end up being impressed with THB's ability to help them cheat on their homework.
As HR and Lollie are coming home from school, robots/bugmen drop off some packages to Augustus at home -- a crate of food and a Steinway piano which they say are gifts from Officer Willem. HR and Augustus have a long conversation about food, and then a black collapso called Foil reveals itself from the food crate and attacks. HR is able to subdue Foil with a logic problem, but not before she accidentally drops THB down a grate in the bathroom.
Meanwhile, the Steinway comes to life and starts coming up the stairs...
November 12, 2023
The start of Paul Pope's TBH series. Drawn with Pope's trademark frenetic messy painted lines - besides for the panel borders there's no straight lines anywhere on these pages. I read THB #1 vol 2 which is just the first issue with some extended scenes some of which feel like deleted scenes and aren't as fully rendered as the main comic.
It starts on a train with two school age girls HR and Lollie and her pet Mister Pig-Dog some weird intelligent animal. They run off the train because the pet doesn't have a ticket and is unregistered.
Later at school they go to class and HR learns about Zeno's arrow paradox. She is given a small pill a THB that when placed in water expands and turns into an 8 foot tall bodyguard creature.
Oh yeah, this is all taking place on a terraformed Mars in a city called Velo City that was established by the French pioneers. The main business is Watson Robot that produces automatons. Watson Robot may be getting into some other research that seems like it may be nefarious. Velo City is pretty locked down with censors and whatnot. The censors all enjoy reading the contraband comics they collect.
At home HR is attacked by a robot.
It starts on a train with two school age girls HR and Lollie and her pet Mister Pig-Dog some weird intelligent animal. They run off the train because the pet doesn't have a ticket and is unregistered.
Later at school they go to class and HR learns about Zeno's arrow paradox. She is given a small pill a THB that when placed in water expands and turns into an 8 foot tall bodyguard creature.
Oh yeah, this is all taking place on a terraformed Mars in a city called Velo City that was established by the French pioneers. The main business is Watson Robot that produces automatons. Watson Robot may be getting into some other research that seems like it may be nefarious. Velo City is pretty locked down with censors and whatnot. The censors all enjoy reading the contraband comics they collect.
At home HR is attacked by a robot.
November 26, 2020
Those who think this work is less than excellent, I believe, misunderstand the author's intent. He is doing nothing less than creating a world. As such there are elements that are disjointed, perhaps seemingly random occurrences; however mush of the action and interaction is in the service of revealing and building characters; as Fitzgerald famously noted, "Action is character." For example, in the fist issue we see HR Watson exploring her Father's library shelves out of boredom...there is no point to this action other than to show her as possessing the qualities of inquisitiveness, resourcefulness, self-depreciation (understood as the ability to laugh at herself when she makes a mistake, even a physically painful one), and energy...in addition to adding some humor. Grab a read copy off of eBay or any other reputable source (the near mint versions cost a good bit and you'll want one you won't feel guilty flipping through) and enjoy.
April 22, 2022
I’m confused, but oddly compelled.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews