FOG! Chats With Paul Pope About The Return of ‘THB’, ‘Battling Boy’, and More!

Photo by Joshin Yamada

Mars is a planet divided. In the north, the bohemian Plutonium City teems with music and art. In the south, the people of Velo City are stifled by an oppressive bureaucracy with a tightening grip. And it is in Velo City that we find HR Watson, the sheltered daughter of a wealthy industrialist, and THB, her loyal but mysterious bodyguard who can expand from a tiny rubber ball to a nine-foot-tall humanoid with just a splash of water. To HR, THB is a novelty―a strange new toy of dubious value. But when she finds herself in the crosshairs of her father’s enemies, HR will quickly discover the true extent of THB’s power.

Over thirty years since its debut, the world of THB continues to inspire loyal readership and critical acclaim. Now for the first time, New York Times–bestselling author and Eisner Award–winner Paul Pope’s sprawling, self-published vision is gathered in three definitive editions, featuring remastered art and exclusive new material.

I had the opportunity to talk with Paul about finishing THB and his other longtime project, Battling Boy, as well as his influences, his growth as a creator and his work in other artistic opportunities.

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FORCES OF GEEK: In some of your earliest work (seen in PulpHope),  you were a kid making your own comics.  When did you consider comics as a career?

PAUL POPE: I decided I’d be an artist when I was 16. I didn’t tell anybody, because it sounds ludicrous to proclaim that before you made any art. I drew since I was a kid, but that was my intention. I took inspiration from Arthur Rimbaud and Joe Kubert, who were both artists as teenagers. After years studying drawing/painting/printmaking, I decided on comics when I was around 21, and just went full force on it, hell or high water.

FOG!: You broke into the industry during a creative and financial boom in the early 90s, publishing graphic novels through Horse Press (which was your company). Just a few years after releasing your books, you released THB, a buddy action story set on Mars starring a humanoid robot THB, who is assigned to protect HR Watson, the sheltered daughter of a wealthy industrialist.  What was the genesis of THB and has your original story or vision changed much since it began over thirty years ago?

PAUL POPE: Honestly, I can’t really say. I just had faith in the idea. I took all the things I loved and knew–Tex Avery cartoons, the DUNE novels, Carl Barks comics, Moebius, Nick Cave’s early band The Birthday Party, Miles Davis…I thought if I could find a way to blend all these and make a surreal science fiction comic, it would look like nothing else out there. Luckily people responded to it pretty fast.

Later I studied and worked for Kodansha, Japan’s largest manga publisher. That was a huge influence which is apparent in Total THB Vol. 2., THB keeps evolving. In the first book we have an intro essay called “The mechanism springs to life,” and that was how I approached the series. It keeps altering and growing.

FOG!: Over the years you’ve continued to publish both creator owned properties and iconic characters including Batman, Spider-Man, and Adam Strange.  Do you approach a creator owned project for a large publisher differently and what are the challenges when working on a corporate property.

PAUL POPE: Yes and no…if you’re working on, let’s say, Batman, there are certain themes and story elements that are expected of the character and the writer/artist. So I try to hit the bullseye, but hit it above the target. Bring in something new or unexpected while keeping true to the character and themes. For THB or Battling Boy, it’s a bit more freeform. Since there isn’t a direct precedent for the characters or story, you have more range to explore ideas and approaches.

FOG!: Now, after decades of anticipation, 23rd Street Books is releasing a three volume collection, TOTAL THB, with the first volume being released in November.  Is it exciting to be releasing this in it’s entirety and what were your thoughts when revisiting the pages when preparing this new release?

PAUL POPE: Totally exciting. Initially I was a bit worried that the early art wouldn’t hold up–I started drawing THB when I was 24. But the story is better than I remembered, which gave me confidence. And a lot of the science fiction ideas in THB make sense in our world today, so I’m hopeful a new readership will find it timely and compelling.

It’s intriguing, since the book follows a decade’s plus worth of growth of a cartoonist. The growing pains are pretty apparent, but at some point after I got back from Tokyo, with all the knowledge I gained from studying manga, it’s like THB goes into the left lane at 178mph.

FOG!: One of your other beloved properties is Battling Boy (published by 23rd Street Books’ sister company First Second).  The first three books (with co-writer J. T. Petty and artist David Rubín helping out on books 2 & 3), are considered Volume 1.  Is there a Volume 2 on the horizon, when should we expect it and are there any additional collaborators besides yourself planned?

PAUL POPE: So far, it’ll just be me finishing Battling Boy 2. All told, to date THB is over 1000 pgs. Battling Boy is looking to clock in around 500 pgs. It’s just taking a long time to finish it. A lot of Battling Boy 2 is done, but we can’t share the work til it’s done. I know it’s frustrating to make people wait so long. But it’ll come out!

FOG!: You’re one of the only comic artists to cross over into advertising, fashion, music, etc.  Was that intentional or was it just an opportunity that happened that you were able to build upon.  What about these other mediums drive you creatively?

PAUL POPE: Well, I consider myself an artist before I am a cartoonist, so I am attracted to new opportunities and mediums. Two of my heroes, Guido Crepax and Tadanori Yokoo, have worked in various mediums before me, so those were my role models. I like to push the barrier of comics and what it means to be a cartoonist.

It’s a wide world. Living in NYC as I do, you manage to make good networks with other creatives, so I have been able to build relationships people working in related fields. These days, everybody loves comics.

FOG!: Who or what have been your greatest influences and what three under-the-radar things that you recommend should the public have a better awareness of?

–My influences are sort of all over the place. Comics masters like Alex Toth and Moebius, Frank Miller, the great Jack Kirby. Lots of Manga-ka. Minetaro Mochizuki and King Gonta are two greats who are not so well known over here in the States.

Lots of modernist painters and early cinema, especially German silent films. I’ve been getting into the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius lately. A lot of the Stoic philosophy make sense to me. I listen to a lot of jazz and ambient music. I like reading essays by artists speaking about art. Paul Klee and Henri Matisse are two particularly great artist who can write well about their method and craft.

And I’m inspired by my city, NYC.

Total THB, Volume 1 Arrives on November 11, 2025