Written and Illustrated by Paul Pope
Published by 23rd St Books
The first volume of THB was a fascinating object to behold.
It took comics that were long out of print and completely obscure comics. I was never able to compile them all together to read. So, when the first volume of this series was released I was floored. I had been waiting to read this for years and I finally was able to get my wish.
The ideas that are put forth by writer and artist Paul Pope are really intriguing and the book just seduces you into its world. I loved every page and every panel. It was great even when the art was a bit embryonic. The whole thing felt like a great work from a time past. The only issue that I had, was that I wanted more immediately and I knew that it would be six to nine months before I would see the next chapter.
But lo and behold, that day is here and I couldn’t wait to dig into this. Luckily, this chapter was as good, if not better than the one before it. It really is one hell of a creative and fun treat.
After the events of the first crazy volume, HR Watson had finally fled her home. She’s free now to go find herself in her new surroundings and forthcoming adventures. She is with her loyal bodyguard named THB.
THB is very protective of HR and will stop at nothing to protect her. They are traveling across Mars as best they can. They are both still being pursued by government agents, and they will stop at nothing to get our two central characters. Paul Pope at this point in his career is a master of pacing and the action scenes in particular just have a great flow to them. Everything is crisp and clear and we see him more than coming into his own here. It’s really great to see.
In this volume, HR and THB eventually travel and meet this crazy bunch of bohemians. They are all musicians and our pair of heroes have to figure out if they are good or have nefarious plans. We get to learn about who they are as individuals and what their purpose seems to be in this scenario.
It’s a brand new city here for HR Watson and there are many aspects to the environment here too. Pope does a great job showing us the different parts of the city and what goes on there. The design work is really top level and Pope really is firing on all cylinders. Everything looks new and full of ideas. You can see Pope’s influences all over the page yet he has made everything fully his own. You can see why his work was so revered then, and why it continues to be so.
The city has a ton of unpredictable things about it.
HR and THB are wondering if they can live out the rest of their lives here. Will her wealthy father’s enemies eventually find her anyway? Will they kill her? Imprison her? Or are there much worse things than those two things that can be done to her? With all of these things hanging over his characters, Pope focuses heavily on the characters and the writing of the piece here. We get to see Pope the artist, sure, but the fact of the matter is that Pope becomes a pretty damn good writer in this chapter, and the development really does show on the page. You can’t help but root for HR Watson to decide and overcome all of the obstacles that are thrown her way. You can’t help but sympathize with her and you can’t help but to relate. The book goes to some unexpected places, but by this point in his career, Pope became a master of his craft. Because of that, he is able to take some pretty big swings as well.
The end of the book left me sad because I wanted to read the next chapter right away. I know it is coming out by the end of the year. But then I realize also that it is the last chapter. And that is very sad as there will be no more after that one.
This is a well crafted book that almost feels like you’re discovering a historical treasure.
And maybe you are.
RATING: A
