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100%

  
  

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Rev. Jesse
13:31 / 06.07.02
I just got this the other day, and it is the shit. I mean, it is so fucking wicked. Said wickedness has already been mentioned so I do not feel any need to repeat what others have said, suffice to say that this comic is the fucking bomb.

In regards to the price, this issue has 48 pages, plus the little back ground on the inside covers, with no adds on high quality paper, better paper than most of my bound graphic novels are on. So you get more than twice as much material, on a better medium, with no annoying adds, for about twice the cost of my average comic. As an added plus, you're supporting a creator-owned project by one of comicdom's most innovative artists.

I feel a lot happier about 5.95 I shelled out for this comic than the 2.25 I paid for New X-Men 128.
 
 
The Natural Way
13:48 / 06.07.02
Weird.

I enjoyed 100%, but storywise it's not the most interesting comic in thw world. Oh, we'll see, but we haven't seen enough yet for me to get all "this is the bomb!" yet. I know Morrison Plagiarises, but he does it with real flair... With Pope, I dunno....it's just all a bit TOO Bladerunner.
 
 
Rev. Jesse
18:21 / 06.07.02
Well, I'll be the first to admitt that I'm a paul pope fanboy, some my views maybe a little basised.

and my beef with NXM 128 is not the writing, but with the art.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
16:00 / 08.07.02
"storywise it's not the most interesting comic in the world"

Well, that depends on your criteria, doesn't it? The main strength of 100%'s story so far, for me, is that despite the futuristic setting, it's basically about recognisable people, lifestyles and culture... (much like, say, William Gibson). The overqualified university drop-out guy working a shitty job and day-dreaming slightly pretentiously all day; the stressed-out and paranoid girl who's finding life in the city more and more terrifying, but can't help getting in over her head; the slightly older, more grounded and worldly-wise character who wants to quit the only semi-respectable job they've been quite successful in and do what they really want to do instead...

I dunno, I guess what I'm trying to say is that holographic interfaces with the shining demiurge incarnation of Horus are all well and good, Runs, but sometimes I just want a nice story about folk I can relate to. Is that so boring?

And Bladerunner? WTF?
 
 
The Natural Way
11:23 / 09.07.02
Yeah, standard wind/rain-swept dystopian streets, seedy underworld vibe, third world/japanese corporations flooding the free market....the floating cars.

Alright, so it's not exactly a carbon copy of Bladerunner, but it's almost identical to a million cyberpunky futures already jostling for space in the imago-sphere.

I think yr assuming that, because I like posting about the gnostic stuff, I'm not into "normal" too, which is just plain wrong. My tastes can be very, umm, prosaic a lot of the time. Last three books I read: 'Huckleberry Finn', 'Call of the Wild' and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 'Of Love and Other Demons'.... Consume Daniel Clowes, Murder me Dead and Stray Bullets w/ relish..... Love the soap-operatics of Buffy and Sex in the City...

Somehow feeling the need to justify myself here.

Wasn't actually knocking 100% (I enjoyed it), but I just didn't find the characters or story that engaging and I felt as though I'd kinda been there before. But I also said "we'll see..." and I meant it: I'd much rather enjoy something than not.
 
 
Rev. Jesse
13:51 / 09.07.02
I LOVE Pope's sick, ironic, humor. Like the first shot, with the girl sprawled over the boxes saying "White Meat, Breast, Thighs" and the money with Che's face on it, the huge stereo monitors the guy wears.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
14:32 / 09.07.02
Resolutely average, I thought...or more precisely, attempting to address very slightly unusual subject matter for a comic and doing so in a resolutely average way. Nice artwork, but if that dialogue was in a book I would check it for the use of the word "zeitgeist" on the back cover blurb. I know it only takes up a reasonably small amount of the overall surface area of the page, but it is still important.

On the brightside, Strel does with ease carry off the Basil, Marie and all the little Expositions' Christmas circular award for the "so how did you learn so much about guns, and what else have we thus far not touched upon about you in our friendship?"
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
15:28 / 09.07.02
Runs: "standard wind/rain-swept dystopian streets, seedy underworld vibe, third world/japanese corporations flooding the free market" - welcome to London/New York/various other locales in the year 2002. I think it's only natural that people who speculate/extrapolate now on what the near future might look like are going to end up with something that looks a little bit like the stuff that the most successful people doing something similar did 20 years ago, if that makes sense.

Haus: I'm a bit dubious about this "if that dialogue was in a book" stuff, as I am whenever Flux says "if this was a tv show, it would be very average" - on the one hand, I think comics need to shed the low expectations that currently make people say things like "Aquaman has a lot of potential", on the other hand, you've got to consider both the differing function of dialogue in prose fiction and comics, *and* the difference between the dominant or 'mainstream' genres/styles/conventions currently plaguing the two, and whether it means anything to be writing outside of your own medium's plague even if it means falling squarely under the shadow of another's... if you see what I mean.

Number two is out this week. Don't let me down, Popey - I've been hurt before.
 
 
yawn - thing's buddy
10:42 / 16.07.02
scored number one on sunday for train journey home - kept it for beddy byes instead.

Yes. pope clicks. I've always been ambivalent bout the man - strange reasoning for drawing teenage fanny - 'it's cos I'm writing comics for girls' - aye right, heard it.

but this, 100% comic, works.

The design is great. THe recurring neon cat sign is superb - really iconic - works works works - well done popeface.

pace is good, draws you in - plenty of time to explore movement, pose, environment

scary car scene - brilliant, yes person above, fear WAS bound within the ink on those pages.

Blade Runner styling is boring, but as Flyboy says, it's more about the characters innit (and the graphic technique spose)

yeah....

oh and to a schoolyard chant background jingle:

runce only likes gnostic stuff
runce only likes gnostic stuff
runce only likes gnostic stuff
na na ninah nah
 
 
The Natural Way
11:02 / 16.07.02
Yes, but Prunce has wide and varying tastes.

I won't even go into what Gunnis Prunce likes: it might upset you.

And as for Puppy-Runce.......
 
 
Mr Tricks
00:11 / 18.07.02
Well, I did pick up the 2nd issue... even after all my bitching about the cost

That just goes to show I much I value your opinion(s)

enjoyed it much better than the 1st issue...

I may continue follwing it.
 
 
The Natural Way
07:17 / 18.07.02
I naysayed last week, but failed to notice 2 had hit the stand (cue playground 'mongy' face)..... Now, I love Pope's art - love it! He's fucking brilliant and I think I can say, having read the latest ish, that while 100% isn't my favourite title out there (I DO find the dialogue sometimes detracts from the total immersion the fabulous art promises), I really enjoy it and I'm quite happy to fork out 4 quid for comics this good. Hooray.
 
 
yawn - thing's buddy
07:47 / 18.07.02
yeah. ditto above stuff.
 
 
yawn - thing's buddy
09:37 / 18.07.02
Okay – I’m convinced now of Popes story telling abilities. It’s the consistency of his worlds that’s so startling – the characterisation is considerably better than the dialogue though. His page layouts are incredible, his pacing is pretty damn good and the production quality of the book is excellent – I’m cool with staples!

Stuff I was ambivalent about:

The gastro cube idea – it’s interesting but seems like a rather contrived extension of our desire to see more; ‘it started with an ankle, then calf, then thigh etc…’ It never started with a bleedin ankle – unless your world started with Victoriana. Anyway, I digress – the gastro idea – it’s interesting and definitely a stoner thing but if it was developed, I’d imagine you’d want to see the girl dancing in front of you with transparent skin, so you could see all the weird shit. – the 3d projection didn’t wash with me – ‘mere nudity just won’t do anymore’ - well that’s all the dance is, nudity with some gastrodelic projections – (she’s even got her scants on for fucks sake). This seems like a cop out from Pope really – he just wants to draw beautiful girls, and drawing them as see thru figures would have been difficult and not very sexy. Fair play to him, cos the dance scene was particularly sexy and well choreographed.

The script: when Dollar Bill is dancing and she curses the voyeuristic audience (in time honoured lap dancing fashion) but lets john the dishwasher off for his honesty – just a wee bit heavy handed I reckon – could’ve done with no thoughts on the matter because it was all implied anyway – too much sign posting of emotions trashes a storyline sometimes. It’s almost as if Pope has a hang-up over his obsession with beautiful babes and wants to justify his own voyeurism.

The fire dance was incredible.

The singing kettles worked for me.

The obscurity of the cover design is first fuckin class

The time and space available (or rather opened up by Pope) is so refreshing

Still, I don’t know if I can be arsed with Heavy Liquid.

There’s something of Eisner in his art too, is there not (obviously + Kirby, Ditko, McCarthy)
 
 
rizla mission
17:30 / 18.07.02
Issue 2 is v. terrific.

I'd agree with Yawn's criticisms (the whole thing with the dancer & the dishwasher seems pretty contrived - "he's honest, he didn't look in my diary" seems a pretty shallow assumption - maybe he didn't want to? maybe he was too stupid too? etc.), but I'm willing to overlook 'em in view of the fact that nobody else in comics is doing anything that even touches the quality of Pope's work..

..a lot of stuff in this issue had a pretty twisted unhealthiness to it which I liked, making me think the whole thing could spiral into bad craziness pretty easily.

I also applaud the way Pope never completely slips into yoof-culture self-parody, despite being a little close to doing so at times - I don't suppose many people were expecting an orchestra of kettles or weird performance art from the second issue.. he's always adding interesting and visually exciting new elements to the story, without ruining the plot & atmosphere that's already been created.. keeps things fresh.

Oh, and; the sleazy artist guy with the head in the bag and the scary man in the car in the first issue - one and the same?
 
 
The Natural Way
18:14 / 18.07.02
yawn and I must be telepathis, 'cause I'm totally there about the signposting. That's one of my main beefs w/ the book - it doesn't need many words really.

I agree w/ riz about the quality, but, still, I don't find the book as enjoyable as some other titles.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
19:37 / 18.07.02
Riz and yawn have covered a lot of what I wanted to say about #2 - I can definitely see the Eisner influence used to good effect, especially in the "quieter" scenes; I agree that the "they're voyeurs - not like him!" line was a clunker; and I also noticed the resemblance between the guy with the stuffed head and the guy in the car from issue #1... Pretty sure they're not the same guy, however: they just share a nose, which in turn reminds me of the fact that you could write as many essays about Pope and ethnicity as have been done about Will Gibbo and the same.

One thing I would quarrel with is yawn's criticism of the "ankle" line - I think with that monologue it becomes even clearer that John is more than a little bit pretentious. He has these grand unified theories about everything (academia, mortality, porn), and most of the time he's full of shit, but kind of lovably so. So in other words, no, his theory about the development of porn doesn't make much sense, but I think it's *his* theory more than Pope's. That said, I do think the idea that a certain type of porn might develop its gynaelogical obsession to the extent of "gastro" is quite a plausible and insightful one - yawn is right to say that there would probably be a more aesthetically beautiful alternative application of the technology, but it's hard to think of a sleazier one.

Must have more thoughts about this.

"A naked girl smashing eggs. What is the world coming to?"
 
 
The Natural Way
08:20 / 19.07.02
....and it is a small point, but the "ankle" thing - it's a matter of interpretation. I just get the feeling that this stuff isn't characterisation: Pope actually describes the chain of thought that made him think it'd be a cool idea to plonk the gastro stuff in the book. It is a cool idea - it looks really good - but the thought process is clumsy and poorly articulated.
 
 
Our Lady of The Two Towers
16:36 / 19.07.02
Well, seeing as I read two issues of 'Heavy Liquid' and thought it was shit (in the near future everyone will be impossibly tall thin people with faces like horses) this is a massive improvement in terms of story quality and artwork. Only got issue 1 so far tho'.
 
 
Locust No longer
17:26 / 19.07.02
I've been a firm proponent for Paul Pope since the early THB's but was a little disapointed with 100%. The dialogue seemed rather unbelievable and self knowingly hip. Hippness being the major problem for me with 100%, like the character that wants to start a coffee roasting company, the constant, almost sexual, fascination with cigs, and fashion. It seems as though he's retreading all things he's already covered in books like Heavy Liquid and The One Trick Rip Off- beautiful people smoking and drinking coffee all the time while getting into trouble. I guess I have to read #2 before I judge too quickly, however.

The art is gorgeous, though.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
13:03 / 21.07.02
Hippness being the major problem for me with 100%, like the character that wants to start a coffee roasting company, the constant, almost sexual, fascination with cigs, and fashion.

Yes! Isn't it great?
 
 
Watts
03:23 / 25.07.02
"A naked girl smashing eggs. What is the world coming to?"

For some reason, this reminded me of a short story in "Me Talk Pretty Some Day" by David Sedaris. The one about his days in the world of performance art, and drug addiction.
 
 
No star here laces
13:15 / 02.08.02
Dialogue shmialogue. It's overrated in films and in comics. I'll buy that theatre and television revolve around dialogue, but you're not going to convince me that it's the key selling point in visual media like comics. Stan Lee's dialogue is awful, as frequently is Morrison's, but it doesn't make them any less skill at telling stories.

I think this is the best Pope I've ever read. Fuck all of the last-one-picked-for-football fanboy griping about 'hipness'. Jeez. This is a minor overlay on this comic's basic strengths of 1) Character's you are interested in 2) Mind-bogglingly good art 3) Atmosphere and coherence of theme.

'Fondness for drawing beautiful girls'. And? Your point is? It's art, not life, for fucks sakes. Why does Pope have to draw ugly people? I love the way he draws women, and I think he draws a type of beauty that I don't see anyone else recognising. The characters have such sulky, moody faces that genuinely reflect character and emotion, the messiness of the art reveals an incredible instinctive appreciation for what, visually, makes an individual recognisable.

And the kettles, man. I love that. Just looking at Kimmy's face and her reactions to Eloy going from 'who's this fat weirdo staring at me' to 'this guy is incredible' as the story progresses. It's incredible. And all done without a word balloon in sight. Could Morrison, Milligan or Moore have done that? No. I actually doubt whether any writer/artist team could even approach the levels of subtlety in Pope's work because he acheives true unity of story and art.

'nuff with the gushing. My new favourite comic.
 
 
yawn - thing's buddy
14:59 / 02.08.02
oy luvvie - I presume your adressing me (and some other twonks) in your citicisms:

beautiful people - yes, I agree, lovely innit? makes me want to go draw some fit figures too. If you follow my argument tho, you'll realise I was criticising his gastro idea and how I thought he might have used that as a cover (subconsciously) to return to his pant-staining hobby of drawing sexy birds. not a problem wiv me - gimme more - cept I thought the gastro concept was a bit silly and contrived even if it wasn't a subconscious fog to mist over tits and ass on display.

You're right tho about the dialogue-less stuff - it's excellent stuff -my main point in fact.

But I don't think a sensible criticism of script is to proclaim that dialoue is genrally shit in movies comics etc. - thats just silly now.
 
 
Mr Tricks
20:33 / 06.08.02
Yeah, the most "human" part of the story was the whole Tea kettle Orchistra..
 
 
invisible_al
18:27 / 19.08.02
Anyone picked up Issue 3 yet? Well I liked it, dialog actually seems to be getting better, well some of it
I loved the scene in the holo-pod, switching back and forth between space and desert as the stories were told, visuals matching the intensity of the tale. And it looked just damm fine too.
Also the kiss on the subway platform, what a really cool scene, can understand why they used that in the adverts, its just such a lovely noir kind of scene.
Yeah the dialog may not shine, but I think this issue is better than the last two on that front.
Also the pacing is a nice change, stuff happens and its building towards something, final reel and all that, strel meets the boxer could be dramatic, but I'm thinking it'll end on a boxing match at the moment.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
22:55 / 19.08.02
”Fighter jets in formation, somewhere high overhead, almost imperceptible.”

It just gets better and better. Love the contrast between the two dates - the different settings, different nature of the tentative relationships... What’s remarkable about these scenes, and 100% as a whole, is the way that it demonstrates what comics as a medium do best (depictions of the fantastical), whilst at the same time dealing with the kind of subject matter they all too rarely tackle (but which ought to be entry level).

Ominous thought: 100% started with the report of a murder, and there’s a sense of menace looking pretty much all the way through this series. Scary guy in car in issue 1, scary artist with mannequin's head in 2 (plus Daisy's reference to Istanbul being "too close to the bombs"), and this issue was full of references to some kind of terrible international events that are happening, plus you have this idea of the constant impingement of the police/security forces on ordinary people's lives. Maybe I'm just paranoid after the end of 24, but I reckon John’s going to get burned somehow. There have been lots of hints dropped that suggest that Daisy has some kind of past she’s on the run from. Or maybe I just think that because I’d hate to see anything bad happen to characters as sweet as Kim and Eloy.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I hope there is no big bad nasty climax, and that the undercurrent of violence stays as just that. (Be nice if we went from a really bleak start to an upbeat ending.) After all, it’s only an intensified version of the world we all live in today, and for some people, not really intensified at all.

“No, no… I’m okay. Mostly. You’re right. It’s just… Just a reaction to all this bad shit all the time… It won’t let up. Warbombs. Planes crashing into things… Shootings… Senseless, random…”

It’s no coincidence, especially considering how important location often is in Paul Pope’s work, that 100% is set in New York City. Not that the inhabitants of countless other cities worldwide don’t know what it’s like to live in a climate of potential violence and easily-ignited latent fear – it’s just that New York is one of the most recent cities to feel it, and that resonates hard. Incidentally, issue 4 of 100% will be out in all good comic stores in the United States on Wednesday, September 11th, 2003.
 
 
The Natural Way
07:12 / 20.08.02
Oh, BTW, I'm now a Pope convert.

Can't quite get used to thought balloons (been so long since I've read a modern thought-balloony book), but I'm sure that'll change.

A satellite at the flick of a switch? Yes please.
 
 
yawn - thing's buddy
07:15 / 20.08.02
yeah - this is a bloody good comic.

as you say fly - I hope a big violent ending is not part of the story.
 
 
yawn - thing's buddy
07:19 / 20.08.02
thought balloons are garuanteed to make a big fluffy comeback.

seriously - I think it's time they were seriously reconsidered.

the design possibilities are endless...
 
 
The Natural Way
09:03 / 20.08.02
Agreement.
 
 
Our Lady of The Two Towers
11:51 / 20.08.02
Three issues and stuff's happened in a not much happening kind of way. I really like it. I kinda hope it's going to be a kind of 'Day (or perhaps Days) in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch' (or whoever he was) and not end up with everyone shooting each other in a Sam Peckinpah stylee.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
13:48 / 20.08.02
It would be really nice if all the little ominous touches - the dead girl, the gun, the scary guy in the car, Daisy's dodgy past, Daisy's horrible story, the heavy police presence - weren't foreshadowing at all, and we were just reading them as such because we're so used to a certain kind of narrative and a certain kind of narratiev structure in comics.

So glad other people are loving this. People who claim there's not much good stuff coming out from Vertigo right now really don't know what they're missing.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
08:53 / 16.05.03
So issue 5 FINALLY came out... Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd resurrect this one, but through in a link to the thread about issue 4.

I think this is definitely Paul Pope's masterpiece, and one of the most inspiring comics I've ever read (mostly in terms of creativity, but also in terms of LIFE). Kim and Eloy - awwwww.

With all the mixed feelings I've had about John, what struck me was how young he seemed in that final scene, and how maybe that's the point - he won't necessarily end up as jaded as Daisy, but he's got to grow out of being John before he can start being... well, Eloy and Kim, basically. Eloy and Kim. Awwwww.

(I love the different possible readings that you can apply to the result of John's dramatic gesture with the dart/map: on the one hand, it undercuts his melodrama in a way that gently mocks his emo-ness; but it's also Pope's way of saying "New York fucking City, man!"...)
 
 
invisible_al
10:04 / 16.05.03
This is a lovely bit of comic, I was wondering if Pope would lose it with the ending, but he carries it through brilliantly.
Haitus and Strel's thread was wonderful, all that intercutting with the fight sequence and that final scene where he hides his face, brutal but brilliant. In fact the whole fight made me wince, but yay they get back together.
And Kim and Eloy awwwwww, just warm fuzzy feelings all round there. The art, the way it captures darkness and rain but you get these faces shining through them, it's just great .
John, yeah mixed feelings here too, but that ending was nicely ambigious, could mean all manner of things, but it wrapped up the comic nicely and non sterotypically.

Flyboy surely we can't be the only people who read this? I must pick up Heavy Liquid now before his next one gets out.
 
  

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