World Famous Comics: PulpHope: The Art Of Paul Pope
PulpHope: The Art Of Paul Pope
By: Paul Pope Publisher: AdHouse Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: AdHouse Books Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 224 Publication Date: June 25, 2007
Product Description: The first retrospective monograph from the Comic Destroyer, Paul Pope. Containing many unseen pieces of art and comics from the creator who has brought us THB, Heavy Liquid and 100%.
Paul Pope gives pulp hope This is a softcover coffee table book aiming to capture Paul Pope - not just the artwork, but the person - in a single volume. I wouldn't recommend this for people totally unfamiliar with Pope's work as this book is rather expensive, but I would recommend it to sexy, interesting types (I hope you know someone like that, or see yourself that way). I love Paul Pope's drawings of strong, beautiful, not-to-be-messed-with women, and you will find many of them here. (Speaking of which, the cover shown on the Amazon product page is NOT the cover you get. Instead of a negative red/yellow image, the cover is a graphic self-portrait. I believe there is a customer image that shows this version.)
The book's main goal seems to be to provide a glimpse of Pope's creative process, as well as how his own personality finds its way into his art. He's also a great writer - the two essays on porn (or, more accurately, sex and art) are smart and thought-provoking, and also ask us to think about why we like looking at what we like looking at. My esteem of him has increased quite a bit, having seen this other side of him. Another highlight of the book is some of Pope's less well-known manga work. His reminisces of his time in Japan as one of the very few Western artists to work for a Japanese manga house reveal a hidden sweatshop type existence in the name of comics.
I give this 4 instead of 5 stars because I was hoping for more insight into Pope's best known works: his take on Batman and THB. While this isn't a major loss, it does seem remiss to leave out some juicy tidbits that would surely be of interest to those who have come to know Pope through those works.
All Hail The Comic Destroyer! Having this book out where it can be seen will likely get you laid by people way better looking than you are.
A Masterpiece I've been a fan of Paul Pope since reading his THB series years ago. There's one thing that really stands out about his work--the lines seem almost imbued with a sense of energy. You can almost see the inked lines jump and move on the page, and this give Pope's works a sense of being alive. The works in this collection don't disappoint. You'll be drawn into every page as you flip through the book. Another thing that some people may overlook is that Pope is an excellent writer. This book contains several essays about his work and himself. Pope writes about as good as he draws, so it is difficult to put down the book once you start reading. I highly recommend this book.
A few warnings though: if you became a fan of Pope through his mainstream comic work, there is none of it in this book. There is a bit of THB featured (not as much as I would have liked), but most of the book consists of his private projects and illustration work. Another warning is that if you find erotic illustrations offensive, be warned that this book includes a few.
Beautiful and Thoughtful Pope's work is full of frantic, almost desperate energy. His art seems driven, and the essays in this book (I was surprised by the amount of text, but not unpleasantly, as it turned out) enhance this feeling. The book paints a picture of an artist with a great deal of passion for his work, and also a deeply thoughtful, philosophic side, and a strong respect for the history of his chosen art.
The pictures are often raw-edged, a few of them appear to have been lifted from sketchbooks or diaries, sometimes with blocks of handwritten (and not always legible) text running off the edge of the page, or stamped with rubber stamps in Japanese ("Paul Pope" "Comics Destroyer" and so on). It is deliberate, of course, and it seems right that way. Each picture is full of texture and detail, and rewards a careful viewing.
Don't just look at the pretty pictures, though. The book contains several autobiographical essays that are worth the price of admission by themselves. Pope talks about his inspirations and methods, discusses his thinking during the creation of some of the pieces in the book, and such topics as pornography as it relates to art and erotica. (Note to the prudish, a few of the pictures in this book are quite explicit. Although there are no sex acts shown, Pope is very frank about his appreciation for sex as a source of passion and inspiration, and he doesn't shy away from portraying all parts of human anatomy.) Reading the essays enhanced my appreciation for the art significantly.
It's a fine book, especially if you like Paul Pope's style. Recommended.
(As a side note, the version I received does not have the cover shown by Amazon, a drawing of a woman's face, but a black and white design based on an image of the author, I believe, and some abstract ink lines. It's not a bad cover, but I think I might have preferred the drawing.)
pulpy all in all a very cool book. being relatively new to pope (first through heavy liquid and batman 100, the best bat thing ever!) i find the book a very good intro to him, his ideas and thought process. he really seems to be on the path of re-creating / re-defining the "comic". the different essays throughout go from open self effacement to sadly comedic in his dealings with poss. employers and his tenure in japan. his knowledge of art history and his own desire to be a leader in his chosen area is very evident and well deserved.
For being an artist's opus, i would have actually preferred a bit more art (the first and usu. obvious complaint any art geek would say regardless the amount given), there too is none of the Bat 100 art here, prob. for rights reasons, fair enough. Alot of the stuff here is blown to full bleed, possibly unnecessarily so, but if one sits and meditates on those pages you begin to see something, his art does seep in and soak a bit... one cannot argue with the overall design in any way, alot of the newer art books (ash wood's stuff, james jean's) push the boundaries of the medium and give the fan what they want, possibly b/c they are fans themselves and are giving what they want from those they admire.
this one is going on the shelf between Malicious Resplendence and Lowlife Paradise...
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
