Heavy Liquid is a different kind of trip- a high-speed chase through the back alleys of the world's seediest cities and the darkest recesses of the mind. It's the ultimate high. Men kill for it and governments vie to possess it. And it rests in the han
| ||||||||||||||||||
Browse the best books of summer including blockbusters, beach reads, and editors' picks in our Summer Reading Store. |
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Paul Pope brings a quiet, old-school sensibility to noisy, postmodern comics with Heavy Liquid. This graphic novel, set in the late 21st century, focuses on all the classic elements of detective and adventure stories: lost love, mysterious clients, a package everyone wants, and a tired, barely willing protagonist. The narrative details--such as the eponymous liquid, which is part munition, part drug, and much stranger than any character imagines--are calculated to foil the reader's assumptions, and the expressionistic artwork blends simple colors with bold lines to draw the eyes onward. It seems safe to say that cyberpunk's not dead. --Rob Lightner
From Publishers Weekly
A singular figure on the comics scene, Pope (One Trick Rip-off) is the rare comics artist who can move between the opposing worlds of self-published, underground comix and mainstream, commercial comics, always producing personal works of imagination with extraordinary graphic skill. Set in a moodily rendered New York and Paris about the year 2075, Heavy Liquid is an urban love story transformed by science fiction into a bracing, futuristic international crime thriller. It's the story of "S," a former drug agent turned private investigator and petty criminal. He's addicted to heavy liquid, a mysterious hallucinatory substance sought after by different characters for its various properties. A mysterious and wealthy art collector wants it to be cast in a work of art; a gang of ruthless masked gunmen know that it can be used as an efficient, powerful explosive; and an equally hard-nosed government agency knows its shrouded origin and wants the stuff out of circulation. But S's use of heavy liquid (he cooks it up like heroin and puts drops in his ear) produces an effect far beyond its mind-bending high: it seems to produce a powerful, shadow life-form that inhabits his mind and body or is it just a delusional by-product of heavy liquid's potent high? Pope has embellished his stylish love story with heart-stopping action and adventure. But he has also produced a moody fictional essay of urban culture and its organic, pervasive amalgamation with technology. Pope's drawing and page design (the book is printed in three eerily manipulated colors) is both technically assured and wonderfully expressive.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By zinegrrl
Format:Paperback
The Heavy Liquid series(compiled in this book)makes up one of the most amazing graphic novels I've ever seen, and on so many levels: a fascinating and creative plot, interesting characters and great loose, luscious drawings. I highly reccommend this book as an introduction to the rest of Mr. Pope's fine work, such as his giant-sized THB comics, P City Parade and also "Escapo," another amazing graphic novel. All of his comics are grrl friendly (with fully-clothed and smart,strong female characters, no ridiculously-sized bosoms to be seen) and his drawing style is completely gorgeous. Do check this out -- you'll love it. Paul Pope is a total genius.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I wish I saw this novel on more Top 10 lists, but oh well. Nevertheless, I demand that you buy this book right now, and with the hefty discount Amazon is providing, you can't afford to pass this up! With a cover price of 30 beans, I can understand why some would balk initially at purchasing this, but now you have no excuse! Thirty percent off is the deal of the century for this book, and I paid full cover at my local shop! If you are a fan of modern fiction, fine graphical art, or just insane ideas, you owe it to yourself to pick this up at Amazon's great discount.
Set in the near future, the main question in Heavy Liquid is "what is Heavy Liquid?" I'm not going to tell you, but I will tell you that the characters in this story are all affected by this strange substance, part highly addictive drug, part... I don't want to spoil it, but suffice it to say that Pope's concepts are always first rate. As someone else mentioned, fans of PK Dick should take note of this work and read it.
The art is Paul's signature style, completely unmistakably his and no one else's. The lines themselves form beautiful abstract art, in addition to the concrete images they suggest, but his execution is so fluid that nothing is stale or static; these pages rip with dynamics.
All in all, among the very best graphic novels of all time, and considering that it is the work of one man, it qualifies as genius.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm not looking to write an elaborate review; I just felt obligated to tell potential buyers more about the product than the story, unlike the other reviews.
It's Paul Pope. Of course HEAVY LIQUID is a great series. The writing is a mesh between dystopian and noir. It's a caper tale that serves more as a character study, and it explores the timeless themes of love and addiction, while transporting the reader to a futuristic world, that's familiar yet fresh. It doesn't exactly end in a traditional sense, which brings focus and reflects on the main concepts. It's important to remember the main character is an addict.
The dark limited color palette and spaced-out panel layout are gorgeous, and they compliment Pope's sleek yet rough penciling, that is most definitely one of HEAVY LIQUID's best attributes. There's no doubt, that HL is contemporary comic book art.
I want to make references to Science-fiction having donated sperm so same-sex couple, TRAINSPOTTING and SNATCH could have a baby together, when trying to come up with some sort of comparison for HEAVY LIQUID. There's an intensity and strangeness to both the tone and creativity, that reminds me of certain elements from cult-classics like V FOR VENDETTA, CLOCKWORK ORANGE & BLADE RUNNER.
The reasoning why I give this book a 4 instead of the 5, I think this series deserves, is because of the actual book itself. For the cover price of 40$ or even the ever-changing amazon bargain of 25-30$, you might expect an over-sized edition. That's wishful thinking. My biggest complaint is that some of the art is lost in the binding. It doesn't ruin the reading experience necessarily; however, I can't help but wonder if this was unavoidable or just laziness on the publishers part. I find myself stretching the book as far open as possible to read each panel. I doubt I'll let friends borrow this, fearing too many people doing the same thing will ruin it.
I would have liked to see the publishers, editors, etc. release a hardcover more worthy of this artsy, avant-garde sci-fi. It's still a snazzy looking addition to your library though. The dust jacket has a subtle shimmer, and the pages are the thick glossy type we fanboys drool over. The bonus material is satisfactory but not extensive. There's no introduction; it jumps right into the comic. But the book ends with a standard cover gallery, a short bit of research & development, and an afterword from the Pope himself. Recommended for all, but buying it cheaper from an independent seller will make the price more fitting.
It's Paul Pope. Of course HEAVY LIQUID is a great series. The writing is a mesh between dystopian and noir. It's a caper tale that serves more as a character study, and it explores the timeless themes of love and addiction, while transporting the reader to a futuristic world, that's familiar yet fresh. It doesn't exactly end in a traditional sense, which brings focus and reflects on the main concepts. It's important to remember the main character is an addict.
The dark limited color palette and spaced-out panel layout are gorgeous, and they compliment Pope's sleek yet rough penciling, that is most definitely one of HEAVY LIQUID's best attributes. There's no doubt, that HL is contemporary comic book art.
I want to make references to Science-fiction having donated sperm so same-sex couple, TRAINSPOTTING and SNATCH could have a baby together, when trying to come up with some sort of comparison for HEAVY LIQUID. There's an intensity and strangeness to both the tone and creativity, that reminds me of certain elements from cult-classics like V FOR VENDETTA, CLOCKWORK ORANGE & BLADE RUNNER.
The reasoning why I give this book a 4 instead of the 5, I think this series deserves, is because of the actual book itself. For the cover price of 40$ or even the ever-changing amazon bargain of 25-30$, you might expect an over-sized edition. That's wishful thinking. My biggest complaint is that some of the art is lost in the binding. It doesn't ruin the reading experience necessarily; however, I can't help but wonder if this was unavoidable or just laziness on the publishers part. I find myself stretching the book as far open as possible to read each panel. I doubt I'll let friends borrow this, fearing too many people doing the same thing will ruin it.
I would have liked to see the publishers, editors, etc. release a hardcover more worthy of this artsy, avant-garde sci-fi. It's still a snazzy looking addition to your library though. The dust jacket has a subtle shimmer, and the pages are the thick glossy type we fanboys drool over. The bonus material is satisfactory but not extensive. There's no introduction; it jumps right into the comic. But the book ends with a standard cover gallery, a short bit of research & development, and an afterword from the Pope himself. Recommended for all, but buying it cheaper from an independent seller will make the price more fitting.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
William Gibson on images
Pope's masterpiece is the most faithful representation on comicbook of the William Gibson's cyberpunk literature. A must read for scifi fans ... and for any comicbook fan.
Published 4 months ago by M. T. Aragao
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Greatest from Paul Pope
People,
If you like Paul Pope, you should have this book. It's the definitive masterpiece. Best thing he's ever done
Perfect!!!
If you like Paul Pope, you should have this book. It's the definitive masterpiece. Best thing he's ever done
Perfect!!!
Published on November 18, 2010 by Pedro Ribeiro
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and high concept
If you are looking for a light read, walk away from this page. This is not for you. If you are looking for a trippy and heady GN to wrap your hands around, this is the one,... Read more
Published on September 2, 2009 by R. Parthasarathy
3.0 out of 5 stars
Gritty adult graphic novel
This is a gritty adult graphic novel by Paul Pope. Heavy Liquid is a liquid metal that is sought both for its qualities as a potent drug and as a very valuable metal a mysterious... Read more
Published on April 7, 2009 by D. Scott
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Mysterious Package
When the character Stooge and his partner double-cross the mob and abscond with a package of the mysterious element Heavy Liquid, thing get out of control. Read more
Published on January 11, 2009 by T. Hooper
5.0 out of 5 stars
Weight indeed
So apparently they haven't reprinted this for a while... I don't know that it's worth $[...].
However, Pope's got his glory moment with this book. Read more
However, Pope's got his glory moment with this book. Read more
Published on September 30, 2007 by M. Salter
3.0 out of 5 stars
S is for Stooge
I know nothing about Pope, just happened to see this collection of the five-comic run at the library and picked it up. Read more
Published on November 18, 2005 by A. Ross
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best graphic novels I've ever read
Heavy Liquid takes place in a not so distant future, and the plot circles around a man only known as "S". Read more
Published on April 10, 2003 by Viktor Moberg
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome book!
Man, what a cool book. You got the futuristic sci-fi vibe perfectly mixed with this gritty, urban scene harboring an almost retro, beautifully illustrated chase story. Read more
Published on May 19, 2002 by Victor Destefano
5.0 out of 5 stars
UNBELIEVABLY COOL!
Heavy Liquid is one of the very best novels I've ever read in my life!
Forget that it's a "comic", it's more than that. Read more
Published on August 9, 2001 by ShishkamungaR&R
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Listmania!
|
|
