Somehow, in the recent piece I did on the best graphic novels, I forgot to mention Paul Pope.  Oops.  And considering he’s responsible for some of the most vital, pulsating graphic fiction you’ll find on the shelves, that’s quite an omission.  I’ve written previously about Heavy Liquid, and now 100% too has been collected in a cool hardback edition from DC imprint Vertigo.

The gung-ho title is all about people living their life at full-tilt, and this being Paul Pope they’re a cool assortment: a boxer, an exotic dancer, an artist and their friends.  They cross each others’ paths in a club that’s the backdrop for all kinds of intersections and adventures.  It’s nominally set in the future, but Pope’s science fiction is of the sort that projects contemporary anxieties forward, making his decades hence New York an easy place to resonate with for those of us still getting used to the idea that this is the 21st century.

I get a sense of restless energy with Pope’s artwork, the feel that he loves every line he puts down, and the physicality of the whole process.  More than pretty much any artist I can think of, there’s a sense of sheer exuberance about what he’s doing, a zest for cartooning that I associate with few of his peers, Walt Simonson being a notable exception.  Frank Miller and Howard Chaykin would be two more.

It’s interesting to note what all the above have in common: they’re writers as well as artists…maybe what comes across is a restless desire to show you the next piece of what’s happening, to capture on paper an image that’s been seared in their minds.  Simonson, Miller and Chaykin shared a studio in the 80s, doing some of that decade’s best comics, and they must have spurred one another on in their efforts: Pope works alone, and likes to do so in frenetic three day bursts of activity when he burns through pages…again, the sheer physicality of his approach comes through.

That degree of involvement in the work he produces must surely mean Pope is putting a lot of himself into his work.  In 100% the stories are all to do with love and sex, but more than that about putting 100% of yourself into what you’re doing.  That go-for-it spirit is matched by a thread of positivity, seen for instance in the story of the aspiring artist whose installation of whistling kettles is all about reaching the magical moment when they hit the same note in unison.  The artist’s backers see this as cheesy, and urge him to let them loose forth a cacophony, but that would defeat the sense of communality and achievement that’s important to him.

The notion within the choir of kettles is of signal to noise: can you create a distinct and clear impression with your work, or will you allow yourself to be twisted into producing yet more chaos in a world that’s already floundering?  It’s clear where Pope’s heart lies, and it’s the story of his success as a creator, a cartoonist with a uniquely distinctive voice that’s won him acclaim within the comics world and secured him design work with fashion labels Diesel and DKNY: he’s also done posters for the likes of The White Stripes.

Enough of Paul Pope the brand.  At any rate, remember that he’s a tremendously talented creator, with his best years ahead of him.  Right now though, to capture what he’s been up to, 100% is an excellent starting point, a visceral account of people doing the best they can in the shadows of New York’s future.