Pop #3
Revelations and meditations
Writing: Curt Pires
Art: Jason Copland
Publisher: Dark Horse
Wow, just...wow.
I've been admiring Pop for its interesting premise and its perfect blend of 90's-Pacific-Northwest-Retro and modern day high-tech for two issues now. I usually revel in the way things are pulled off or the way the story is told rather than the story itself that is being told. This time, though, it's all about the story.
Pires meditates here on the futile feeling of stagnation in suburbia, the worn in and comfortable terror of settling into your own body and age. The tension lurking right beneath comfort. Coop finally addresses the noose he gripped so woefully in the first issue, our two heroes talk about "feeling real" (read: being human) and more. It's lofty but well done. Poetic even. It's also punctured with great tension breaking moments like a drug dealer named Scooter and a hilarious line about how all drug deals have great record collections that are seemingly tailored by Pitchfork. The genuiness and earnestness that Pires writes with is gripping, raw, and rewarding. A lot happens in this issue but, things move forward in a satisfying way and the last few moments focusing on Coop's own life are beautiful and deeply sad.
Copland's art again, is great. His lines and movements remind me of famed Moebius. The complexity and raw feeling that Copland brings to every page is staggering. The colors used and the emotions evoked by the characters in their deeply personal conversation is moving and not only because of what they're saying but also because of the way it's all presented. The juxtaposition of young and old Coop in the later "dream" sequence is perfectly done. It's just all so beautifully...morose.
Reading this book is a little scary. Scary, because it's so honest and raw and it hits really close to home. For me, and for others that feel what Coop is feeling, this book is a terrifying and poignant meditation on our own lives through the fantastical scope of other's. That's exactly what makes it so good though, you can tell that Pires and Copland are putting themselves into this, you almost feel like you know them, and that's so deeply rewarding and touching that I come back time and time again for Pop. I'm sad that it's ending soon, but I'm happy that I experienced it at all.
Writing: Curt Pires
Art: Jason Copland
Publisher: Dark Horse
Wow, just...wow.
I've been admiring Pop for its interesting premise and its perfect blend of 90's-Pacific-Northwest-Retro and modern day high-tech for two issues now. I usually revel in the way things are pulled off or the way the story is told rather than the story itself that is being told. This time, though, it's all about the story.
Pires meditates here on the futile feeling of stagnation in suburbia, the worn in and comfortable terror of settling into your own body and age. The tension lurking right beneath comfort. Coop finally addresses the noose he gripped so woefully in the first issue, our two heroes talk about "feeling real" (read: being human) and more. It's lofty but well done. Poetic even. It's also punctured with great tension breaking moments like a drug dealer named Scooter and a hilarious line about how all drug deals have great record collections that are seemingly tailored by Pitchfork. The genuiness and earnestness that Pires writes with is gripping, raw, and rewarding. A lot happens in this issue but, things move forward in a satisfying way and the last few moments focusing on Coop's own life are beautiful and deeply sad.
Copland's art again, is great. His lines and movements remind me of famed Moebius. The complexity and raw feeling that Copland brings to every page is staggering. The colors used and the emotions evoked by the characters in their deeply personal conversation is moving and not only because of what they're saying but also because of the way it's all presented. The juxtaposition of young and old Coop in the later "dream" sequence is perfectly done. It's just all so beautifully...morose.
Reading this book is a little scary. Scary, because it's so honest and raw and it hits really close to home. For me, and for others that feel what Coop is feeling, this book is a terrifying and poignant meditation on our own lives through the fantastical scope of other's. That's exactly what makes it so good though, you can tell that Pires and Copland are putting themselves into this, you almost feel like you know them, and that's so deeply rewarding and touching that I come back time and time again for Pop. I'm sad that it's ending soon, but I'm happy that I experienced it at all.
A Look Inside
