Paul Pope starts hitting his stride here in the second volume – of three –  in the 23rd Street Books representation of this 1990s classic series that announced Paul Pope's talent to the comics world.  His art really explodes on the page with some of the most outstanding inking in the biz.

232 pages

We've posted a some choice spreads on the Copacetic Tumblr, HERE.  Check it out.

Orson Welles was only 25 years old when he directed Citizen Kane, one the single most important and influential movies of all time – it was ranked "the greatest film of all time" by many film critics for decades (for example, The British Film Institute's Sight & Sound magazine's decennial poll, which gathers the opinions of critics, had "Citizen Kane" at the top for four decades, from 1962 to 2002).  Hard to believe, right?  Think of what you were up to when you were 25.

So, suffice it to say, starting out that big that early is going to have an effect on anyone's self-perception, and, of course, on the perception that others had of him, in turn.  Youssef Daoudi has already given us an intriguing look at Thelonious Monk that focused on his relationship with Pannonica de Koenigswarter, and here in the 272 pages of The Giant, expressively drawn black & white, he provides a fascinating look at the effects that such a level of early success had on the arc of Orson Welles's later life and career.  

Rumored to be in the works for years... decades, even,  the collecting of the series through which Paul Pope's talents were first unleashed onto the comics world has at last begun with this 23rd Street release of the first volume of THB!

Running 208 pages of black and white pen and ink-brushed art, this is where it all began... back in 1994, if you can believe it.  Paul Pope's artwork is only just beginning to take shape here, and only hints at the form it later grows into, but the thematic concerns are already solidly in place.

We're not yet sure how many and/or which issues are collected/reprinted here (but we're thinking it's the first three issues?).  We're also not yet sure if they've been "remixed" or edited in anyway that would differentiate them from their original appearances, but we'll let you know as soon as we find out.  

23rd St. Press has put out a nice, french flapped softcover that runs 208 pages, all printed on flat white stock, just under 200 pages of which are Paul Pope comics, so, a good value.