THB #1 v.2 p. 2-3 (POPE, 1996)

9 x 22

Full image also published in THB Circus p. 19 (1998)

Paul Pope is one of my very favorite comics artists. I think he is original beyond measure. So well versed in comics and formed into such unique genius. Getting to see him do his personal creative work while also dipping his toes into mainstream characters and comics is really an amazing treat. I've sold/traded maybe 3 Pope pieces in my collecting history and have regretted every one. I managed to recover 1 but I've learned my lesson and that is how I know that he's one of the few artists that my collection can be heavily focused on.

THB is what put Pope on the map. Self published and experimental, he exploded onto the scene with his fearless brushwork. It is finally being collected in full over 3-4 volumes. Total THB V. 1 is out now with volume 2 due next month (June 2026). To promote his most recent artbook, Pulphope, as well as the coming of Total THB, Philippe Labaune Gallery exhibited and sold a selection of works by Paul.

I managed to grab a large slug of his art from this exhibition, with this piece being one of them. It is a wonderful and different image of HR Watson on an abstract expressionist background, with a shoutout to Picasso in the corner. I'd have to guess that is THB abstracted but still behind HR and ready to defend. Pope redid THB #1 2 years after the original, expanding it with some new art to flesh out the story to his liking and evolution. It was released in 1996 as THB #1 v. 2. The bottom 1/3 of this piece shows up as a DPS in pages 2-3 to open the book. I'm not sure what it would be called as I believe that's before the Table of Contents. Would it classify as a pin-up? Endpapers? Paul would later publish the full image in his giant Treasury sized THB Circus (p. 19). 

I've yet to see any actual THB story pages and I'm under the impression that Paul will be holding onto them, so I'm very grateful to have a few examples to represent his magnificent artistic history in comics. Thankfully, he continues to produce mind blowingly creative work in the medium. 

**Had to square up the image a bit with a background due to CAF uploading issues