The first issue of 100% surprised me by how normal all of it was, lacking much in the way of weird science-fiction touches and instead serving up a strong character-based story. In this second issue, Pope introduces some of those weird concepts, and they are definitely out there, but he maintains the strong characters and introduces a couple more, and I remain fascinated by the story. Pope's vision of the future is disturbing but undeniably intriguing, and given the odd quirks of human nature it's hard to argue that even some of the more grotesque and bizarre styles of art shown off in 100% might become popular. The story grows more complex in this issue, and the mixture of weird ideas and several different plot lines threatens to lose the readers at time, but the rewards are there for anyone willing to hang in and pay close attention.
So a girl meets a guy whose a cousin of her friend, and they hit it off. A dancer in a bar starts to click with the bartender, who has an interesting past of his own. An old flame is trying to reach his girl. And artists do weird things to impress a crowd and earn potential wealthy benefactors. All pretty normal, right? Except that the dancer sets herself on fire and uses MRI so that the audience can see inside her stomach while she dances. And the art includes a nude girl smashing eggs, an unusual use of a common household item and an unconventional use for goat meat. In other words, Pope is blending social science-fiction with modern day routine, and the result is something with the weirdness of Grant Morrison and the accessibility of Brian Bendis.
The notion of "gastro" actually kind of grosses me out, but I can't deny that it would probably find a following if the technology existed. Also, while the scene that Strel, Eloy and Kim hang out in isn't one that I would enjoy, I can relate to them hanging out and talking to one another. The same is true for the budding romance of John and Daisy, which is like nothing I've really experienced and yet it rings true. Pope writes these characters as real people, with speech patterns and attitudes that are not unlike people that I've known, despite their odd jobs or backgrounds.
100% is built, both visually and narratively, on moments. Eloy's "something gorgeous" is a moment filled with sound, but Pope makes the reader feel it, both through Daisy's reaction and through the visuals of the event. The same is true for the gastro club, which feels enormous and loud and crowded even though we can't smell the crowd or feel the heat of bodies pressed together. Pope's strangely contorted and yet absolutely accurate anatomy is another selling point of the artwork. While the faces and bodies are stretched and distorted, they are recognizable and very well-defined, and the same can be said of his ultra-detailed backgrounds. After seeing 100%, I'm ready to declare that Pope should always work in this sort of black and white graywash style.
I'm not quite sure where this story is going yet, if anywhere, because Pope hasn't introduced much of a conflict yet. However, despite the lack of tension from any sort of conflicts, I find myself drawn into this world, enjoying the interplay between a variety of characters who are completely fictional but who feel completely real anyway.
