S is a man who could have everything, but has nothing. After the appearance of the Heavy Liquid – a metal with amazing properties – he became addicted to its use. Together with his helpers, he focused on the illegal trade in it, which led his best (or rather: only) friend to the grave. Now, deprived of prospects, he seizes every opportunity to not only get the coveted drug, but also simply to survive. His former business partners are hot on his heels, wanting to settle the score. What will happen when an unimaginably rich client shows up, who decides to create a sculpture from the rarest and most expensive metal? And if this sculpture is to be conceived by the most famous artist, who retreated a few years earlier and holed up in an unknown place? Will S return to his detective career and decide to find not only the subject of the order, but also his old love?
Heavy Fluid Reality
The world created by Paul Pope is extremely atmospheric. The future, according to the creator, does not look particularly positive. Unleashed human desires lead to the fact that the world becomes a friendly place only for the chosen ones. Only wealth can bring comfort and happiness. Others, immersed in the pursuit of happiness, constantly fall into one after another problems that only increase the gloom. Despite the development of technology, people themselves have not changed much. It is therefore easy to foresee how much havoc a new kind of drug would wreak on such soil. All the more so that its prices reach really high amounts, which suggests that the poor would be willing to go to any lengths to get it. From the pages of the comic, despite the dominating fast action or the appearance of charismatic characters, depression and desperation emerge.
Paul Pope’s Worlds
The author of the comic is known for his unconventionality. This applies not only to the content, but also to the graphics. This is also the case here. Most of the stories even touching on cyberpunk try to reflect the reality as accurately as possible, focusing on a large number of details. After all, this approach is characteristic of the genre. Pope, however, as usual, does it in his own way – to create an atmosphere and show the poor living conditions of the inhabitants of the near future, he uses a hard, rough line, which he dresses in monochromatic colors. This undoubtedly allows you to create an original atmosphere, and thus to manage the reader’s feelings, and shows that despite the large amount of fast action, it is not about it at all.
In Poland, the comic book was published in one large collective album, which, thanks to the hard cover, high-quality paper and printing, looks very good. Combine this with a not too high price (in the face of their increase with most other publishers), we get a volume that looks very good.
Is it worth to devote yourself to the search for Heavy Liquid?
Heavy Liquid , published in Poland by Non Stop Comics , is undoubtedly an original comic book. As one of the few recently, he refers to the subject of cyberpunk, which many fans can read as an advantage. On the other hand, it is the work of Paul Pope, so it was immediately possible to assume that it would not be an easy creation to assign. And so it happened – it is an original story not only in terms of plot, but also in terms of drawing. The madness and pace of the story perfectly match the drug reality, and the characters themselves and their characters perfectly blend into the presented world. So if you are looking for interesting, unconventional stories, but still focused on action, Heavy Liquid may be the title for you. But expect the unexpected!
