We here at Boing Boing have long been admirers of the work of iconoclastic comic artist, Paul Pope. This June, NYC's amazing "high-end narrative art" space, Philippe Labaune Gallery, is hosting a career-spanning exhibit of Pope's work. His collected art, from Batman: Year 100 and THB to Battling Boy and Heavy Liquid, forms something of a visual mixtape of manga energy, Euro comics atmosphere, and youth-culture angst.
Curated in collaboration with Felix Comic Art, the show features everything from Pope's Moebius-infused homages to lush band posters for The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and The Grateful Dead to unpublished personal work that spills ink with purpose and punk-rock spirit.
"He's a comics destroyer," says gallery founder Philippe Labaune, not unkindly. "Pope doesn't just straddle genres—he wrecks boundaries, then redraws them with a brush dipped in future oil." Pope has long evoked the likes of Pratt, Moebius, and Bilal, but with a confidence and swagger all his own.
Timed with the release of Pulp Hope 2: The Art of Paul Pope from BOOM! Studios—a 300+ page visual immersion into the artist's life and work — the exhibit offers a rare chance to see Pope's original pages up close, and to trace the throughlines of a stellar, ever-evolving career.
The show runs June 19–July 26, with an opening reception on June 19, from 6 to 9pm.
We were lucky enough to get our hands on a few inks from the exhibition.
