If you’re anything like me, the most exciting release of the week (or last week, for a lucky assorted dozen out there) was Paul Pope’s “The Invincible Haggard West” #101, a comic-sized preview of the long-awaited upcoming “Battling Boy” graphic novel. It’s the first issue but it’s also the last, as the hero Haggard West meets his untimely demise in the first issue after his centennial.
And, big flipping’ surprise, it’s downright awesome.
Written and Illustrated by Paul Pope
Attention, citizens of the monster-ridden city-planet Arcopolis! The Death of Haggard West is the final installment in the legendary Invincible Haggard West comics series, the bestselling chronicle of the adventures of our beloved hero, Haggard West. In breathtaking color and frenetic action, this 32-page comic presents the final moments in the life of one of the greatest vigilante heroes Arcopolis has ever seen . . . and introduces his successor in the fight to save our city, Battling Boy.
Paul Pope is not like most other storytellers in comics. I don’t particularly mean that in the general sense that no comic creator is like one another; that’s an obvious statement. Rather, Pope brings a certain discernible and obvious sense of energy and style to his books that only he ever can. Its something that literally no one else can bring to the table in terms of style and art and emotion and grace. It’s almost as if Pope himself as a patented style, one that’s inimitable and exciting with every new instance of it. It’s carried his work quite well through his career and when looking at a book like this, it’s clear that Pope has no interest in slowing down.
“Haggard West” is an interesting beast. On the one hand, it’s a faux final issue of a long-running series from the future sent back in time to show us how the most popular character of the future dies; that’s not a spoiler, it’s literally on the cover of the issue and the issues main definition. You can’t go into the book without being aware of this. On the other hand, “Haggard West” reads as a riff on modern comics in general from top to bottom — the price tag, the popularization of death, the actual occurrence of said death and resulting fallout… so much of this book reads as Pope thumbing his nose at the audience and comics in general that its hard not to notice.
With that in mind, it’s perhaps difficult to define “Haggard West.” The obvious element of it is that it is a prequel to “Battling Boy,” the long awaited graphic novel set for release this October; it basically sets the stage, lightly gives us an idea of the universe and, in ways we can’t see yet, gives birth to the hero of that book. Yet it seems like more than that; here is Pope doing something that we don’t often see from him. Pope’s career has always been defined by his ability to explore the medium, not lampoon it, but that’s certainly present here — and it’s actually quite funny in retrospect.
“Haggard West” essentially offers two different reads for two different approaches. The first read is the consumption of the product, it’s you taking it all in and glowing in the aftermath that you’ve just read a new Paul Pope comic. It’s a fast-paced and action-packed read, with Haggard West flying from top to bottom in the way we’ve grown accustomed to seeing our heroes rise and fall. On the second read, you get to see a book that essentially encapsulates a large idea, a trope bigger than can be contained within the pages of the book; its a more meta read for sure, and one that isn’t obtrusive or too much of a wink and a nod to distract from a regular “I just have to see what happens next” read.
Of course, what makes “Haggard West” such a good read is that it’s all rather fun. There’s the elements of it that seem like a pastiche, sure, and those are easy to appreciate and smile at — but that’s obviously not all there is. Paul Pope doesn’t tell superhero stories too often (outside of “Solo” or “Batman Year 100”), and “Haggard West” is very much his stamp on what the superhero genre is capable: pure, unadulterated action and entertainment. Pope’s DC work always seemed to be him riffing on a style based on the properties, the OMAC story being a particularly noticeable instance of this, but “Haggard West” seems less rigid, more loose and fancy free; it dances to the beat of its own drum, and that drum doesn’t have any particularly recognizable rhythm. You can see all the core concepts that he’s pulling from in terms of how the action unfolds, but when all is said and done the issue is executed in a way that I’d dare say only Pope could successfully pull off.
Continued belowIn this way, “Haggard West” is very smart. Obviously a big part of the excitement going into the book is how it will tee up the graphic novel it comes before, but “Haggard West” has to stand on its own — and it does. “Haggard West” really does read quite well as the final issue of a long-running series, and all the trademark aspects of it are there: it’s new-reader friendly enough to be marketable or to be passed off onto CNN as “news;” it’s “old”-reader friendly enough in that you actually feel like you might be missing one or two details because you’ve never seen the material before. It’s a comic that does exactly what it says it will do on the cover, and then it goes far enough from that base impression to make it a worthwhile comic experience.
Therefore, it’s not out of line to say that “Haggard West” is something special in this regard. I find that with a comic like “Haggard West,” its best not to analyze it too much. You can appreciate some of the commentary going on that Pope is delivering under the high flying Rocketeer-esque action, but what’s really engrossing about the book is the deliverance. Pope’s art, as always, is highly kinetic; it literally jumps off the page at you, surrounding you in this weird artistic mist that draws you inside the book, into the world. You find yourself pacing the streets, hiding from attacks and peeking around corners to see Haggard West take on the bad guys. Pope’s work excels at delivering this unique first person perspective into this world, not so much that you are looking on at it but rather that you are there and experiencing it.
It’s this that has always set Pope apart from other artists. Total immersion in the work is not something that is always achieved, and is certainly not something that is always delivered. You can read a 20+ page $2.99 comic and put it away, but “Haggard West” pretty much demands a slower pace, a few more reads, more time involved. It’s a bit tough to truly capture that feeling in words here in this review, but I liken it to a great movie seen in a dark theater by yourself — you know you’re watching something that you’re not a part of, but you get lost in it. This is what Pope’s work delivers, especially to me when reading it, and I can’t help but find myself re-reading the issue almost immediately after finishing it. Why even bother getting lost in any other landscape when you have something like this available?
The biggest downfall of “Haggard West” is really that its just a tease. It’s not a fully formed story (although it kind of is), and it’s very much just a lead-in to what is to come next with “Battling Boy.” There’s a certain sense of excitement that comes with picking up a new Pope comic, but the length of this issue finds that excitement quickly replaced by agonizing frustration due to the fact that you want more and you want it now — the world has so much room to grow, the characters have so much to tell us. It may seem like a petty remark to note that an issue’s greatest flaw is that it is just not long enough, but come on, I can’t be the only one who just wants to read “Battling Boy” already! The wait is killing me!
I think the best way to look at “Haggard West” is an early single off an album. Pope’s work is often quite musical in the way that his artwork flows and floats within the pages, so “Haggard West” basically seems like the “No Church in the Wild” to “Battling Boy’s” Watch the Throne. You’ll find yourself replaying it until you’re sick of it, but you’re still going to be looking forward to “Battling Boy” more than you were before no matter what.
That’s the good news, ultimately: you can read and re-read this over and over until October. And I think you’re going to want to.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
