ABOUT

THB

2019 marks the 25th anniversary of Paul Pope's science fiction series, THB, and worldofthb.com will be the future home of THB comics online. Launched in 1994, THB was one of the crop of independent B&W comics to garner a strong cult following, often ranking alongside Jeff Smith's Bone and Terry Moore's Strangers In Paradise as mid-90s fan favorites. In 1995, years before working on mainstream titles such as Batman and Star Wars, Pope began working for Japanese mega-publisher Kodansha, a six year tenure which radically changed his approach to comics storytelling and design at a crucial point in his early career. "For years, I looked at  nothing but manga. My entire career was focused on the Japanese publishing and art world, it was very challenging and exciting. The THB comics I published in the early 2000s were heavily influenced by that experience." Blending elements of classic American comics and newspaper strips, European comics, and Japanese manga, Pope developed a unique and thrilling comics storytelling style which has gone on to earn him a diverse readership across the world. "I considered THB to be 'world comics.' I grew up reading French and Italian comics, then later, manga. Its always been my goal to in turn make comics which could translate to the various traditions and cultures of comics around the globe which have influenced me as an artist." 

THB is a sprawling story of the societies of a terra-formed Mars in the future, largely focused on exuberant teenager HR Watson and her Super-Mek bodyguard, THB. "The name THB is a chemical symbol," says Pope. "I wanted a title that was absurd and strange since that's what the THB comics are." Nearly 1000 pages have to date appeared in print, and back issues command high prices in the collector market. With a recent warehouse find, worldofthb.com will be adding affordable, long out-of-print THB back issues to the merchandise page summer 2018. Plans are to release "Total THB" as a series of graphic novels, including the long-awaited completion of the series. "THB is a universe of stories rather than just the story of one teenage girl on Mars. I have a number of other stories planned in this science fiction world with these characters. It's the fictional home I feel most comfortable in as a storyteller, and science fiction is as important and popular as ever. I'm excited to return to THB."

BIO

Paul Pope is a 5-time Eisner Award winning NY Times best-selling graphic novelist. In 2010 he was recognized as a master artist by The American Council of the Arts. His works appears in multiple languages across the world. He is currently finishing the second volume of Battling Boy for :01 (First Second Books) and Psychenaut for Dargaud. Pope plans to resume the THB series soon after. He lives and works in New York City.