THB — Eisner-nominated 1990s indie sci-fi story returns

Review by C.J. Bunce

“The hardest thing in the world to do is have the sense to live differently and the sense to let others live differently, too.”

Four-time Eisner Award-winning writer-artist Paul Pope (Batman: Year 100) began as an independent cartoonist, and was first widely recognized in the 1990s for his series THB, a science fiction universe set on Mars featuring a teen girl named H.R. Watson and her unique update to the genie in a bottle trope, a robotic “super-mek” being called THB. The THB is the fictional substance “tri-hydro-bioxygenate,” the scientific molecule and mechanism that makes THB the character deflate into a rubber ball H.R. can wear on a necklace, then with a drop of water grow to a seven-foot tall purple giant. The self-published indie comic THB is returning this year in a set of collected volumes beginning with the first of three books in trade paperback editions. THB Volume 1 is available for pre-order now here at Amazon, coming to comic shops in November.

Inspired in part by Bone’s Jeff Smith, Pope’s THB is a black and white series in a format and style that will be familiar to fans of indie comics in the 1970s through the 1990s. THB could be called epic in the same way as Frank Herbert’s Dune, in that it has a story that extends far and wide, features politics on an interplanetary scale, yet homes in on a few key characters to find its personality. H.R. is smart and self-reliant, the daughter of famous industrialist Clovis Watson who makes robots on Mars. She lives a comfortable life attending school and living with her dad, until his business interests run against a race of Martians referred to as Bugfaces. Clovis sends his daughter into hiding, but not before the Bugfaces stealthily try to kidnap H.R. for interrogation.

One of the more elaborate ruses sees the Bugfaces attempt to send a Trojan horse to H.R. in the form of a Steinway piano, which ultimately comes alive to try to attack and kidnap her. Fortunately Clovis has given his daughter a cutting-edge bodyguard, the rubber ball turned robot genie THB. At first H.R. doesn’t appreciate his value, but quickly figures out how useful he can be.

The tale probably has as much fantasy elements as it does science fiction. Pope’s methodical storytelling includes glimpses into H.R.’s thoughts, a Rod Serling-inspired opening narrator, lots of action and techno-gadgets, and, to remind us this is about Mars, too, a spacecycle chase into outer space.

As for the artwork, Pope’s style is bare bones, enough so readers can tell the characters apart and give H.R. some personality that breaks through the sometimes thick black inkwork. I like Pope’s inking work above all because it doesn’t look like anything else and the novelty will carry you on from page to page. His Martian beings have a style I haven’t seen before, and a robot named Augustine comes alive on the page as does THB. When H.R. finds herself in the company of a friend she grew up with named Percy, she’s suddenly in the middle of a world she once only dreamed of, a community of artists, where she seems to be falling for a local musician named Stensum the Jiggler. It has its own Almost Famous vibe as H.R. recounts her exploits with the musicians in a letter (via secret code) to her friend back home, another teen girl named Lollie (who hopefully gets more coverage in later volumes).

For fans of indie comics, imaginative science fiction, Dune, Aladdin, and Almost Famous, especially anyone drawn to the relationship between the heroine and her protector in the recent webcomic Suitor Armor, THB may be for you. Order this one from Elite Comics or your local comic shop today. THB Volume 1 is available for pre-order now here at Amazon, coming to comic shops in November.