We’re bringing you the full, uncut interview with legendary cartoonist Paul Pope—the visionary creator behind Batman: Year 100 and Total THB. Pope joins us to talk about returning to Total THB after 30 years, how his early ideas about “small things exploding into big things” shaped his storytelling philosophy, and what readers can expect from the definitive edition hitting shelves on November 11. If you caught our written interview, you’ll want to tune in for this one—the podcast includes extended discussion about his creative process, artistic influences, and the craft of making comics that didn’t make it to print.
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Dave:
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Standout KAPOW moment of the week:
Alex: Binary #2 (Giada Belviso)
Dave: Amazing Spider-Man #15 (Joe Kelley, Emilio Laiso, Marte Garcia)
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JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.
1. Total THB has always felt like a living piece of your imagination—something that evolved alongside you. Now that you’re returning to it after thirty years, what does it mean to finally see it presented as the definitive version you always envisioned?
7. In your introduction, you mention artists like Bruegel, Motherwell, and Rodin alongside Kirby, Moebius, and Miyazaki. That’s a fascinating cross-section of influences—how do you see Total THB sitting at the intersection of those worlds now?
2. In your introduction, you talk about the seed idea—“small things exploding into big things.” How has that core concept shaped your storytelling and visual philosophy across your entire career, and how does it feel to return to it now with decades of experience behind you?
8. Total THB is set on a divided Mars, a world of art versus bureaucracy, chaos versus control. Given how global politics and culture have evolved since the ’90s, do you see new relevance—or new warnings—in the story’s setting and themes?
5. The relationship between HR and THB—the sheltered daughter and her enigmatic bodyguard—feels both intimate and mythic. How do you see their dynamic now, and what new layers do you hope readers discover in this remastered edition?
6. You’ve described superheroes before as modern myths — figures that blend pulp with poetry. Having moved between corporate superhero universes and your own creator-owned worlds, what do you think mainstream superhero comics could still learn from the spirit of self-publishing that birthed THB*?*