"Heavy Liquid" Review!

I have to admit: the thing that first drew me in to "Heavy Liquid" by Paul Pope was the cover. It's background is bright, rainbow-y, and eye-catching. The contrasting image on the front is that of "S", the main character. His portrait is front and center with large contrasting areas of black and white. This book is so much more than its cover, though. It's a deal gone wrong. It's the discovery of a drug. It's the tracking of an ex-lover. There's goons and girls and "good" guys and "bad" guys.

 The story starts out with "S", the main character, and his friend Luna packing to leave. Luna and "S" are going their separate ways. They leave in the cover of a parade, dressed in identical, idiotic costumes. The story shifts to "S"'s journey alone. Inside a taxi, "S" realizes that "the clowns" are hot on his tail. These "clowns" are a group of rough guys that "S" stole a load of "Heavy Liquid " from. What's this "Heavy Liquid"? It's hard to explain. It's a substance that, while small in size, is extremely heavy. It's explosive (it has the power of a nuclear bomb!) and corrosive (you can only touch it with your bare hands once! LOL). "S" has discovered that, if heated to a high enough temperature, it turns into a substance that he's dubbed "Black Milk". When touched or put into the mouth or ear canal, "Black Milk" has drug-like effects. 

It's only a matter of time before people catch on to "S"'s desire for, possession of, and knowledge of "Heavy Liquid". He's gotten rid of "the clowns", but they were the least of his problems. A shady art dealer calls for "S". He knows of "S"'s past of tracking people and police work. He asks "S" to find the most famous living artist of the time: Rodan Esperella. He plans to have her sculpt a piece and have it sent from Paris to New York. After that point, Rodan's piece will be cast in an alloy of "Heavy Liquid". She agrees, but only upon the condition that she never has to see "S" again. It's discovered that the two are ex-lovers and "S" grudgingly agrees to leave. After all, he's got a hefty payment of "Heavy Liquid" waiting for him for his troubles.

It is on his way to wherever he's heading that he is caught by an agent. The agent reveals to him that "Heavy Liquid" is, in fact, a semi-living or living being. He's handcuffed and left in a cabin on the train and uses the "Black Milk". He feels it move on the side of his face and the voices that he hears as a result tell him everything that he must do. He escapes the cabin and hops aboard another train. The novel closes with him talking to his "double shadow" (a hallucination).

Rating time!

Creativity of Writing: 4/5 The concept is pretty awesome. Mystery substance that the government, gangs, and military all want. It's dangerous in and of itself but then you factor in that it can be made into a drug with mind-blowing side effects. Value and demand instantly go up! Throw in a man who steals it from a gang, a few explosions, an art collector with a dangerous desire, an ex-lover, and an alien life-form and you've got "Heavy Liquid". The panels are very easy to read and the flashbacks of "S"'s life are easy to follow. The dialogue is intelligent and well thought out. It's easy to read. 

Creativity of Art: 5/5 The art is amazing. It's not exactly something that I myself would make, but that's the beauty in it. The lines are sort of jagged and color is used very sparingly, mostly in pinks. Flashbacks and other sections are distinctly marked with color (flashbacks are panels that are entirely covered in bright red). The art style is DEFINITELY interesting. I love the big, bold lines that make up the images and the wierdo character design (especially "the clowns"!).

Overall Casual Read Rating: 5/5 I'm in a hospital waiting room right now...literally. This book has kept me entertained and taken me to another world. There's never a dull moment in this action-packed drug run. GREAT read for any kind of audience.