Paul Pope's liquid gold

The five years that US comics artist Paul Pope spent working for Japan's largest Manga publisher (as well as his fulsome absorption of influences from around the globe) has ensured that he is one of the most cosmopolitan and innovative talents working today. The moody and atmospheric Heavy Liquid is a cyberpunk mix of urban love story and detective mystery. Set in New York in 2075, its story is anchored on a strange hallucinogen that blurs the lines between addiction and art. Pope's efficient and almost eerie manipulation of single colours in his thick-lined, expressionist artwork is masterful stuff. And twinned with his unerring ability to maintain a speedy pace, it makes Heavy Liquid a constantly engrossing trip.