Paul Pope reunites with “Total THB”: a journey of reinvention and resurgence episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 9, 2025 · 1H 35M

Paul Pope reunites with “Total THB”: a journey of reinvention and resurgence

from AIPT Comics · host David Brooke

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon! NEWS'Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon' by Chip Zdarsky and Luca Maresca, a lead-in series to next summer's 'Armageddon' event, arrives in February 2026.The Iron Fist reborn: Lin Lie leads Marvel’s greatest martial artists in 'Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun' #1!S.H.I.E.L.D. returns in the next chapter of Chip Zdarsky and Valerio Schiti's 'Captain America'Moonstar solo comic coming January 2026BOOM! Studios saddles up for new ‘My Little Pony’ adventuresRob Liefeld’s 'Youngblood' returns — and It’s already sold outVault Comics and Matt Dinniman’s 'Dungeon Crawler Carl: Crocodile' smashes crowdfunding recordsOctober 2025 sales figures are inOur Top Books of the WeekDave:Ice Cream Man: The Mortal Coil (W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo)Alien vs. Captain America (2025) #1 (Frank Tieri, Stefano Raffaele)Alex:​​Poison Ivy #38 (Wilson, Takara)Amazing Spider-Man #15 (Joe Kelley, Emilio Laiso, Marte Garcia)Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Alex:  Binary #2 (Giada Belviso)Dave: Amazing Spider-Man #15 (Joe Kelley, Emilio Laiso, Marte Garcia)TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKAlex: DIE: Loaded #1 (Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans) & Predator: Badlands #1 (Ethan Sacks, Elvin Ching, Oren Junior)Dave: We're Taking Everyone Down with Us #6 (Matthew Rosenberg, Stefano Landini)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: Sinister's Six #2 (Ivan Shavrin Variant)Alex: Batman: Dark Patterns #12 (Hayden Sherman)Interview: Paul Pope talks his career and Total THB out November 11, 20251. 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*?*

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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Paul Pope reunites with “Total THB”: a journey of reinvention and resurgence

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hEaD Pop Rareeddie1 Formally of, At The Gates of Pop Culture, With Rareeddie1.Still the same great podcast with me, Rareeddie1. Same format, the same humour, and poking more fun at the woke entertainment industry.The ongoing battle between "woke" players, big studios, shady producers, and major corporations trying to buy pop culture influence, has turned into a culture war. On one side, there are people like us who just care about good stories, without the influence of tick-box agendas being forced upon us through films, pop culture, comics, video games, and more. On the other side, bad actors are trying to influence everything we enjoy and consume, while we just want to be entertained. As entertainers, we should be able to escape the daily grind of politics, but unfortunately, we are constantly being pushed with political agendas from the minute we wake up to the minute we go to bed. Some of us just want to enjoy a good story without any political influence, but when creators say things Explicit The Bitchuation Room Francesca Fiorentini A weekly caucus of progressive comics, activists and thinkers hosted by Francesca Fiorentini Explicit Podcasts - The Geekyest The Geekyest No topic is off limits as long as it has to do with comics, movies, TV, video games, or music. Explicit COMIC BROS Podcast Mark Wise, Jin Wicked, Root Bradford Join indie comic creators Mark Wise, Jin Wicked, and Root Bradford every month to chat about comics! Reading 'em, making 'em, conventions, business, interviews, comics news, and more! Explicit

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