Pop Kill #1: Fizzy Enough

Pepsi versus Coke has nothing on Popso versus Fizz One. The World of Pop Kill is a world of multi-billion dollar soft drink conglomerates that are in such great competition that sabotage, assassination, and murder for failure are commonplace. If it sounds absurd, it’s because Pop Kill #1 kind of is.

Agent for hire John Pyle sabotages a Popso production facility, forcing a giant recall in the opening pages of Pop KIll #1. The hit was commissioned by Fizz One’s CEO (who also happens to be the brother of Popso’s CEO). John Pyle is Fizz One’s agent of choice, not least because he’s making amends for sleeping with the CEO’s mistress. Fizz One’s latest assignment for their operative: uncover a new soda technology Popso has developed that could tilt the cola wars in their favor forever.

Pop Kill #1 doesn’t drift wholly into absurdity, but it gets very close. The issue’s opening sequence delivers action–an intense opening to what an unsuspecting reader might think is a serious story. And indeed, the closing three scenes read like they’ve been lifted from a standard spy story. Everything in the middle, though, is almost a super spy farce.

That said, Pop Kill #1 isn’t without high stakes. Johnson and Palmiotti fully commit to their concept and as a result create a motivation that sounds like the soda Holy Grail. Within the context of this world, the plot has a surprisingly level of urgency.

Main character John Pyle is ideal for the world Johnson and Palmiotti have created. Pyle fits Pop Kill #1’s tone, being just serious enough when the story requires. While not necessarily sympathetic, he manages to be the least objectionable major character in the issue (though the bar isn’t particularly high). And he’s also entertaining enough to keep readers engaged in a humorous story that is more about setting and concept than it is about character.

Johnson and Palmiotti’s script doesn’t shy away from violence. But like so much of Pop Kill #1, it straddles the line between effective and ridiculous. Much of this is the result of Santacruz’s art which captures the issue’s offbeat humor while not totally shying away from the fact that some of these people are dying for stupid reasons and in crazy ways. For instance, the image of a gun with a Fizz One soda can as a silencer pressed against someone’s head works because Santacruz captures fear in the soon-to-be victim’s face. Darker shading on one side of the man’s head, consistent with the limited light source as he lays in bed, keeps the focus firmly on just the front of his face, especially his eyes and mouth. A little extra linework conveys the character’s terror. This kind of detail helps sell several borderline nonsensical ideas.

Contrasting that level of close-up character detail, though, is a broader style during action sequences. Pyle’s facial expressions have minimal detail as he infiltrates a production plant or goes on a killing spree of corporate enemies. This work plays much more toward the unserious nature of Pop Kill #1 and preserves the issue’s near absurd tone in the big moments.

Reber’s coloring choices for Pop Kill #1 are vivid and result in a high contrast throughout most of the issue. During the more outrageous action moments, the bright colors add an almost hyper-realness to the already humorous violence.

Though Pop Kill #1 features plenty of action, there are multiple text heavy sequences before and after John Pyle gets sent on his missions. Konot keeps the dialogue bubbles well organized and easily flowing.