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One Trick Rip Off: Deep Cuts
Young lovers Tubby and Vim want to escape - escape the mistakes they've made, the lives they've lived, and the dirty city weighing them down. Their plan is simple - all they have to do is rip-off Tubby's pals, the One Tricks, the toughest street gang in LA. If they pull it off, they're set for life. If not, their lives won't matter much anyway! Included in the "Deep Cuts" section is a bounty of unpublished and rare work Pope did in the '90s, including the legendary "Supertrouble" manga, created for Kodansha in Japan.
288 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2012
11 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Paul Pope
227 books250 followersPAUL POPE is an American cartoonist living and working in New York City. Pope has made a name for himself internationally as an artist and designer. He has been working primarily in comics since the early '90s, but has also done a number of projects with Italian fashion label Diesel Industries and, in the US, with DKNY. His media clients include LucasArts, Paramount Pictures, Cartoon Network, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Conde-Naste, Kodansha (Japan), Sapporo (Japan), Marc Ecko, Dargaud Editions (France), EMI Canada, Warner Brothers, and The British Film Institute. His iconic Batman: Year 100, a science fiction take on the classic Batman origin tale, has won numerous awards, seen print in many languages, and appears frequently on many Top 10 Batman story lists. In 2010, Pope was recognized as a Master Artist by the American Council Of The Arts, and is currently sitting on the ACA advisory board. His 2010, short science fiction comic strip Strange Adventures (DC Comics)--an homage to the Flash Gordon serials of the '30s-- won the coveted National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award for Best Comic Book of the year. He has won 5 Eisners to date.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
December 30, 2016
Ehhh. Paul Pope’s comics are awesome - now - but this anthology of his early stuff from the ‘90s isn’t good.
The One Trick Rip-Off was published in 1995/96 and feels like one of numerous Tarantino wannabes that appeared in the wake of Pulp Fiction. It’s a bad crime story of two lovers tryna steal a pile of money from an LA gang and escape. Things go south, middle middle middle, people get shot, the end. It’s not very interesting and it’s unnecessarily complicated by the protagonist and the villain looking almost identical except for the villain having blue tattoo sleeves on his arms and then having these two appear in several scenes together throughout.
The Deep Cuts that make up the rest of the book are basically just B-sides: arty short stories, mostly slice of life, that feel very ‘90s in their pretentiousness, and are instantly forgettable.
The art is the only real positive to this collection. The title story is coloured by All-Star Superman colourist Jamie Grant who adds to the beauty of Pope’s artwork. Pope’s art style is wonderfully kinetic, imaginative, and snakes through different genres like manga and surrealism to find its own vibrant unique look. The art looks as good here as it does in any of his later books like Battling Boy and Batman: Year 100.
Maybe if you’re a fan of Pope’s art or are curious enough to see what his early work was like, check this out, but don’t expect great comics - he’s very clearly still finding his voice and learning his craft. If you want to read truly accomplished Tarantino-esque crime comics, check out David Lapham’s Stray Bullets series instead.
The One Trick Rip-Off was published in 1995/96 and feels like one of numerous Tarantino wannabes that appeared in the wake of Pulp Fiction. It’s a bad crime story of two lovers tryna steal a pile of money from an LA gang and escape. Things go south, middle middle middle, people get shot, the end. It’s not very interesting and it’s unnecessarily complicated by the protagonist and the villain looking almost identical except for the villain having blue tattoo sleeves on his arms and then having these two appear in several scenes together throughout.
The Deep Cuts that make up the rest of the book are basically just B-sides: arty short stories, mostly slice of life, that feel very ‘90s in their pretentiousness, and are instantly forgettable.
The art is the only real positive to this collection. The title story is coloured by All-Star Superman colourist Jamie Grant who adds to the beauty of Pope’s artwork. Pope’s art style is wonderfully kinetic, imaginative, and snakes through different genres like manga and surrealism to find its own vibrant unique look. The art looks as good here as it does in any of his later books like Battling Boy and Batman: Year 100.
Maybe if you’re a fan of Pope’s art or are curious enough to see what his early work was like, check this out, but don’t expect great comics - he’s very clearly still finding his voice and learning his craft. If you want to read truly accomplished Tarantino-esque crime comics, check out David Lapham’s Stray Bullets series instead.
February 14, 2013
It's good nobody was around because I squealed like a little girl when I found out about this book. Then disappointment set in. Disappointment in myself, that is. I usually follow up on authors when I enjoy their work like I enjoyed Batman: Year 100 and Heavy Liquid, but... alas, I have to find out much later that Paul Pope has several more masterpieces tucked in his belt. They must be dug up and consumed by myself! Or I shall die unfulfilled!
The One Trick Rip-Off is the evolution of Paul Pope's styles and techniques in a microcosm. These vignettes are sequenced by dates and places the artist lived. It's well worth looking into, if only for this reason. You can watch his style become more refined, more at ease with itself. Influenced by his zip code. You begin to see patterns you've already seen in his prior work, if you've been paying attention.
His male protagonists are almost always blackhaired, almost always moody, somehow introverted. Actually they resemble Paul Pope in one way or another. His women wear similar features and also sport similar attitudes. His women are always beautiful. His scenes are dark and sexy and his people look good in it.
Ok this is getting a little weird, but this book isn't, depending on who you are. Check it out!
The One Trick Rip-Off is the evolution of Paul Pope's styles and techniques in a microcosm. These vignettes are sequenced by dates and places the artist lived. It's well worth looking into, if only for this reason. You can watch his style become more refined, more at ease with itself. Influenced by his zip code. You begin to see patterns you've already seen in his prior work, if you've been paying attention.
His male protagonists are almost always blackhaired, almost always moody, somehow introverted. Actually they resemble Paul Pope in one way or another. His women wear similar features and also sport similar attitudes. His women are always beautiful. His scenes are dark and sexy and his people look good in it.
Ok this is getting a little weird, but this book isn't, depending on who you are. Check it out!
Read
April 30, 2017The title story's not great, an early Pope attempt at a genre piece (crime with mild superpowers) which seldom rises beyond that. But it only takes up the first third of the book, and the rest plays far more to his strengths - a collection of shorts and aborted pilots with his usual knack for capturing the grime and glory of urban life.
Read
March 25, 2013You guys! My favorite part of this is the short comic where there’s the kid who has a crush on the girl and then the New York city subways happen but everything is okay in the end.
It’s a really wonderful, wordless story.
It’s a really wonderful, wordless story.
February 13, 2015
3.5 stars, if it let me.
I recall the lead story from the old Dark Horse days, and it was fun to revisit it since I'd largely forgotten it. That said, it's a pretty typical, pulpy crime tale, and a really good one at that. The rest of the book, the Deep Cuts a varied and I think more interesting.
The only reason I'm not rating this one higher is the colouring. I remember some of these stories in the original black and white, and they just worked better in my opinion. The colouring is really well done, I'd argue that it's too slick and "digital" that is at odds with the beautiful and masterful brush strokes and lines that Pope uses, and alters for the work that is being drawn for colour. It's a bit of a nit-pick, but I think a fair one.
That said, any Paul Pope is worth checking out, and there are beauts in this one. His manga SUPERTROUBLE is better thant the title piece, and THE SCARF is a perfect example of comics pacing with no words.
I just wish they were all in black and white like they originally were.
I recall the lead story from the old Dark Horse days, and it was fun to revisit it since I'd largely forgotten it. That said, it's a pretty typical, pulpy crime tale, and a really good one at that. The rest of the book, the Deep Cuts a varied and I think more interesting.
The only reason I'm not rating this one higher is the colouring. I remember some of these stories in the original black and white, and they just worked better in my opinion. The colouring is really well done, I'd argue that it's too slick and "digital" that is at odds with the beautiful and masterful brush strokes and lines that Pope uses, and alters for the work that is being drawn for colour. It's a bit of a nit-pick, but I think a fair one.
That said, any Paul Pope is worth checking out, and there are beauts in this one. His manga SUPERTROUBLE is better thant the title piece, and THE SCARF is a perfect example of comics pacing with no words.
I just wish they were all in black and white like they originally were.
February 4, 2013
5 stars for the main story, which is stunning in full color. Now for the dessert, the 14 short pieces I had never heard of. Could this be Paul Pope's "Bootleg Series"? I hope there are more volumes to come. This is fantastic.
...and it maintains its greatness through the short bits -- the Columbus stories are so good -- from the charming episode with little girl and the huge beetle to the kinetic bicycle frenzy of Yes.
...and it maintains its greatness through the short bits -- the Columbus stories are so good -- from the charming episode with little girl and the huge beetle to the kinetic bicycle frenzy of Yes.
October 7, 2013
An interesting look at some of Pope's early work. One of the stand-outs here is, obviously, the longer title piece "The One Trick Rip-Off," but other shorter stories, the "Deep Cuts," are equally worth noting. Among the most developed are "Portrait of a Girl with an Unpronounceable Name," "Super Trouble," and "Night Job."
January 27, 2013
A bit of everything in this book. It's a lot of Pope's early work, including an unpublished thing he did for Kondasha, which is neat. That said, it doesn't reach his heights. But again, it's early work. You can see the foundation of something rad. Which is cool.
June 17, 2013
Paul Pope! The art is often more powerful than the story but that doesn't mean that the stories are bad.
August 16, 2017
I avoided Paul Pope's work for a long time and I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe I was turned off by all the hype; he had this sort of rock star celebrity persona, working for high-end fashion designers and the mainstream comics publishers alike, and I guess I assumed that he was all style over substance. I was wrong. Yes, his art is incredibly stylish but he's got the goods to back up all his flash.
"The One Trick Rip-Off + Deep Cuts" collects Pope's early work, when he was finding his voice and traveling the world as new artistic opportunities presented themselves. Despite claims that he absorbed influence from Japanese manga and New York City indie cartoonists, Pope's pages don't so much evolve throughout his career as become more distilled examples of his style. His characters are lean, elongated, and gristly; his cityscapes are frenetic and impressionistic; and his stories are brisk, gritty morality tales. Most of this book is dominated by "The One Trick Rip-Off," a story about two lovers who attempt to leave behind their crime-filled lives by stealing money from a superpowered gang of mobsters; it's a high octane combination of "X-Men" and "Preacher" and I totally dug it. The so-called "deep cuts" are shorter stories that Pope did for various magazines and whatnot and they feel like the seedlings that would sprout and blossom into his later long-form work; they're all very poetic pieces.
So, maybe some things are popular because they're actually really great. I'll openly admit that I was unfair to Paul Pope and his work. His comics are a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing: slick and mainstream on the outside but chaotic, cool, and vibrant within.
"The One Trick Rip-Off + Deep Cuts" collects Pope's early work, when he was finding his voice and traveling the world as new artistic opportunities presented themselves. Despite claims that he absorbed influence from Japanese manga and New York City indie cartoonists, Pope's pages don't so much evolve throughout his career as become more distilled examples of his style. His characters are lean, elongated, and gristly; his cityscapes are frenetic and impressionistic; and his stories are brisk, gritty morality tales. Most of this book is dominated by "The One Trick Rip-Off," a story about two lovers who attempt to leave behind their crime-filled lives by stealing money from a superpowered gang of mobsters; it's a high octane combination of "X-Men" and "Preacher" and I totally dug it. The so-called "deep cuts" are shorter stories that Pope did for various magazines and whatnot and they feel like the seedlings that would sprout and blossom into his later long-form work; they're all very poetic pieces.
So, maybe some things are popular because they're actually really great. I'll openly admit that I was unfair to Paul Pope and his work. His comics are a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing: slick and mainstream on the outside but chaotic, cool, and vibrant within.
January 7, 2020
I've read a number of Paul Pope books. All lent to me from a friend of mine whose a big collector.
Other then maybe Battling Boy I've consistantly felt confused about what these books are about. HEAVY LIQUID being my favorite of what I've read.
It's not just the stories, but also the art. Reading a comic book usually means you have to enjoy the art. No doubt Pope is gifted artist but the style doesnt draw me in.
If it was my friend rating these books she'd give the 5 stars. She's a big collector.
For me while I do branch out occasionally... I'm mostly focused on DC comic superhero books...
So I'm likely not the best person to rate these books. Fun one time read though anyway!
Other then maybe Battling Boy I've consistantly felt confused about what these books are about. HEAVY LIQUID being my favorite of what I've read.
It's not just the stories, but also the art. Reading a comic book usually means you have to enjoy the art. No doubt Pope is gifted artist but the style doesnt draw me in.
If it was my friend rating these books she'd give the 5 stars. She's a big collector.
For me while I do branch out occasionally... I'm mostly focused on DC comic superhero books...
So I'm likely not the best person to rate these books. Fun one time read though anyway!
February 25, 2020
The main story is decent, but the majority of the shorts are not worth the time. That being said, the artwork is gorgeous and worth looking at. Overall though, i can't recommend this considering all the other great works out there.
August 11, 2022
Art style made the Rip Off portion a bit funky, got the characters a bit mixed up then ended up not caring. The deep cuts were interesting though. Love the Frank (Woodring) shout out in the Rip Off story!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2021
Reissued colored version of The One Trick Rip Off with additional short stories from older Pope stories.
July 28, 2021
3.5 really
November 3, 2023
Collected in this volume is some of Mr. Pope's EARLIEST work and it's fascinating to see him laying the groundwork for later Magnum Opus-level works like Batman Year 100 and Battling Boy. A must-have for die-hard Paul Pope fans (or, as I like to call them, PPheads ;]).
February 28, 2013
This, and all of my reviews (along with those of some other awesome chicks), can be found at: http://www.chicksgetlit.com/
A beautifully drawn 2 for 1 kind of comic / graphic novel. The main part is the longer story (One Trick Rip-off), which is basically a story of a bad guy (Tubby) who no longer wants to be a bad guy. How to get out of such a life? Rip off your fellow bad guys, because, you know who else to rip-off but people who already kind of deserve it and likely got their money by stealing it anyway. Tubby and his girlfriend (Vim) have it all planned out. Surely nothing can go wrong with dealing with a bunch of psychos.
Next up is Deep Cuts. Did I say this is a 2 for 1.. Okay, maybe a bunch for 1 as Deep Cuts is really a bunch of shorter comics, some of which are truly just "shorts" and some of which are just shorter than the main attraction but still a decent length. The one that will stick with my the longest, being one where the artist recounts a dream that disfigured his face, leaving him (more) reclusive while a woman attempts to encourage to get over his insecurities. The main theme in these shorts is that they tend to occur in a different city and really reflect the nature of that city in some way.
While I would probably rate the main story a 3-4 storywise, the book as a whole is too good to rate it that low. The art is stunning and the themes and stories overall are excellent. 5/5 stars as a whole book, even if the main story felt a little bland.
A beautifully drawn 2 for 1 kind of comic / graphic novel. The main part is the longer story (One Trick Rip-off), which is basically a story of a bad guy (Tubby) who no longer wants to be a bad guy. How to get out of such a life? Rip off your fellow bad guys, because, you know who else to rip-off but people who already kind of deserve it and likely got their money by stealing it anyway. Tubby and his girlfriend (Vim) have it all planned out. Surely nothing can go wrong with dealing with a bunch of psychos.
Next up is Deep Cuts. Did I say this is a 2 for 1.. Okay, maybe a bunch for 1 as Deep Cuts is really a bunch of shorter comics, some of which are truly just "shorts" and some of which are just shorter than the main attraction but still a decent length. The one that will stick with my the longest, being one where the artist recounts a dream that disfigured his face, leaving him (more) reclusive while a woman attempts to encourage to get over his insecurities. The main theme in these shorts is that they tend to occur in a different city and really reflect the nature of that city in some way.
While I would probably rate the main story a 3-4 storywise, the book as a whole is too good to rate it that low. The art is stunning and the themes and stories overall are excellent. 5/5 stars as a whole book, even if the main story felt a little bland.
May 27, 2016
The One Trick Rip-Off + Deep Cuts by Paul Pope is a grab bag of early formative comics by an extremely talented artist. Pope’s art is full of action and expressive characters both heavily influenced by Japanese manga. The art is not a rip-off, though, but a blend of styles that becomes something new and uniquely his. The title story fits nicely in the crime genre, but with a bit of a supernatural twist. Rival gangs such as the Paid-in-Spades and the Do Nothings compete in the city, but individuals in the One Tricks gang each have a special ability to control others with their speech (much like Kilgrave in Jessica Jones). The protagonist of the story is Tubby, a member of the One Tricks, and his girlfriend Vim. They plan a heist of their own gang’s stash so they can get out of the city, but naturally it all goes wrong as these things tend to do. The other stories in the collection range from poems put into comics to a short story about an eating contest to a pair of wordless stories about chance encounters. A particular standout is a short piece about a young woman waiting for her artist boyfriend to pick her up after work late at night. He says he’ll be right there, but then gets caught up in his work again and arrives later than he said, leading to her having to fend off sexual violence from strangers while she waits and waits. It does a good job of perspective taking since most everything else in the collection is about young males and their viewpoint. Overall, it’s a good read for those who like crime fiction or good art.
November 13, 2013
I think this might be a great read for folks who are already Paul Pope fans. If I've read something by him, I can't quite place it.
His art is really emotive, but for me it's kind of overly so. Characters look the same. The first story was decent, and I enjoyed how the action was allowed to take place over the whole book. Tons and tons of action-filled panels. But ultimately it just fell flat for me.
After the main story, there's a bunch of "b-sides" I guess you'd call them. Short little comics that are riffs on bits of poetry, or small tales, the longest one being a food eating contest between some high school girls at an Indian restaurant. It's as compelling as you'd think it might be.
The back cover has Dave Gibbons describing this as a mix between underground comic books and hyper-kinetic manga. I guess since I'm not a fan of manga, maybe that's why it really didn't do it for me.
His art is really emotive, but for me it's kind of overly so. Characters look the same. The first story was decent, and I enjoyed how the action was allowed to take place over the whole book. Tons and tons of action-filled panels. But ultimately it just fell flat for me.
After the main story, there's a bunch of "b-sides" I guess you'd call them. Short little comics that are riffs on bits of poetry, or small tales, the longest one being a food eating contest between some high school girls at an Indian restaurant. It's as compelling as you'd think it might be.
The back cover has Dave Gibbons describing this as a mix between underground comic books and hyper-kinetic manga. I guess since I'm not a fan of manga, maybe that's why it really didn't do it for me.
August 18, 2013
This was always my favorite by Paul Pope, or at least my favorite complete work. The story isn't his best, but the art just hits that special point of amazing sometimes where it's like nothing else you've ever seen. He's probably done things that are better since, but I loved this then, when it first came out, and it still holds up as a pretty impressive work now. The inclusion of the "deep cuts" here is really a super nice bonus, too - I've always considered myself a PP completist, and I think I have just about every published story by him, but there was stuff in here I'd never seen before... And on top of all that, this is just a beautiful book.
August 13, 2016
A pleasant surprise, considering I purchased this item not at all familiar with Mr. Pope's work. His art is ferocious and honest and his writing is universally colloquial -- we all know someone (or think we know someone) who thinks or speaks or behaves like his characters. Many of the short stories in the latter half of the book are the best, and are a bit of a wrestling match between cultural quirkiness and inner city ennui.
April 16, 2016
If Paul Pope could be described as the cool art-house indie film director of comic book creators, then this collection could be seen as an anthology of his experimental short-subjects only shown in film schools and indie festivals. The quality of the individual stories is hit-and-miss, but this being Pope they're always interesting. My personal favorite is "Portrait of a Girl With an Unpronounceable Name." Good stuff.
December 18, 2014
Rival gangs in LA and everyone is Asian...whether it be Indian or Chinese. This is set on the future, and they all have "one trick" which is some sort of ability. Basically The One Tricks want to rob this rival gang, and well if I told ya what happened it would be spoiled for you. But this was only the first half of this massive hardcover. The rest were short stories, which didn't impress me at all. Read at your own risk.
February 16, 2015
The One Trick Rip-Off is a taut, suspenseful crime story about a street gang with exceptional hypnotic powers. The story is filled with plot holes but with Pope's exciting artwork it can be overlooked.
Likewise the same can be said for the Deep Cuts extras, very short sketches and mood pieces of love and childhood. The stories were lacking but the art never disappoints. I was very pleased to see the return of the hipster dishwasher from 100% and I think he's cool enough to return some more.
Likewise the same can be said for the Deep Cuts extras, very short sketches and mood pieces of love and childhood. The stories were lacking but the art never disappoints. I was very pleased to see the return of the hipster dishwasher from 100% and I think he's cool enough to return some more.
April 2, 2013
via NYPL - One Trick Rip-Off is thrilling and oddly touching. The short stories are a mixed bag, sweet, kinetic, experimental - largely engaging, but not always fully realized. Interesting to see the promise and shortcomings in Pope's early work. He's done a terrific job realizing his full abilities.
June 22, 2013
I like all the differnt art styles a lot. He falls into the category of the Hernandez Brothers in his kind of punk-edgy characters. These are all jsut oen off stroies some better than others. I love that most of the characters are not white, it look like the real world. Well except for that theya re all super hot but you know...
September 3, 2013
One problem that occurs with some Pope comics is that the white, messy haired main character looks an awful lot like the other white guy with messy hair who is trying to kill the main character. So the solution is to just look at their t-shirts, which is what I did for the rest of the story.
That should let you know everything you need to know about this book.
That should let you know everything you need to know about this book.
November 10, 2015
A few gems here (such as the title piece) and a bunch fairly random stories and snippets of Pope's earlier work. It works like a collection of his progress as style from the beginning. Really clever stuff in here, and also some musings on various things. Really dig it mostly for "One Trick Rip-Off" story, though.
January 6, 2017
Meh. I get that I'm probably missing out on something, it seems to be considered very highly. But I couldn't get past the messy artwork/inking, it was hard and annoying to decipher. The characters didn't engage. The extras after the initial story were hit and miss. Sometimes there's a good reason to leave things unpublished or forgotten...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews