Pop Kill

In this comic collection set in the cutthroat world of carbonated corporate espionage, a spy and a scientist face off against rival cola kingpins.

The high-pressure world of Big Cola can involve bombings, assassinations, and even global diarrhea outbreaks. These are the tactics of Kaito and Goro Koizumi, formerly conjoined twins who are now bitter rivals battling for complete soda supremacy. Goro, the head of Fizz-One Cola in Osaka, employs the oversexed, square-jawed hitman Jon Pyle to sabotage his sibling’s company, Popso Cola—even if it means murdering a union boss or toppling a Congolese president. However, Kaito, in the high-rise next door, has a secret weapon, and her name is Dina Deluxe. A brilliant, underappreciated scientist, Dina is on the verge of cracking the formula for self-regenerating carbonation, which would keep Popso fizzy longer than any competitor. Jon’s orders are clear: seduce and recruit Dina for Fizz-One—or liquidate her, if need be. Neither Jon nor Dina know that Kaito has bugged her apartment and would rather kill her than let Goro claim the formula. As she’s pursued by a menpō-masked hit squad and a half-burned, knife-wielding enforcer, Dina believes her best hope is to explain to her boss she has no intention of jumping ship. However, her newfound superspy bodyguard knows just how vengeful Koizumi can be, and that it’ll take more than words to survive his wrath. Writer/artist Johnson tackles his first full-length, creator-owned series alongside Painkiller Jane co-creator Palmiotti, crafting a tale of espionage that effectively balances the serious and absurd. The multibillion-dollar companies’ antics mirror real-life acts of corporate manipulation, although the cola-can silencers and booby-trapped six-packs are on the wild side. The villains shine bright here, and Goro and Kaito’s antics are hilarious and horrifying. Jon and Dina have good banter, but a perfunctory romance. Santacruz’s pencils fit the genre perfectly, with a modern, cinematic approach to action scenes and a bit of Howard Chaykin influence apparent in the character designs. The soda logos are standouts—as dynamic and believable as real-world brands.

A darkly comic spy story that buzzes like a caffeine high.