100% (comics)
100% is a black-and-white comic book with gray tones written and drawn by Paul Pope. It was published by American company DC Comics' Vertigo imprint in five issues between 2002 and 2003, then collected as a trade paperback in 2005. The plot concerns six main characters in Manhattan, New York City in January 2038. Though the interweaving stories are romantic in nature, they are steeped in science fiction and cyberpunk environments. Themes and plot elements. Manga influence. Before making "100%", Pope was employed for about five years by Kodansha, Japan's leading manga publisher. In an  interview, he described the experience as "the equivalent of a grad school education in 'how to tell stories the manga way'". One concept he derived from his employment was the company's insistence on the importance of characters' internal conflict above all else. In this sense, Pope cites this book in particular as his attempt at making an "American Manga". Form. In the index of the trade paperback edition, Pope explains: Pope took this idea to Vertigo, who asked him make it into one story with a beginning, middle and end. He took elements he already had and wove them  together into the final treatment, to be developed into the comic book. Back story. Much of "100%"'s backstory has been left ambiguous, but certain details emerge. There has been a war or wars, as main characters make reference to bombing near Istanbul and an Indian Ocean military landing. The United Nations and United States have combined (as the UN/USA), and Che Guevara's face is on the 100 dollar bill (actually marked as United Nations currency). The streets are patrolled by USPD officers in ubiquitous lurking patrol vehicles. Science fiction elements. Pope invents and creatively christens several technological  and cultural elements for the dystopian future in which "100%" takes place: