Meet Our Artists
Curated by Nathaniel Pallant, Philippe Labaune Gallery is pleased to present comic book artist Frank Cho. Best known for his masterful draftsmanship, razor sharp humor, and iconic depictions of heroic and feminine form, Cho’s work has left an indelible mark on both mainstream comics and independent illustration.
Perched at the intersection of classical illustration and the kinetic energy of comic art, Frank Cho resists easy classification. His work prompts the question: which came first - the illustrator or the storyteller? Is it his command of line and form that breathes life into his comics, or did the narrative demands of comics sharpen his precision and elevate his draftsmanship? In Cho’s case, the answer is both. Like the chicken and the egg, his illustrative elegance and comic vitality are inseparable, each feeding and refining the other in a seamless, self-sustaining loop. This exhibition reveals his evolving fine art sensibilities, personal sketchbook studies, mastery over the ballpoint pen, and new paintings that echo the vitality of Frazetta, the sensuality of Manara, the precision of Darrow, and the mischievous wit uniquely his own.
Recent News & Press
Forbes
New York Gallery Show Spotlights Iconoclastic Comic Artist Paul Pope
June 19, 2025
Comic book storyteller and illustrator Paul Pope is stepping into the fine art spotlight with a prestigious gallery show to accompany the recent launch of his career retrospective monograph Pulp Hope 2: The Art of Paul Pope (Boom! Studios, 2025). The exhibition opening at Philippe Labaune Gallery in New York Thursday, June 19 spans Pope’s three-decade career across comics, illustration and design, featuring never-before-seen originals and curated selections from his extensive archives. The show is part of a trend toward greater acceptance of commercial art in museums and galleries, accompanied by increasing collector interest outside of the niche of the comics community.
Pope, 54, is best known for works like Batman: Year 100, Heavy Liquid, and Battling Boy, which helped define a new era of auteur comics in the 1990s and 2000s. Straddling American, European, and Japanese influences, Pope’s edgy style is unmistakable: dynamic, lushly inked, and suffused with themes of rebellion, dystopia and urban decay. His narratives often explore the collision of personal identity and societal control, making him a favorite among critics and fans of sophisticated genre storytelling.
Heavy Metal
PAUL POPE – PULP HOPE at the Philippe LaBaune Gallery
July 2, 2025
Paul Pope, 54, provided close to thirty pieces (22 of which are on public display) for this exhibit, offering a “taste” of his career’s output, rather than focusing in on any specific timeframe or project. A page from his wildly successful “Batman Year 100,” alongside perhaps a lesser known mainstream story for “Web of Spiderman,” a smattering of stand-alone pages from his indy comics, commercial illustrations, several gorgeous homages to titans like Moebius and Hugo Pratt, and my favorite, several pages from a fight sequence from “100%.” The cherry on top; a small portrait of Pope’s girlfriend hangs high in the corner of the back gallery, untouchable (and not for sale).
Although expertly framed and lit to perfection by the gallery, it is important to note that nearly everything on display is work that was produced for reproduction. Illustrations and comic pages come in all sizes (mostly large; Pope started drawing his comic pages on 19” x 24” sheets of Bristol early on, and never looked back), some with the drawings spilling out over the borders, others scarred from where artist tape ripped up some of the surface, and my favorite, Pope’s handwritten notes to production staff on what to do with the lettering or ideas for the word balloons later on.
About The Gallery
Founded in 2021, Philippe Labaune Gallery is devoted to championing and presenting original 20th and 21st century comic art and illustrations by emerging and established artists from around the world.