Of all the new titles DC published last month, my personal favorite and also favorite comic of the month was Prez. An odd little mini-series (sadly no longer 12 issues like planned) with a focus on satire, politics, and the crazy direction that America may be headed towards was a huge and very pleasant surprise. Let’s see if the second issue can live up to the quality seen last time. Is it good?
Prez #2 (DC Comics)
Electoral colleges have failed and now it is up to the states to decide who will run this country. It’s between Governor Farmer, Senator Downey, and finally Corndog Beth Ross and shockingly, with so many political favors and bribes going on… anyone could win. Our young heroine may not see it coming, or even want to in the first place.
Like the last issue, Prez #2 is a lot of fun and so very entertaining if you enjoy political and cultural satire. The story itself is very slow going, since it still spends a lot of its time setting things up with this universe and its characters. Heck, it isn’t until the end when Beth gets elected and even then she doesn’t show much interest in being the president. That doesn’t really bother me at this point, since the comic does an excellent job of making the comic very enjoyable. It continues to show how the political scene works: politicians trying to grant favors to different state governors to get their vote while acting like entitled little kids or teenage girls. It also has fun digs at Scientology and anti-vaxxers, as well as other shots in such an over exaggerated and crazy way that it’s fun. It really paints a surprisingly believable picture about how a 19 year old would end up winning the presidency in this universe and you really get sucked up into it. Hopefully the comic picks up the pace though, since the series length got cut in half.
Toss in Six Flags as well to sweeten the pot if you want his vote for sure.
Mark Russel still does a great job on the writing here, making for such an entertaining experience. The characterization is excellent, making Beth such a likeable protagonist and reluctant president. You can easily buy and believe in her situation and understand how she is feeling considering all of the crap surrounding her. The rest of the characters are so over the top and eccentric that even if they don’t come across as real or believable people, you just can’t help but laugh and enjoy watching them every time they appear in the book. The dialogue is very engaging and entertaining, really helping a lot with the humor and satire going on. The only part of the writing that may not work for everyone is the satire, which seems far more overblown and craziness than the last issue (at least in the political area), that can make it hard to believe or accept this world as it is.
Ben Cadwell’s artwork is still a great fit for the book, really bringing out the cartoonish and exaggerated tone that this world has. The characters look cartoony and silly, but they are very distinct and unique looking from one another and have a good range when it comes to emotion. The layouts are constructed well and easy to follow, while the timing and imagery in the panels bring a lot of the humor to life. The colors are bright and match the tone perfectly. It’s just a great looking book and hopefully, the rest of the mini-series can keep it up.
We already gave you the panda fighting ring, what more do you want from us?!
Is It Good?
Prez #2 is another solid issue of this mini-series, keeping up the fun cleverness of the first issue. The writing, the main character, and artwork are all on point and make this such a fun experience. Its only problem is its slow pace and overblown nature, which may not bother everyone ultimately. Still highly recommended and worth your time.
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