Timing is everything, isn’t it?
A day after Donald Trump famously made a fool of himself (yet again) by throwing his hat in the Republican electoral conversation in the United States of America (my goodness, he’s so misinformed!), DC Comics is looking for your vote on a number of new comic books issued today!
You see, DC’s “New52” initiative from a few years ago has come to its only logical conclusion: it’s become something else. Witness the birth of the DCYou!
With new, debut titles of Robin: Son of Batman, Martian Manhunter, Harley Quinn and Power Girl, Black Canary, Doctor Fate and Doomed, it’s Prez #1 that’s got me most interested this week.
Follow me after the jump for the entire voter turnout!
Prez #1
Written by: Mark Russell
Illustrated by: Ben Caldwell
Published by: DC Comics
The idea and the first publication of Prez, actually goes back to 1973. Under writer Joe Simon and artist Jerry Grandenetti, Prez: First Teen President, imbibed the sprit of change form the 1960’s that hailed a handoff of social values and philosophy to a younger generation. That said, it was still a comic book and so Prez: First Teen President (Prez Rickard by his real name) fought vampires and a right-learning militia (as good presidents do) all the while espousing views on gun control and criminal business enterprise. The somewhat cheeky series only lasted four issues.
Still, Prez would make the odd appearance here and there throughout the DC Universe including the pages of the critically acclaimed Sandman series, while also being lampooned in Ambush Bug, if my memory serves.
This new Prez is a twelve issue, monthly series and should be celebrated for DC Comics’ focus on a younger generation of readers while also giving lesser known writers and artists a chance to showcase their abilities.
Here, Prez is the nineteen-year-old Twitter sensation, Beth Ross. It shouldn’t be lost on any of us that our protagonist is a young woman. DC is trying to make strides to have their stories – and their main characters – all-inclusive, across a variety of genders and ethnicities. It’s refreshing to see that they’re not publishing all of their books for forty-year old men!
But everything old is new again, as this Prez battles corruption in congress, bad businessmen and killer robots. You know, I think that both you and your pre-teen daughter are going to love this series.
Make the run to your local comic book shop and vote for Prez #1 in her first twelve-issue term!
