12 Must-Read First Issues From The New DC You Line

3. Prez

Some books just should not work, yet some how they do. Prez is a perfect example of this principle. First off, this is not a superhero title, which begs the question as to why DC is publishing this book in their main line. Second, the premise of this title simply sounds stupid: the first teenage president was a failed concept back in 1973 when Joe Simon and Jerry Grandenetti published the first version of this title. Nevertheless, Mark Russell and Ben Caldwell took this outlandish idea and created a fantastic social and political satire. Prez is a 12-issue mini-series that flashes forward to the dystopian America of 2036. For most of this first issue, writer Mark Russell focuses on establishing a dysfunctional future comprised of taco delivering drones used to feed and clothe the poor, corporations who are in full control of American culture, as well as life-sized hologram pop-up adds. The main character, Beth Ross, gets little screen time, which isn€™t really a problem considering her story only make sense in the context of the American society where the President is elected via Twitter. Artist Ben Caldwell sets the perfect tone; rendering this capitalistic setting, where technology has dehumanised the population, in a cartoonish fashion makes Russell€™s satiric script all the more effective. Caldwell€™s art is disarming, leaving the reader vulnerable to Russell€™s wit. Scarily enough, this visualised future is familiar not so different from 2015; a sobering fact revealed in a comic book that hits just a little too close to home.