Comic Book: Prez

Overview
Mark Russell's 2015 Prez reimagines a vintage DC concept as a razor-sharp political satire centered on Beth Ross, a teenager who becomes the first teen President of the United States. The series uses the improbable premise of a youth elected through viral fame to examine how modern media, corporate power, and the machinery of government interact. Bright, often surreal scenes mask a steady undercurrent of critique aimed at contemporary civic life.
The comic balances humor and alarm, presenting exaggerated set pieces that reveal real anxieties about democracy. Rather than a straightforward hero's journey, the narrative mines the dissonance between idealism and entrenched systems, turning Beth's public innocence into a lens for national dysfunction.

Plot
Beth Ross rises from obscurity when a social-media-fueled wave propels her into the presidency, a development treated by the world as spectacle, novelty, and also as an experiment in populist aesthetics. Once in office she confronts the gossamer realities of political power: flashy optics and constant media performance overshadow actual authority, while a dense ecosystem of lobbyists, bureaucrats, and profit-driven entities pull many of the strings.
As Beth tries to translate youthful sincerity into policy, she repeatedly encounters institutions that reward compliance, manipulation, and short-term spectacle. Each attempt to do good is rerouted through compromises that expose the hollow center of televised governance, and the story follows her slow awakening to the limits and costs of reform when systems are designed to resist change.

Themes and Tone
Satire drives the book's heart. Russell skewers celebrity politics, the commodification of civic life, surveillance and data-driven decision-making, and the way capitalism coopts even the language of reform. The tone moves from whimsical to bleak, with jokes that cut quickly into discomfort; comedy and horror sit side by side to show how absurdities of contemporary politics are both laughable and dangerous.
A persistent theme is the tension between visibility and agency. Beth's presidency is hyper-visible, tweets, ratings, and viral moments define success, but that visibility does not equate to control. The work interrogates what it means to "have a voice" in an environment where voices can be harnessed, monetized, or drowned out by louder interests.

Art and Style
The visual approach leans toward a poppy, exaggerated aesthetic that heightens the satire. Colorful, bold panels contrast with scenes of institutional monotony, creating an almost carnival-like backdrop for governmental machinery. The art amplifies the absurdity and keeps the story visually engaging even when it confronts heavy ideas.
Character designs and crowd scenes emphasize spectacle: rallies, televised press moments, and corporate boardrooms all carry a heightened, almost theatrical quality. This stylistic choice reinforces the narrative's claim that modern politics is performance first and policy second.

Why it Matters
Prez offers a pointed, accessible critique of how media and money shape governance, and it asks uncomfortable questions about the role of youth, authenticity, and moral courage in public life. The series resonates because it reflects real anxieties about attention economies, populism, and the erosion of meaningful democratic accountability.
Rather than offering tidy solutions, the comic holds up a mirror, encouraging readers to consider how charismatic figures and viral movements can both inspire and be manipulated. Its combination of humor, moral urgency, and visual wit makes it a memorable and timely commentary on politics in the digital age.