Panel Vision - Prez '73

DC Comics recently concluded a 4-year long branding exercise entitled the New 52.  To do a proper autopsy of the New 52 would require several in depth essays over the course of a small eternity but suffice it to say it’s not really being viewed as a success.  So, as a result, DC is now launching a new branding initiative entitled DC You (puny.)  Probably the most suprising title to come out of the DC You is Prez, a comic set in a not to distant future that plays like a weird cross between Idiocracy and The Zero Theorem as directed by VEEP’s Armando Iannucci.  The books is basically a social satire, spoofing the entire 21^st century miasma of corporate interest, political gridlock, Internet distraction, and public exhaustion with a system that seems ever more absurd.

 It’s a good comic, one of the few books DC’s put out in 5 years to feel grounded in the realities of the now and the broadening reader demographic rather than drawing on the conventional wisdom of the ‘90s.  However, Prez isn’t a new comic, it’s actually a revival of a 1973 4-issue mini-series by Superman co-creator Joe Simon and Jerry Grandenetti, one of the most influential comic artists of all time.  

Static Thoughts - The Thick of It, In the Loop, & VEEP

A couple of weeks ago HBO’s VEEP concluded its 4^th season.  This marks the end of showrunner and creator Armando Iannucci’s phenomenal work on the series as season 5 will see the show enter a period of new leadership.  This also marks the conclusion to a 10 year cycle of Iannucci’s in the realm of televised political comedy.  Iannucci first entered this domain in 2005 with The Thick of It, a political comedy show that revolved around a minister in the fictional British cabinet position of Secretary for Social Affairs.  The show proved popular, lasting for 3 seasons and 2 specials from 2007-2009 when it spun off into a feature film called In the Loop. 

In the Loop marked the first shift over from Iannucci towards American politics in addition to the previous British focusing, revolving around the misadventures of Simon Foster, secretary for international development, who is caught up in pre-war fervor surrounding the launch of the Iraq War.  After a fourth season of The Thick of It co-produced through Hulu Iannucci made the full transition to American politics with HBO’s VEEP in 2012.  With VEEP’s conclusion now seems like a good time to examine Iannucci’s ultimate commentary on American politics compared to England.