Prez (2015), Volume 1

February 8, 2016
This new version of a 1970s series that lasted only four issues finds America’s first teenage president gender-swapped. Prez, now female, is elected via Twitter and deals with Middle Eastern terrorists and Big Pharma in a broad satire of modern America. While Russell’s (God Is Disappointed in You) story gets many of its political beats correct, and its heart is perhaps in the right place, its devotion to broad satire comes at the expense of any personality for the title character. Prez is ballsy but naive, she cares about the marginalized and says smart-ass things to old, white male politicians, but this is just a collection of traits rather than a character. These traits can’t compete with the huge collection of constantly shifting characters and scenarios that make up the story, despite the desperate need for a real center to the action. Although beautifully drawn, Caldwell’s art doesn’t manage to transcend the obvious. It’s a kitchen-sink approach to political satire that spreads itself too thin.

July 1, 2016

Gr 10 Up-The future of the United States is here, and it is a mess. After corporations are granted the right to vote, voting age is abolished. Now, younger citizens cast ballots through Twitter and campaigning occurs via vlogs; the Facebook like functions as political approval ratings; and hospitals advertise products to patients on their sickbeds. The presidential election is a circus, with corporations bribing politicians left and right. It's a recipe for disaster-and 19-year-old Beth Ross, aka YouTube celebrity Corndog Girl, ends up accidentally elected president of the United States. Beth, a levelheaded girl with a punk-rock haircut and a quick wit, establishes an inner cabinet of educated everymen and selects an older, established vice president to guide her. Beth's first course of action? To end the country's global surveillance program and find a cure for the cat flu that's ravaging the population. Both are noble goals, but they put her directly at odds with the corporations. This satire of American culture is outright scathing. It pulls no punches in its sociopolitical commentary. Caldwell uses vivid colors and pointed, occasionally anime-influenced line work, giving it more similarities with The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl than with the muscular DC comics heroes. VERDICT Recommended for teens who are tired of the superhero craze but can appreciate a no-holds-barred spoof of the world around them.-Matisse Mozer, Santa Monica Public Library, CA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
In an age when a politician's worth is measured in likes, the Internet has elected Betty Ross, famed for her embarrassing viral video, the next president of the U.S. With nothing to lose and no favors to repay, she finds herself in a position to bring about actual change. Standing up to special interest groups, she discovers that making the morally right decision can be quickly spun into something entirely different and completely unpopular with the public. With Prez, Russell creates a bleak, raw look at the future, filled with corporate-sponsored food stamps and timed bathroom breaks. As a whole, the story moves frantically, with the commentary constantly changing focus, making a true meaning hard to pin down. But what does manage to stick creates an honest indictment of modern society, from our 24-hour news cycle to our system of political cronyism. Caldwell brightens the mood with crazy character design, particularly the special interest representatives hiding behind holographic masks and bloated walking tanks manned by unapologetic gamers. Trenchant political satire for the millennial set.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)