THE PRO
(Best of the Week!)
Highly Recommended (10/10)
|
Image Comics
Writer: Garth Ennis
Pencils/Letters: Amanda Conner
Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti
Colors: Paul Mounts
Price: $5.95 US |
It's really not all that hard to make fun of the super-hero genre. Grown men and women, running around in tights, beating up one another? The core concept is ridiculous, really. But Ennis and company do more than simply poke fun at the genre. They tear it apart and even go so far as to point out what's inherently wrong with super-heroes. But most of all, they have fun with it. This is a raunchy, hilarious look at the genre through a set of thoroughly cynical lenses. Fisticuffs and fellatio abound in this bawdy book.
In order to prove that every human being has within him or herself the potential to be a hero, an alien observer grants incredible powers to a frustrated, angry New York prostitute with a whiny kid. He also alerts the city's (and planet's) preeminent super-hero team -- the League of Honor -- of her existence, and she signs up as the Pro... just for the paycheck, mind you.
The art is a study in contrasts. The designs of the "heroic" characters are thoroughly simple, but other aspects of the art are incredibly kinetic and highly detailed. She and Palmiotti match the ourageous tone of Ennis's script with in-your-face art and a raw irreverence. The colors reinforce the visual and thematic conflicts as well. The League of Honor are presented with gaudily bright colors, while the Pro's life on the streets is drenched in darkness and filth. It's a visual cue that denotes the divide between wonder and reality.
Ennis offers up an unflinching look at life at the bottom of the barrel, but he doesn't fall into the trap of stereotypes. The Pro isn't stupid, and she's not working the streets out of some noble sense of sacrifice for her kid. She wants to make some money. She's a hard worker, but she just can't muster the enthusiasm to worry about the state of her apartment. For her, actions speak louder than words, and her tolerance for bullshit is nil.
At its heart, this book is making a point about ideology, not just the inherent silliness of super-heroes. In essence, Ennis says that idealism can be used as a synonym for naivete, and the Saint is the personification of that point. Ennis (and the Pro) explains that the world basically sucks, so one would be well advise get a helmet. But that doesn't mean there's not room for little moments of inspiration, heroism and happiness.
If this book is about anything (other than a sendup of super-heroes), it's honesty. We're all walking around, wearing our public faces, that persona we present to others that hides our dirty little secrets. In other words, our civility hides our humanity. But there are those that are too busy with real life -- like the title character -- to worry about masks. She is who she is, and offers no apologies for it. She's not a bad person, and not even a particularly good one. She's just a person, which is more than some of us can claim.
I think those who read this book will agree: there is no phrase more inherently male than the Saint's "YESYESFINEOKAY!!" Thanks to Ennis, Conner and company for a lot of laughs.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
