"The Art of the Prank"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artists: Mike Manley & Brett Blevins, Lee Louridge(c)
Publisher: DC
There's a right way to do things, and there's a wrong way to do things. In this issue of Superman, Mr. Busiek shows both and takes pot shots at the many authors who have updated villains badly. Yes, I'm looking at Brad Meltzer and Dr. Light, deadly rapist with a fin on his head.
The Prankster began in comics as a roly-poly gent who was more of an annoyance than an actual threat. He was that era's answer to the pie-in-the-face guy who nailed Bill Gates a few years ago. With a loud fashion sense that suited his persona, he exemplified the silliness of the golden age of comics.
John Byrne in his Man of Steel era preserved the Prankster's look, but Byrne updated the villain by making him a disgruntled former host for a kids' television show. Unlike his previous incarnation, this Prankster was lethal.
Post-Byrne, various updates occurred. His appearance changed from roly-poly to liposuctioned. He lost his classic shtick of gags and started to rely on goofier upgrades like nanites. Some of these ideas were good. Others were bad.
Busiek's Prankster can be looked upon as an entirely new figure based upon the original. He is, and beautifully imagined by Mike Manley & Brett Blevins, a lanky prop comic. He has the potential to be lethal, but he doesn't wish to kill, at least wantonly. He is a master of timing, and he factors Superman into his clockwork to mitigate most of the damage that might occur from his pranks. He's a villain with an incredible amount of panache, and it is through this sense of style he earns his bevy of buxom employees--if there's one thing both Manley and Blevins illustrate well it's buxom beauties--as well as his success.
Busiek comes up with a well thought out role for the Prankster in the modern age. The Prankster is in the business to provide distractions for the super-hero set. He is a mercenary of a different sort, and one with a peculiar sense of honor as we discover during our continued read.
A bizarre goof named Nitro G hires the Prankster to occupy Superman while he robs a bank. Nitro G represents today's villain: a sad reflection of reality with a super-power loosely attached. The Prankster doesn't like him even if he does pay well. He's an uncouth and dangerous lout, as well as a poser. When Nitro G crosses the line, the garish gangsta finds the Prankster isn't just a prop comic, but a brilliant prop comic.
I don't even regret Superman being more of an element in the Prankster's formula rather than the actual chemist. What I do mind is the return of the Advertising Whore. She's a bad lay. We get a "Jimmy Olsen Must Die!" ad, followed by two pages of story, then "The Search for Ray Palmer" ad, followed by one page of story, then "The Seduction of the Innocent" ad followed by two pages of story. That's too many ads in a succession. Given that these are house ads for Countdown--what no World War III ads? There's an Amazons Attack ad--they don't need to be here. They're not paying for this book, and Countdown certainly doesn't need the hype. However, if you had to put a house ad in the book, one would have sufficed, and obviously "Jimmy Olsen Must Die!" just might make Superman fans curious. Because the Advertising Whore wouldn't take no for an answer, I'm using the fifth bullet to shoot her.
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