Prez’s archnemesis was Boss Smiley “a corrupt, all-powerful” politician. It made sense. Prez was an idealist, a dreamer, an optimistic teenager who wanted to improve everyone’s lives. But of course, such noble goal was doomed to meet failure. And that is precisely what captured Neil Gaiman’s attention and that is why Sandman # 54 (1993) is devoted to Prez. Gaiman’s story, “The Golden Boy” is pure genius (definitely one of the best standalone stories I’ve read in my life). The British author perfectly captures the innocence and idealism of youth pitted against the compromises of adulthood.
In September 1995, Ed Brubaker wrote an extraordinary story about Prez, titled “Smells Like Teen President” (the title, obviously, is a reference to Nirvana’s famous song). Brubaker pays homage to both, the classic Joe Simon stories and especially Neil Gaiman’s reinterpretation of the character. “It begins in election year '96 with the country coming apart at the seams. Prez Rickard, long missing and presumed dead, has been sighted at a roadside diner in the American heartland. A trio of restless young misfits, one of whom believes he is Prez's son, sets out across America in search of answers to their country's woes”.
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| Childhood friends / amigos de la infancia |
The first chapter is narrated by P.J.’s childhood friend, and he talks about what he knows or what he thinks he knows. Brubaker cleverly uses an unreliable narrator to talk about that which cannot be verified. If P.J.’s mom had sex with Prez in a celebratory event of free love organized by the hippy community, then why nobody was ever able to prove that Prez was indeed P.J.’s father? P.J. is about to turn 18 and his life is a disaster. He has broken up with his girlfriend, he doesn’t have a job and he gets drunk all the time, he’s an orphan, he doesn’t have a house anymore, and he sleeps on his best friend’s couch, drinking more and more alcohol each night. P.J. has an intuition, the intuition talks of a promise, of a potential that has not yet been reached. And nothings seems to matter to P.J. anymore until he realizes that he must find out what happened to his father in order to make sense of his existence.
That is the beginning of a life changing road trip in which P.J. and his 2 friends drive from California to Kansas, and finally Wisconsin, in search for answers. The next chapter is narrated by the other friend, and this time the approach is more about the actions in the present and not so much about the past. And the present is full of intense emotions as well as sexual experiences. The talented artist Eric Shanower graces the pages of Prez with his elegant, clean and precise lines, creating bodies and movements that dance in harmony. Rob Cain said that “the drawings are magnificent. There are beautiful renderings of the human form”, but there is also an attention to detail and an expressive quality that explain why Shanower won the Eisner award twice.
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| Coitus interruptus |
In the final chapter, narrated by P.J., the 3 boys arrive to Wisconsin; they will finally find out what happened to Prez. For me, this chapter was especially moving, since I have also traveled from California to Wisconsin, often with questions that needed to be answered. In Wisconsin, P.J. talks to an old friend of Prez: “Prez was a dreamer --but unlike most dreamers, his came true. He really felt he was born to lead this country, but he didn’t anticipate the level of corruption in the world. People care more about money than they do about other people, and he thought he could change that”. In Neil Gaiman’s story Prez Rickard dies, but instead of entering into the realm of the dead, he is welcomed into the land of dreams ruled by Sandman. After all, isn’t that the best end an idealistic teenager could hope for? To live on as a dream and to be an inspiration for young people? In Brubaker’s story we see exactly how Prez died. Prez was physically connected to the US. And “the next president was just a puppet for big business, and any dissenting voices were labeled 'liberal', as if that was something bad”, and when the American government starts sending troops to “small, helpless” countries, Prez becomes ill. Prez finds the actions of the American government revolting and, at the same time, his health deteriorates, until one day his body can’t keep going on.
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| P.J.'s alcoholism gets out of control / el alcoholismo de P.J. se sale de control |
In the final pages, P.J. takes peyote and has a hallucinatory dream in which he’s visited by Prez. Eric Shanower’s beautiful art depicts America’s obsession with guns, as well as the basic structure of “buy, spend, consume and pay later”. Prez affirms that “the world changes any time one person changes”. And after waking up from the dream, P.J. has changed. Prez is dead, but the dream lives on. And P.J. finally realizes that his life has meaning. This is an unforgettable, deeply emotional and unique journey of self discovery. I only wish I would’ve been able to read “Smells Like Teen President” when I was 18.
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En 1973, DC Comics publicó Prez, un título de corta duración descrito como las aventuras del “primer presidente adolescente de los Estados Unidos”. El escritor era Joe Simon, creador del Capitán América. Y de la misma manera que el Capitán América se convirtió en el Centinela de la Libertad, un guerrero invencible contra las fuerzas del mal, Prez Rickard aspiraba a convertirse en una fuerza de la libertad, una voz liberadora que alentaría a toda una generación.
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| One night stand / sexo casual |
En setiembre de 1995, Ed Brubaker escribió una historia extraordinaria sobre Prez, titulada “Smells Like Teen President” (“Huele a presidente adolescente” el título, obviamente, es una referencia a la famosa canción de Nirvana). Brubaker rinde homenaje a ambas, las historias clásicas de Joe Simon y especialmente la reinterpretación del personaje por parte de Neil Gaiman. “Comienza en el año electoral '96 y el país se desmorona. Prez Rickard ha desaparecido hace mucho tiempo, y se presume muerto, pero ha sido visto en un restaurante de carretera en el corazón de Estados Unidos. Un trío de jóvenes inadaptados e inquietos, uno de los cuales cree que es el hijo de Prez, se desplaza por todo Estados Unidos en busca de respuestas a los problemas de su país”.
El primer capítulo está narrado por el amigo de infancia de P. J. y habla sobre lo que sabe o lo que cree saber. Brubaker usa hábilmente un narrador no-confiable para hablar de lo que no se puede verificar. Si la madre de P.J. tuvo sexo con Prez en un evento de celebración de amor libre organizado por la comunidad hippy, ¿por qué nadie pudo probar que Prez era el padre de P.J.? P.J. está a punto de cumplir 18 años y su vida es un desastre. Ha roto con su novia, no tiene trabajo y se emborracha todo el tiempo, es huérfano, ya no tiene casa y duerme en el sofá de su mejor amigo, bebiendo cada vez más alcohol noche tras noche. P.J. tiene una intuición, la intuición habla de una promesa, de un potencial que aún no se ha alcanzado. Y nada parece importarle a P.J. hasta que se da cuenta de que debe averiguar qué le sucedió a su padre para darle sentido a su existencia.
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| The American Nightmare / la pesadilla americana |
Como Kelly Harrass señala, esta es una historia de autodescubrimiento de adolescentes, pero también aborda inquietudes importantes, “La mayoría de las inquietudes sobre Estados Unidos que se mencionan en esta historia todavía existen y en realidad han empeorado en los casi veinte años desde que este cómic fue publicado”. Brubaker pudo anticipar lo que podría suceder años más tarde, su sensibilidad y capacidad de observación son, sin duda, la marca de un escritor brillante.
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| Prez Rickard & P.J. |
En las páginas finales, P.J. toma peyote y tiene un sueño alucinatorio en el que es visitado por Prez. El bello arte de Eric Shanower representa la obsesión de Estados Unidos con las armas, así como la estructura básica de “comprar, gastar, consumir y pagar más tarde”. Prez afirma que “el mundo cambia cada vez que una persona cambia”. Y después de despertar del sueño, P.J. ha cambiado. Prez está muerto, pero el sueño sigue vivo. Y P.J. finalmente se da cuenta de que su vida tiene sentido. Este es un viaje de autodescubrimiento inolvidable, profundamente emotivo e irrepetible. Ojalá hubiese podido leer “Smells Like Teen President” cuando tenía 18 años.
