After “Batman/Elmer Fudd” became the best comic of 2017, there was no doubt that DC was going to mash-up more Looney Tunes and superhero characters. Few could have predicted that Porky Pig and Lex Luthor would be next on the list. On the surface, the two have little in common, but Mark Russell crafts a classic tale of technology, betrayal, senate hearings, and unfortunate stutters.
Cover by Ben OliverWritten by Mark Russell
Illustrated by Brad Walker
Inked by Andrew Hennessy
Colored by Andrew Dalhouse
Lettered by ALW’s Troy ‘n’ DaveFacing financial and personal ruin, a desperate Porky Pig applies for and gets and entry-level position with LexCorp. Grateful to his new benefactor, Porky becomes Luthor’s most loyal employee and defender. But when a major scandal breaks in the news and Lex is called before a Congressional Committee, guess who is about to be offered up as the sacrificial pig?
From page one I found myself asking: what makes a good Porky Pig story? I remember Porky from Looney Tunes, but I couldn’t recall any stories that starred him. He’s gentle, hapless, he has a famous speech impediment, but what does he do? According to Russell, Porky hustles. This is a business story. After failing to launch his own cryptocurrency, Porky Pig is hired by Lex Luthor at the dawn of Lexema, a sort of Facebook as brought to you by big pharma social media service.
Porky is given the title of Director of Customer Relations, and Luthor struts around with an evil smirk muttering things like “I believe you’re going to play an important role in Lexcorp’s future.” From page three, it’s pretty obvious where this is going. Shockingly though, most of the issue follows Porky as he tries (and fails) to figure out who is stealing lunches from his team’s office fridge.
The disconnect between the conflicts is actually a pretty representative microcosm of the issue. The story has a zippy pace, and as we bound from one scene to the next, Russell and artist Brad Walker take us from one modern business cliché to another. There are silly beanbag chairs, oversized candy displays, and a laser-filled presentation by Luthor in a tight black tee that was stolen from the closet of the late Steve Jobs. On top of that there’s the political commentary. Luthor’s social media platform ends up mostly attracting neo-Nazis and Doctor Sivana and Professor Ivo make cameos to fleece the senate about their inflated drug prices.
The politics of this issue are a good idea. Obviously the evil scientists of DC would be acting as Martin Shkreli stand-ins. Obviously they would be making money off of the rise of the far-right on the internet. I just don’t see what any of that has to do with Porky Pig and I don’t see what any of that has to do with missing sandwiches. Sure, the sandwiches are a metaphor for big business looting the country while we all fight each other… it just seems like another thread that never quite ties into the rest of the tapestry.
I like what “Lex Luthor/Porky Pig” is trying to say. But Russell has done much more coherent satire in his “Flintstones” comic and “Prez.” It’s not his worldview that makes no sense- far from it! It’s the story in this issue. I’m saying I would sooner buy his manifesto than another issue of his Porky Pig. Make of that what you will.
Let’s talk about the art, specifically Porky. I want to make one thing abundantly clear: Brad Walker is an enormous talent who sets the gold standard for superhero work. From his “Guardians of the Galaxy” to his “Aquaman,” Walker excels at drawing dynamic excessive figures. His backgrounds are full of world-building detail. He can handle buff superheroes, sad sack civilians, and freaky alien monsters. So it is not easy for me to admit that his Porky Pig is a monstrous abomination.
The art in this issue is good overall — very good — but Porky stands out as a crime against humanity that should be put down. Matching up two different cartoon styles can be tricky (though it can be done very well, as in Rod Reis’s work in “Exiles” #6). Porky isn’t cute in this issue, and he doesn’t quite match the style of Luthor’s world. He looks like Hannibal villain Mason Verger and Professor Pyg had an unholy lovechild who crawled across the uncanny valley to haunt my nightmares. I’m especially upset by Porky’s demure “aw shucks” pose. It’s just… shudder inducing.
Allow me to thoroughly recommend the works of Mark Russell and Brad Walker. The former is a brilliant political satirist, doing some of the best comedy in comics. The latter is a brilliant artist who can casually weave together an insane superhero fantasy. “Lex Luthor/Porky Pig” is not their best work. It’s a fun read with some good gags, but ultimately it falls short of its creators considerable potential.
Final Verdict: 5.8 – A nightmare pig on a montage through corporate excess never quite comes together.
