What it does it mean ‘to be a man’? and what it does it mean to even ask that question? Though it appears to be a minor work “Pride & Joy” presents a rather insightful look at the struggles of fathers and sons throughout the generations, and lies upon which we build our foundations as a society.
Written by Garth EnnisCover by John Higgins
illustrated and Colored by John Higgins
Lettered by Annie Halfacree
SOME DEBTS CAN ONLY BE PAID IN BLOOD Still mourning the loss of his wife, Jimmy Kavanagh lives quietly in the backwoods of New England, raising his devoted daughter and resentful teenage son. But fate has come calling in the worst possible way, as Jimmy’s criminal past threatens to destroy his entire family- raising the spectre of his crushing guilt for an old and awful crime. On the run with a pair of unwanted associates from long ago, Jimmy and his children are pursued by a foe so ruthless and lethal that no one will stand between him and his prey. A showdown is inevitable- but does Jimmy still have what it takes to fight for his family’s survival? And will his horror at his own transgressions consume him long before the predator on his trail? Garth Ennis (Preacher, Crossed, Battlefields) and John Higgins (Judge Dredd, Razorjack, War Story) present a hard-boiled tale of a man at bay- whose only hope of redemption lies on a dark and bloody path.
Upon first glance “Pride & Joy” is mostly useful as a trivia question: name the four issue Vertigo miniseries by Garth Ennis from 1997? (this is a trick question because his “Unknown Soldier” was also published in the same year). But with a writer such as Garth Ennis even minor works carry some interest with them. Ennis is a writer whose main preoccupation are questions of manhood, in the ‘old fashioned’ sense of the term – war, violence, comradery, poop jokes (the last one tends not to work as well).
It’s a prime recipe for a rather one-note career but Ennis mostly get away from this by dint of his sheer writing ability, no one quite knows how the make dialogue sing and how to keep a page flowing like Garth Ennis, and because no matter how much he loves these tropes he is often aware how foul they are at their base. I don’t think you’ll hear Ennis mention the words ‘toxic masculinity’ but in their hearts many of his works are examinations of exactly this idea. Like Sam Peckinpah, surely one of his main inspirations, Garth Ennis manages the rarity of being ‘the thing’ and ‘a critique of the thing’ at the same time.
Which is not to say “Pride and Joy” is perfect, it’s more of an ‘interesting’ book than a ‘good’ one; a fun enough read that gains extra context for the long time Ennis fans. For a book so preoccupied with the notion that though guys are mostly an act it’s rather weird that the main antagonist, Stein, is a bit too capable; complete and utter psychopath that can appear and disappear like a ninja and carries a sense of terror as if he was the bogeyman. He is not so much underwritten as he is not writer – a broad idea of evil. Which would be fine if the whole subject of the work was about avoiding broad notions of manliness and finding depth instead.
Likewise, Jimmy’s daughter is mostly there to fill up space, a cute moppet who’s there to be precocious and threatened. The book’s preoccupation is the father-son dynamic (several of them in fact) and the book has very little room for woman other than in the role of saints, such as Jimmy’s angelic late wife. Ennis can, and has, written female characters well (though much less so than his male heroes), often when he is willing to let them be as horrible as the men. It’s a shame that this book is such a bad example of this.
Art is courtesy of John Higgins, a man responsible to two of the most famous coloring jobs in comics (“Watchmen” and “The Killing Joke”) but also a gifted penciler who is responsible to some of my favorite Judge Dredd strips in history – such as “Letter from a Democrat.” His work often avoids dazzle in favor of straightforward storytelling that puts the focus on the harshness of the world and characters. You would think he’d be perfect for a tale like “Pride and Joy” but sadly none of the art in this book, with exception of short flashback scenes to World War II, transcends the mundane. It’s well drawn enough, but never more than that. Even Jimmy’s breakdown point, the moment that defines him and should horrify the readers, is not as powerful as it should have been.
Maybe it’s a matter of period, late 1990’s Vertigo comics is notorious for the dark and grimy approach to coloring that drowned the books in shades of brown. Higgins work as colorist often succeeded because they went for over-the-top neon that gave them otherworldly feel, but here they dragged down to earth. The cold and boring earth. Maybe forces beyond the artists defined the work – but I can only review the book in front of me, not the book as if I wanted to see it.
Still, the Ennis fans (assuming they have not read this already) would be reminded of some of the things would make him great and the newer readers would find this a readable thriller with hidden depths to it.
