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Trump Titans #1

By Hervé St-Louis
October 25, 2017 - 07:36

Donald Trump and his cronies access a secret vault beneath the White House that contains technology to transform American presidents into super heroes with powers. Jared, Steve Bannon, and Mike Pence all get powers along with Trump after having been opposed by Barrack Obama in their quest. What will Trump do to terrorists and opponents of his reign now that that he is physically, the most powerful man on Earth?

As you can guess, this comic is a parody expressing what can go wrong when a man like Trump has total power. As over the top, silly and ridiculous as the premise of this comic sound, it is unfortunately nothing next to reality. This comic does not go far enough and although it is smart, it neither criticizes overtly Trump nor does it show his full inadequacies as a man.

That the comic is not capable of demonstrating the madness of Trump is not an indictment against it. It demonstrates that the current American president and his administration are so sickening and crazy that even a comic meant to explore this aspect of the presidency fails.

While this comic is funny at times, it is difficult for me to see who its primary audience is. The comic can be read literally and can be appreciated by Trump’s sycophant supporters. But as a criticism of Trump's presidency, it is not satisfying. Neither is this comic intended for kids nor the Stephen Colbert crowd. It is not a great super hero comic either. It’s not bad but relies on the worse tropes and clichés from super hero comics and as such feels like something from the 1980s as opposed to a subtle exploration of the genre with Trump as its protagonist.

The comic does ask readers to invest more in its own continuity as it continues as a series and introduces a cliff-hanger at the conclusion. Aspects being parodied in the cliff-hanger are unclear and thus depart from the reality upon which this comic is based. I wonder if there are readers who want to invest into reading about an alternate version Trump. The Lil’ Donnie comic strip tackles the same topic but by sticking closer to daily events does not create its own spin-off of Trump’s world. It just displays the lunacy of daily Trumpism. Some aspects of Trump Titans is already out of date, with Bannon having been fired recently.

While Shawn Remulac is great cartoonist and caricaturist, he does not capture the ugliness and the banality of Trump well. Trump’s sidekicks do resemble their living counterparts, but Trump has been idealized, and appears much more younger and fit. Trump looks more like Owen Wilson than the fat and insignificant idiot in the White House. I’m not sure why Remulac was so restrained. Even the shade of skin used for Trump lacks orange. While the artwork is strong and dynamic, it has the overall restraint seen in this comic. It does not go for the jugular and becomes a mild criticism of power.

Rating: 6 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12