Lex Luthor/Porky Pig Special #1

Wave 2 of the DC/Looney Tunes crossovers launched this week. My most recent Geek Pick was the Lex Luthor/Porky Pig Special. There was just something about this issue that screamed it was going to be as good as last year’s amazing Batman/Elmer Fudd team-up and it did not disappoint!

Written by: Mark Russell, Jim Fanning Art by: Brad Walker, John LoterPublished by: DC Comics

When a down on his luck Porky Pig runs into Metropolis’ most powerful man, the stuttering swine is given a second chance to conquer the business world. Luthor puts Porky in charge of Lexcorp’s new social media division Lexema. While it may look innocent enough, the new website is actually a front for Superman’s arch-enemy to steal the passwords and secrets of its users.

You would think Porky Pig would be on top of this. But he’s too busy finding out just who is stealing the sandwiches from the employee break room. Sadly, this distraction will pave the way for Lex Luthor to find his latest scapegoat, um -pig for his impending round of Senate hearings on Capitol Hill.

This odd pairing of Lex Luthor and Porky Pig actually worked. Porky is normally the sidekick of the conniving Daffy Duck. Daffy tends to be aloof and reckless. Here, Luthor is quite dangerous, but he’s no dummy. Lex plays the part of the fool so well in order to gain Porky’s undying trust. However, there’s evil intent underneath all that foolishness.

Mark Russell provides some very funny moments in the opening tale. He also manages to pen a story that reflects many of the controversies of the day (social media privacy, big pharmacy, corporate greed) without being preachy or offensive. I usually get tired of Lex Luthor being used ad nauseam in all of the Superman titles. But he’s quite refreshing here as this is a story with zero influence of the Man of Steel.

The back-up feature by Jim Fanning and John Loter was also great. It was done in the style of a Looney Tunes cartoon. Here, Porky is an office supply salesman given the chance to make a pitch directly to Lex. Things seem to be going smoothly until Luthor gets distracted in yet another attempt to rid the earth of a certain Kryptonian. It’s a great comedy of errors done in that classic Merrie Melodies style.

Wave 2 of crossovers between Looney Tunes and superheroes offered lots of unique pairings: Catwoman Vs. Tweety Bird, The Joker pals with Daffy Duck, and Harley Quinn meets Gossamer. But this story of Pig and Mogul was the one that captured my interest most. Other than Brad Walker’s kinda creepy way of drawing Porky Pig and other Looney Tunes characters in the DC fashion, I didn’t have any issues with this special. It was darn near flawless and a must read for any fan of weird team-ups such as myself!

The Lex Luthor/Porky Pig Special #1 debuted in stores on August 29, 2018.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.