Firstly, the version of this I read is now a collectible special edition now, so aren’t I lucky. Secondly, you’re all in luck, because The Pride will be released (re-released?) in June 2021, and you are so definitely going to want to grab this one. I sure as hell will, and I’ll start this review by saying contact your local comic book shop and ask them to order it. Like, now.
Okay! Review.
The Pride is all about being yourself. It’s about acceptance, and love, and those with a voice giving it to those without. About not having to hide the way you’re born, and about standing up to bullies.
And you know what? The Pride is absolutely delightful. This version came from a Kickstarter campaign, and there were different artists involved with the various issues. It’s the biggest drawback, really, as the art styles vary wildly, and it can be a litlte distracting.
Ultimately, however, that doesn’t matter. The story – both the overarching plot and mini-stories at the end – carry the tale through. The superheroes are inspired by ones we know, with standins that feel like Superman, Batman-crossed-with-Wolverine (who is possibly my favourite), Wonder Woman, and more. But whereas their original basis might be inspired by, and some of their powers taken from, they all manage to still be unique and their own characters.
The main story originally deals with the setting up of The Pride, and their first villain, a religious zealot who designs a weapon to target those with superpowers. It would be great to get more in this world, partly because there seems to be different ‘strands’ of superpowers, and that would be great to explore, not to mention the other superhero teams mentioned or seen (glimpses of, anyway) throughout.
This edition, as well as containing Volume 1, has The Pride Adventures, a series of one-off comics that focus on different members of the group. It ties in nicely to the overall storyline, but gets us to understand more about these characters, where they come from and why they do what they do.
This is a brilliant comic with solid writing and characters you instantly root for. The Pride really breathes fresh air into comic book superheroes, and I urge you to get in touch with your local comic shop and make sure they’re ready to stock it in June 2021.
Unwrapping Words 