Obama And Spider-Man Appear In Comic Together

[Ryan Ruck]

Obama And Spider-Man Appear In Comic Together

Spider-Man has a new sidekick: The President.

Barack Obama collected Spider-Man comics as a child, so Marvel Comics wanted to give him a "shout-out back" by featuring him in a bonus story, said Joe Quesada, Marvel's editor-in-chief.

"How great is that? The commander in chief to be is actually a nerd in chief," Quesada said. "It was really, really cool to see that we had a geek in the White House. We're all thrilled with that."

The comic starts with Spider-Man's alter-ego Peter Parker taking photographs at the inauguration, before spotting two identical Obamas.

Parker decides "the future president's gonna need Spider-Man," and springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching out the impostor.

Obama thanks him with a fist-bump.

Marvel comics have featured most presidents, but generally in walk-on roles, Quesada said.

"I think President Nixon might have appeared on the cover, but not in a good way," he said.

Obama has said that as a child, he collected Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comic books. His Senate Web site used to have a photo of him posing in front of a Superman statue.

The Obama story is a bonus in Marvel Comic's Amazing Spider-Man #583, available in comic book shops nationwide on Jan. 14 for $3.99 and is expected to sell out, with half the covers devoted to Obama.

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‘Barack The Barbarian’? More Obama Comics Announced



The love affair between U.S. President Barack Obama and the comic book is still going strong, and it looks like we’ll see the comics-friendly Commander-in-Chief making a cameo on a few more covers in the coming months. Chicago-based comics publisher Devil’s Due announced a pair of projects today that will involve Obama-related storylines, and released promotional images for the comics featuring the US President and a very, well… unique take on former Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Like the massively popular issue of “Amazing Spider-Man” #583 that hit its fifth printing last month, the comics feature Obama prominently on the cover — but Devil’s Due president Josh Blaylock said they’d offer a very unexpected take on the fist-bumping president. After the jump, check out all three images released for the new Obama comics, as well as details about the projects.








According to the official DDP announcement, the first project will be titled “Drafted: 100 Days,” and will be a “double-sized one-shot featuring the President who could have been.”

“Mark Powers offers a poignant look at a man the world never got to see achieve his true greatness when a race from beyond the stars drafted our planet into intergalactic war. See how he struggles, just as every other man, woman and child on Earth does in this truly inspiring story,” reads the synopsis. “As can be expected from Powers, there’s one other difference about our hero in this story in that due to an injury… he is MUTE.”

The other, even more impressively titled series will be… (wait for it)… “Barack the Barbarian: Quest for the Treasure of Stimuli.”

An ongoing series, the political satire “Barack the Barbarian” will be written by Larry Hama (”G.I. Joe,” “Wolverine”) and “will take a look at the current state of politics both past and present and isn’t afraid to point fun at Washinton’s sacred cows.”

“In the distant future the story of Barack Obama has become a little… distorted. According to ‘The Maddowian Chronicles’ he was the one destined to save the great republic of America and dethrone the overpaid despots of the time. Join Barack, Sorceress Hilaria, her demi-god trickster husband Biil, Overlord Boosh and Chainknee of the Elephant Kingdom. Who can the lone barbarian trust, if anyone?”

Both projects ship in June, but DDP teased that variant covers of both series will be available at San Diego Comic-Con.

There’s really not much to say that can follow all of that up, is there?