Barack Obama Meets Spider-Man
Spidey Attends Obama’s Inauguration in The Amazing Spider-Man" #583
Jan 14, 2009
A longtime collector of Spider-Man comic books, President-elect Barack Obama gets to meet the wall crawler himself in a five-page story written by Zeb Wells and penciled by Todd Nauck for The Amazing Spider-Man #583 (January 2008).
Spidey Meets the President
When photographer Peter Parker gets sent to cover Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony he’s ready to see history in the making. But things take a turn for the weird when a second Obama crashes the inauguration and tries to get sworn in. Now it’s up to Spider-Man to help prove which Obama is the genuine President-elect, through a rather funny exchange that reveals Obama’s high school nickname and a supervillain’s lousy understanding of basketball and politics.
The issue also features a variant cover of President-elect Obama giving a thumbs-up as Spider-Man snaps his photo and asks Obama if he can be on the dollar bill.
According to Vaneta Rogers’ January 8, 2009 Newsarama.com article “Webslinger in the White House, Quesada on CNN,” Marvel Comics’ decision to have Obama meet Spider-Man came from Obama’s acknowledgment that he read Spider-Man comics growing up. This revelation excited Spider-Man editor Steve Wacker, who decided to let the two popular figures meet in the January 2008 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man.
Barack Obama in Comic Books
This isn’t the first time Obama has appeared in a comic book. During the 2008 presidential race, both Obama and John McCain appeared in biographical comic books titled Presidential Material that covered key moments in their lives. Both books were published by IDW Publishing.
During the race, Obama also appeared on a “Super Barack Obama T-Shirt” designed by comic book artist Alex Ross. The shirt depicts Obama tearing open his shirt in Superman-like fashion, revealing a giant red “O” on his chest.
Obama also appeared on the cover of The Savage Dragon #137 (September 2008) where Image Comics' fin-headed crime fighter endorsed Obama for President of the United States. On November 11, 2008, Savage Dragon creator Eric Larsen wrote and drew an exclusive comic strip for Geek to Me: The Redeye Blog for Geeks & Nerds, showing a meeting between the Savage Dragon and Obama.
Michelle Obama in Comic Books
According to a November 11, 2008 press release by Blue Water Productions, future first lady Michelle Obama is also scheduled to star in a biographical comic book that will be released on April 2009. The book is part of Blue Water’s ongoing Female Forces series, which also features Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor Sarah Palin, and Caroline Kennedy.
Reactions to the Comic Books
Reactions to Obama’s comic book appearances have been mixed. While some feel these appearances are simply a sales stunt, others enjoy the mix of politics and pop culture. According to Sewell Chan’s January 14, 2009 New York Times article “Lining up for Obama and Spider-Man” hundreds of fans in Midtown Manhattan stood in the cold weather on the day the Spider-Man/Obama comic came out to get their copy of the issue.
“Barack Obama is my superhero,” states fifty-eight year old Melanie Seinfeld in the article. “I’ve never bought a comic book in my life, but I love Barack. And I’m not selling this on eBay. This one’s for me.”
Read an interview with the character designer of The Spectacular Spider-Man animated cartoon series at Interview with Spider-Man Character Designer.
And learn about Spider-Man's daughter at How Peter Parker's Daughter Became a Superhero and A Spider-Girl is Born.
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