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January 17, 2009
I've Been Everything You Want to Be, I'm the Cult of Personality
Yeah, yeah. Go on and tell me that I'm a paranoid right-wing crank slipping into the forthcoming Republican version of Bush Derangement Syndrome, but this sort of thing — beginning even before inauguration — concerns me a great deal:
President-elect Barack Obama will need something akin to superpowers to handle the country's economic woes. Word is he's already hobnobbing with a famous superhero.Obama is on the cover of a special edition (583) of the Amazing Spider-Man comic book. In the story, he and the famous wall-crawler team up after the Chameleon tries to crash the president's inaugural festivities. (There's another edition of the comic available, but Obama's not on the cover.)
The Providence Journal's Tatiana Pina exhibits none of that mythic journalistic cynicism or burning for inquiry that might have led to such questions as:
- Have any other presidents ever received like treatment?
- Are there any historical echoes for the treatment of a political leader as a superhero?
Including this latest, the Chicago Tribune has found nine comic books that involve the appearance of real presidents, and even within this tiny group, none compare. The Clintons had a cameo in Superman. Carter slipped onto the cover of "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali." JFK helped out Superman by posing as Clark Kent. On the Republican side, Nixon pondered losing the entire East Coast to toxic winds and was mocked by aliens. Reagan was savaged on a page of Batman. Marvel's The Punisher actually threatened the life of President Bush a couple of months after 9/11.
As to my second question, well, you all know the history.
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As we trade Bush Derangement Syndrome for Barak Derangement Syndrome, let's keep the sense of humor.
Posted by: C Smith at January 17, 2009 2:08 PMThe best thing to do is laugh at the crap.
Let the guy who draws "allard Fillmore"try a comic book, or the artist of "Day to Day," the Web comic strip. Cartoons aren't the exclusive province of liberals, and should not be.
Posted by: rhody at January 17, 2009 7:04 PM*Mallard Fillmore (why did I add those quotation marks at the last second?).
Posted by: rhody at January 17, 2009 7:33 PMI have 3 comic books called "Reagan's Raiders".
Posted by: Chris at January 17, 2009 7:43 PMReagan's Raiders was about as successful as the rest of the Solson comics line. It lasted three issues, all published in 1987, and has since been seen mostly in "Best of the Worst" retrospectives.
Posted by: bobc at January 17, 2009 9:04 PMOr how about a comic book version of "X-Presidents," from SNL's TV Funhouse?
Posted by: rhody at January 18, 2009 1:02 AMWonder if they admit Dubya to the club? They stuck Carter or tambourine in their band, and they never even let Clinton in.