Obama Comic Overload

Remember back in January when I sort of defended President Barack Obama’s use by the comic book industry? When I said that using him in the pages of Savage Dragon and Spider-Man made sense for various reasons? That it wasn’t Obamamania in overload? Yeah, that’s…not true anymore. Now it’s getting ridiculous.

IDW’s Presidential Material series is continuing on to follow Obama’s 100 Days in the White House. Haven’t read it, and don’t plan to, but I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they might have done this if McCain had won as well. Having a comic devoted to an unbiased (if indeed that’s what they’re doing) look at what the President is up to and the decisions he has to make is a good thing, and could be a benefit to our far, far decedents, considering they can get the Mylar sleeves open and pluck them from a fanboy’s cold, dead fingers because he’s convinced it will someday be worth enough to afford their new skybox home and a skycar for little Ta-mee 2158. (Ah, Silver and Golden Age comics, never change, even when Didio completes his time machine.) On the other hand…..

Dynamite Entertainment has Obama teaming up with Ash from Evil Dead/Army of Darkness? Devil’s Due has Obama in both a Conan setting and something out of Gears of War? (And here I thought Dark Horse would do the Conan part.) Even the First Pet will be teaming up with the Pet Avengers. (Odds are he won’t be written like “Ms”. Lion.)

I realise that a big chunk of the comic producers are, as conservative pundits would say, “in the tank for Obama“, but putting my own conservative viewpoints aside, this is pretty much exploitation better left to the tabloids and all the other Obama collectibles hogging commercial air time and catalog space (some of which are just living suck no matter who is President). If these were some kind of political series along the lines of Doonesbury or Mallard Filmore (to cover both wings), fine. I believe “Barack the Barbarian” is just that, but I can only guess which side. However, I do think a bad trend is indeed starting.