Two of the biggest buzz topics from 2008, Barack Obama and superheroes, have merged to create a new political, Spider-Man comic book.
Marvel Comics is issuing a special inauguration month issue, "The Amazing Spider-Man" #583, featuring a cartoonified Obama on the cover. The issue itself includes an Obama thriller in which Spider-Man prevents a bad guy from taking his place as president.
When this hits stands on Jan. 14, be sure to pick it up; this is sure to become a collector’s gem!
(The gallery also includes The Clintons in Superman: The Man of Steel, Ronald Reagan in 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,' Jimmy Carter on the cover of 'Superman vs. Muhammad Ali,' Richard Nixon in 'Watchmen,' John F. Kennedy in Action Comics and Richard Nixon in From Beyond the Unknown.
Political Comic Book Cameos
Barack Obama Stars on January's Spider-Man Cover
Trend Themes
1. Political Superhero Cameos - Integrating famous politicians and superheroes in comic books that create a collector's gem while promoting awareness of political issues presented in thrilling stories.
2. Integration of Pop Culture and Politics - Merging popular culture with politics to create a relatable and engaging medium that helps to promote political awareness, understanding, and engagement among the younger generations.
3. Comic Books as a Medium for Political Messaging - Using the comic book medium to convey important political messages in an engaging and relatable way to a wider audience through the use of popular and relatable characters.
Industry Implications
1. Entertainment - Capitalizing on the trend, entertainment companies can leverage iconic characters to create interesting and engaging content that promotes awareness of political issues and engages a more diverse target audience.
2. Advertising and Marketing - Using comic books as advertising and marketing tools to create large-scale, immersive campaigns that present political issues while capturing the audience's imagination. The trend also creates opportunities to leverage the popularity of comic book characters for product endorsements.
3. Publishing - Publishing companies can leverage the dynamic medium of comic books to present important political issues in a digestible format that is easy to understand and can attract new readers which can lead to wider market shares.