Now that he has raised the Dead, it only makes sense that President-elect Barack Obama has become the subject of a superhero comic book. The amusingly inane lefties at Marvel Comics are releasing a special issue of Amazing Spider-Man this coming Wednesday, in which Obama and Spider-Man team up to stop a villain called The Chameleon from disrupting the presidential inauguration.
USA Today quoted Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada as saying the decision was nonpartisan and was based on Marvel’s excitement over hearing that Obama once collected Spider-Man comic books:
"We do our best to be completely non-partisan and treat presidents with respect," Quesada says.
"This is not so much a pro-Obama statement but a tip of the hat to having a Spider-Man fan in the White House."
Mm-hmm, right. The utterly cringemaking illustration shown here, along with the other examples linked at the USA Today article, gives the lie to that claim.
—S. T. Karnick
Interesting article, Fortunato. Thanks for sending the link. For me, policy is all that counts in elections, though I know others think otherwise, and it’s perfectly fine with me if they wish to do so. But as you say, this cult of personality is ultimately going to lead to trouble, or at least not be available to avert or mitigate it.
You might like to read, as a partial antidote, this piece by Joan Didion (!)
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22154
I obviously like Obama more than you do, but this cult of the personality is worrisome apart from being childish.
A president, after all, is the ultimate civil servant; how can you expect him to account for his actions if you portray him as a half-god?
Thanks, Steve. I’ve visited Common Cents before and will be happy to exchange links. Please link to The American Culture (file under “A” if using alpha order) at http://stkarnick.com. Thanks for suggesting this.
Great post!
Would you like a Link Exchange with our new blog COMMON CENTS where we blog about the issues of the day??
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
Gadzooks! All the panels that USA Today shared are nauseating, but that final panel is a doozy.
Even if Spidey didn’t show up, Obama is so super-awesome, he’d have “handled the Chameleon all by himself.”
And, it’s time for Spider-Man to head back to New York because “it looks like Washington is in capable hands.”
I’m sure Bush, if he said he was a fan of a comic book, would have been treated to a fawning issue dedicated to him — and not derided as a simpleton for liking comic books.
But, the rules are different when you’re a “Lightworker,” I guess. I’m only surprised Marvel didn’t just give Obama the “Lightworker” alter-ego — including cool-looking costume and the power to change minds, cure poverty and “unite” people in conflict.
They could even send Obama/Lightworker over to Gaza in “Lightworker No. 1.” What a missed opportunity!