Monday, Jan. 12, 2009

44 to the 44th: Barack Obama, superhero

UPDATE: If you're interested in getting the comic, call Heroes & Dragons, 510 Bush River Road, (803) 731-4376, to reserve a copy.

8 to the 44th

It’s eight days until the 44th president, Barack Obama, is inaugurated.

Each day until then, we’ll share a fact about the life of Obama, his place in presidential history and moments leading to the Jan. 20 inauguration. Look for continuing coverage daily in The State newspaper and at thestate.com.

On Wednesday, Marvel Comics will celebrate Barack Obama’s inauguration with a special issue of “Amazing Spider-Man’’ (No. 583) that guest-stars the president-elect.

The cover shows Obama giving a thumbs-up as an upside-down Spider-Man hangs from his web behind him. During the campaign, Obama admitted that he used to collect Spider-Man comics. He said his favorite superheroes were Spider-Man and Batman.

In the story, Chameleon tries to ruin Obama’s swearing-in but is foiled by Spider-Man. And, yes, there’s a fist bump. And some humor: In one panel, the superhero says he mistook Vice President-elect Joe Biden for the villainous Vulture.

Compiled by Betsey Guzior. Sources: Philadelphia Inquirer Send comments or suggestions to statefeatures@thestate.com.

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