Both presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, will each get their own comic book
this fall.
A month before voters cast ballots, comic book biographies of John McCain and Barack Obama will hit book stores and be available for reading on cellphones.
But don't expect Captain America-versus-Superman hijinks or super-villains threatening the electoral process. The books purport to tell McCain and Obama's true life stories, independently researched and illustrated by a team of veteran writers and artists.
IDW Publishing in San Diego, better known for stories of robots ("The Transformers") and vampires ("30 Days of Night"), commissioned the books with no input from either campaign.
"We're not doing anything that is sensational here," said IDW special projects editor Scott Dunbier. "We're sticking to the facts."
Comic book biographies have been written before -- Marvel Comics had a bestseller in 1982 with a biography of Pope John Paul II. And books intended to be read on cellphones have been gaining popularity worldwide this year and last.
Comic books for the election season. That seems oddly appropriate somehow. The illustrations make them look...grumpy. Not superhero-ish at all. McCain looks like he's hatching an evil plan and Obama just looks peevish.
