Amazing!

LISA TOLIN January 8, 2009 01:58 PM EST AP

WASHINGTON — Spider-Man has a new sidekick: The president-elect.

"Barack Obama collected Spider-Man comics as a
child, so Marvel Comics wanted to give him a "shout-out back" by featuring him
in a bonus story, said Joe Quesada, Marvel's editor-in-chief.

" "How great is that? The commander in chief to be is actually a nerd in
chief," Quesada said. "It was really, really cool to see that we had a geek in
the White House. We're all thrilled with that." The comic starts with Spider-Man's alter-ego Peter Parker taking photographs at the inauguration,
before spotting two identical Obamas.

"Parker decides "the future president's gonna need Spider-Man," and
springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching
out the impostor.

"Obama thanks him with a fist-bump.

"Marvel comics have featured most presidents, but generally in
walk-on roles, Quesada said.

" "I think President Nixon might have appeared on the cover, but
not in a good way," he said.

"Obama has said that as a child, he collected Spider-Man and Conan
the Barbarian comic books. His Senate Web site used to have a
photo of him posing in front of a Superman statue.

"The Obama story is a bonus in Marvel Comic's Amazing Spider-Man
#583, available in comic book shops nationwide on Jan. 14 for $3.99 and is
expected to sell out, with half the covers devoted to Obama."