Barack the Barbarian
Encyclopedia
Barack the Barbarian is a comic book
series published by Devil's Due Publishing
beginning in June 2009
. It was written by Larry Hama
, with art by Christopher Schons.
Barack the Barbarian originally appeared in a four-issue mini-series
. The story features the 44th President of the United States
, Barack Obama in comics as a Conan the Barbarian
-style figure. It also features politicians like Sarah Palin
, George W. Bush
, and Dick Cheney
in fictional roles.
The series was followed by a one-shot, The Fall of Red Sarah
The idea for the series originated with Devil's Due publisher Josh Blaylock who explained that "We didn't want to be completely slapsticky. It is definitely partly a gimmick, but we wanted to do something clever with [the Obama comics trend]." He contacted Larry Hama with his idea for a series called Obama the Barbarian, and Hama describes how the idea developed during the course of the phonecall:
The writer has described how it is more than just a political satire: "I just think of it as sword and sorcery
, only the characters look really familiar."
:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published by Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing is an independent comic book publishers in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned properties that populate its monthly comic book series and graphic novels.Though...
beginning in June 2009
2009 in comics
-January:*January 1: The direct-to-DVD movie Hulk Vs was released.*January 6: The third and final volume of Hollow Fields has been released.-February:...
. It was written by Larry Hama
Larry Hama
Larry Hama is an American comic book writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s....
, with art by Christopher Schons.
Barack the Barbarian originally appeared in a four-issue mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
. The story features the 44th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Barack Obama in comics as a Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
-style figure. It also features politicians like Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, and Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
in fictional roles.
The series was followed by a one-shot, The Fall of Red Sarah
Publication history
In November 2008, one of Obama's advisers gave an interview to journalist Jon Swaine of The Daily Telegraph titled, “Barack Obama: The 50 facts you might not know.” In the interview, it emerged that Obama collects “Conan the Barbarian.”The idea for the series originated with Devil's Due publisher Josh Blaylock who explained that "We didn't want to be completely slapsticky. It is definitely partly a gimmick, but we wanted to do something clever with [the Obama comics trend]." He contacted Larry Hama with his idea for a series called Obama the Barbarian, and Hama describes how the idea developed during the course of the phonecall:
The writer has described how it is more than just a political satire: "I just think of it as sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
, only the characters look really familiar."
Collected editions
The comic books are being collected into a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Barack the Barbarian Volume 1: Quest for the Treasure of Stimuli (144 pages, December 2009, ISBN 1934692794)
External links
- Barack the Barbarian webcomic at Devil's Due
- Review: Barack The Barbarian #1 By Larry Hama And Tim Seeley for Devil’s Due by Rich JohnstonRich JohnstonRich Johnston is a writer who writes about the comic book industry.-Early life:Johnston grew up in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, studied politics at University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and was an advertising copywriter until 2009; he currently lives in Kingston Vale, London, with his wife, Janice...
, Bleeding Cool, June 23, 2009 - Barack the Barbarian #1, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
Blog, July 4, 2009