Did you know that John McCain fought in a war? Well apparently he did, at least according to this comic book.
For those of you waiting on the graphic novel medium to educate you about the presidential election come this November, the wait is finally over. Two full-sized, full-color, non-action packed comics have come out from IDW publishing, chronicling the lives of John McCain and Barack Obama and their ascent (or descent) into politics.

Unfortunately, the McCain comic does not contain extra pages to account for his longer lifespan. Both comics are 32 pages. There are also no advertisements in either comic, not even campaign-driven smear ads, which I think is a missed opportunity.

Plot-wise, each is your basic, run-of-the-mill origin story. There might not be any exploding alien worlds or radioactive spiders, but both books manage to convey a sense of astonishment at each man’s humble beginnings.

Alas, neither Obama nor McCain fight crime in their respective comics, and the stories are more narrative than visually dynamic. However the comics are quite insightful, and present the biographies (which oftentimes get bogged down by the endless information that constitutes the whole of a person’s life) in a mostly accessible and engaging way.

The interesting part is that these comics aren’t propaganda; both exist solely to flesh out each man in a more human way.
The stories focus on the unlikely road that each has traveled to the White House candidacy, and both stories present as many blunders by each man as credits. Certainly, this should make each comic worth reading even for people who already strongly favor one over the other.

In fact, to come across even more nonpartisan, the stories also come combined in a handy flip-book format that puts McCain and Obama under the same set of staples. At $7.99 (as opposed to $3.99 for each of the individual comics) the flip-book will actually cost you an extra penny.

Both candidates probably would agree that Americans purchase the comics separately, so they can put that extra cent toward their mortgage payments. But for steadfast collectors, the flipbook is doubly bad news, as they will end up compulsively buying three comics instead of just two. (IDW makes no apology for any irresponsible economic choices associated with their products.)

As far as obtaining the comics, you can venture on down to The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach, where they’ve got more copies than you can shake an absentee ballot at. The stories may not change your vote, but seeing John McCain threaten bodily harm on another U.S. senator is worth a recommendation in my book.

Personally, I’m going to vote for Batman in November. His origin story is way more intense.
Adam Von Arx fights crime, changes his hair color and fades in and out of consciousness at the beach cities’ sole comic book store, The Comic Bug, 1807? Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach. For more see TheComicBug.com or call 310-372-6704. ER