Presidential Material Flipbook

by Jeffrey J. Mariotte, Jeff Mariotte, Stephen Thompson

In the vein of great biography comics from years past (Pope John Paul II, St. Francis of Assisi), come two biographies of the 2008 Presidential candidates. This year's presidential primary season was historic for many reasons, and Barack Obama's rise from humble beginnings to his place on the November ballot makes for an extraordinary tale! Acclaimed artist J. Scott Campbell provides a special cover for the issue! John McCain is a true American hero, and his tale, taking him from the hells of Viet Nam to becoming the Republican nominee for President is a story well worth telling. J. Scott Campbell, again, provides the cover for the comic-biography of one of the two candidates in November's historic Presidential contest. Want to get both sides of the story? This special flipbook edition features the illustrated biographies of both Barack Obama and John McCain, with each story adorned by J. Scott Campbell's cover art.

64 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2008

About the author

Also writes as Jeff Mariotte

Jeffrey J. Mariotte is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 70 novels, including the Cody Cavanaugh western series, historical western epic Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta (with Peter Murrieta), thrillers Empty Rooms and The Devil's Bait, supernatural thrillers Season of the Wolf, Missing White Girl, River Runs Red, and Cold Black Hearts, horror epic The Slab, and the Dark Vengeance teen horror quartet. With wife and writing partner Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell, he wrote the sf/horror/thriller 7 SYKOS and Mafia III: Plain of Jars, the authorized prequel to the bestselling video game. as a publisher and partner in Silverado Press, he won a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America for his anthology Silverado Press Presents: Western Stories by Today's Top Writers, Volume 1. His most recent releases are the novella Billy the Kid: Cheat the Hangman, and the dark thriller Flesh of All Sorrows.

He also writes occasional nonfiction, short fiction (some of which is collected in Nine Frights), and comic books, including the long-running horror/Western comic book series Desperadoes and graphic novels Fade to Black and Zombie Cop. With Marsheila Rockwell, he has published several short stories and is working on more. He has worked in virtually every aspect of the book business, as a writer, editor, marketing executive, and bookseller.

Learn more at www.jeffmariotte.com, and follow him at https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyJMari... and @JeffMariotte on Twitter.

Also writes as Jeff Mariotte

Reviews

[寿理 宮本]

I should note that my copy has a "Flip the Book Over for the Story of Barack Obama" on McCain's shoulder like in this version (but the reverse).

I tried to be fair, honest. The problem is McCain's side is a royal mess. It starts in the middle of all of the physical torture he endured in Hanoi as during the Vietnam War as a P.O.W., and it's extremely here and there, jumping to a statement he made about not knowing his great-great-grandfather had 52 slaves, then going into his grandfather's history, then his father's, then even more of McCain's military mishaps, before his own romantic history including marriage, divorce, and remarriage, followed by the usual incomprehensible mess of political shenanigans.

Obama's side is quite a bit more comprehensible by virtue of focusing entirely on only Obama's life more or less chronologically (though the political shenanigans are still incomprehensible, by virtue of politics still being a thing I would LIKE to be able to follow but can't due to my shorter attention span than desired). Probably, also, Obama wrote in detail about himself fairly early when his early life was fresher in mind, where McCain didn't write in that level of detail until in his 60s. Otherwise, I'd be tempted to say that the creators showed a little bias in this publication, despite this having been released just before the relevant election.

The art is good. Actually, the interior art is much better than the cover(s), oddly enough. It's almost worth keeping for that, but it's not like I'm a huge fan of either (though I of course more than happily voted for the one). Hard to imagine this being a big collector's item, either, even if it were in mint condition instead of "well-loved."

[Jelina]

Technically only read and own the obama 2009 version unfortunately goodreads doesnt have it so I'm inputting this instead

[Valerie]

This is a wonderful idea, to publish the brief bios of the major party candidates in comic book form. I made my 11 year old son read them, and I am going to post them in my classroom for students to read.

I found the following positive information about McCain, he seems willing to admit when he has been wrong, and to make amends and change tracks. This is the mark of a mature human being, and could be contrasted with the current administration. However, he seems to have been one of the unluckiest pilots ever, and perhaps we should consider if he should be entrusted with the running of the country for that reason. I want someone who is smart, mature, and lucky.

About Obama, there was much to admire about his life, and dedication to civil liberties. But perhaps I just wouldn't fully like anyone who chose to run for office, there were a few moments of "What is the real story?" the feeling that something is being hidden that I get from every nominee. But he seems to be wicked smart, and I think that is a bonus when one is running a country. (Plus I think he might understand math.)

The comic books seemed fair and ubiased, presenting both negative and positive biographical details for both candidates, and I will have no qualms about sharing them with students to promote their knowledge of current events.

[Adam Bessie]

Interesting...