| Barack the Barbarian | |
|---|---|
 Cover ofBarack the Barbarian 1 (June 2009 ), art byTim Seeley andRachelle Rosenberg | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Devil's Due Publishing |
| Schedule | Irregular |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | June 2009 – present |
| No. of issues | 5 |
| Main character | Barack Obama |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Larry Hama |
| Artist | Christopher Schons |
| Letterer | Chris Crank |
| Colorist | Rachelle Rosenberg |
| Editor | Evan Sult |
| Collected editions | |
| Volume 1 | ISBN 1-934692-79-4 |
Barack the Barbarian is acomic book series published byDevil's Due Publishing beginning in June2009. It was written byLarry Hama,[1] with art byChristopher Schons.
Barack the Barbarian originally appeared in a four-issuemini-series. The story features the 44thpresident of the United States,Barack Obama as aConan the Barbarian-style figure.[2] It also features other politicians likeSarah Palin,George W. Bush, andDick Cheney in fictional roles.[3][4][5]
The series was followed by a one-shot,The Fall of Red Sarah.[6]
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 collectsConan the Barbarian.[7]
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]."[2] He contacted Larry Hama with his idea for a series calledObama the Barbarian, and Hama described how the idea developed during the course of the phonecall:
First off, you should change it toBarack the Barbarian, and second, I'm not interested in writing aMad Magazine style parody and that it would have to be more in line with the more polemical stuff ofSwift,Twain andVoltaire (not that I can pull off anything like they could,) and third, that my own leanings are towards Barack and that would be reflected in what I write – and Josh said 'fine'.[1]
The writer has said it is more than just a political satire: "I just think of it assword and sorcery, only the characters look really familiar."[1]
The comic books are being collected into atrade paperback:
Next up was one of Devil's Due's most publicized titles, the political satire and Conan homage "Barack the Barbarian: Quest for the Treasure of Stimuli"