The Amazing Spider-Man #583

History

The Obama backup story was conceived with extraordinary speed: according to assistant editor Tom Brennan, the idea was generated roughly fifteen days before the deadline, after Marvel took notice of Obama mentioning during an August 2008 interview that he had grown up reading Spider-Man comics. Editor Steve Wacker assembled writer Zeb Wells and artist Todd Nauck to produce 'Spidey Meets the President!' as a bonus feature alongside the already-in-progress main story by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson—a Peter Parker/Betty Brant character piece titled 'Platonic.' The issue was published the week before Obama's January 20, 2009 inauguration; the letters page itself acknowledged the backup was a rushed one-week job. Phil Jimenez provided the now-famous variant covers, which each depicted Spider-Man hanging upside-down photographing Obama, and five distinct printing variants were produced to meet demand—each with a differently colored or composed background.

Trivia · 8 facts

• The backup story 'Spidey Meets the President!' was written by Zeb Wells with art by Todd Nauck and colors by Frank D'Armata; the main story 'Platonic' was written by Mark Waid with pencils by Barry Kitson.
• The issue was published on January 14, 2009—one week before Obama's inauguration—and went to five printings, each distinguished by a different variant cover illustrated by Phil Jimenez.
• The impetus for the Obama backup was Obama's public statement that he had collected Spider-Man comics growing up, which Marvel editorial spotted in an August 2008 interview.
• The backup plot turns on the Chameleon—Spider-Man's very first super-villain—disguising himself as Obama and attempting to be sworn in as president; Spider-Man unmasks the impostor by asking trivia questions only the real Obama could answer.
• Senator John McCain appears in the story, recognizing Peter Parker as a Daily Bugle photographer and giving him a spare press credential so he can cover the inauguration.
• The story received mainstream news coverage from outlets including CNN and the New York Times, bringing non-comics readers into shops and making it one of the highest-selling individual comics of the entire decade.
• The main story features Betty Brant, Aunt May, Robbie Robertson, Jay Jameson, Harry Osborn, Vin Gonzales, and a cameo by Lily Hollister/Menace, situating it firmly within the 'Brand New Day' supporting cast continuity.
• The backup story has been reprinted in Spider-Man Magazine #9 (March 2010), Spider-Man: Brand New Day – The Complete Collection Vol. 3 (2017), the Spider-Man: Brand New Day Omnibus (2024), Decades: Marvel in the '00s – Hitting the Headlines (2019), and Marvel Comics: The World Outside Your Window (2019 and 2020); a digital-only expanded version with four additional pages appeared in Presidents' Day Celebration #1 (2009).

Cast · 11 characters

Full credits

Key issues in The Amazing Spider-Man

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#546 1st appearance — Martin Li

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#700 Death — Peter Parker

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#700 Death — Spider-Man

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#545 Key event — Spider-Man

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#1 Key event — Spider-Man

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#545 Key event — Spider-Man

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#545 Key event — Spider-Man

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#555 1st appearance — Benjamin Rabin

Variants (7)