Well, I guess we can all get settled in for another year+ of political comic book stunts again, with the announcement of Boom! Studios’ Decision 2012, in which fans – whether comic book or political – get to pre-order a biographical comic of the presidential candidate of their choice, with the most highly-ordered seeing print. No, really:
The whole concept of comic book’s first straw poll is that the comic book with the most pre-orders wins. That means that if you are a supporter of a particular candidate and you want him or her to win, you need to make sure you tell all your friends to pre-order your candidate’s comic book before September 29th, 2011.
I don’t know whether this means there will be lots of unseen material for the losers, or whether the stories will only be created once a winner has been chosen, but… this is either an awesome idea or a terrible idea. I mean, it’s A Death In The Family meets U Decide meets Bluewater’s political biographies and, if nothing else, that’s not what anyone was expecting, right…?
(In all seriousness, I’m fascinated by the outreach potential for this; the website includes a quick “What are comics, anyway?” in the FAQs, so clearly this is meant to go beyond the direct market faithful, so on that basis alone, I’m pulling for Boom! here.)
August 17th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
But Sarah Palin isn’t even running! Unless BOOM! knows something we don’t…
August 17th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Ummm…assuming the political landscape of comic readers is 50/50 liberal/conservative (which it’s not–more like 70/30 if I had to guess), how does Obama not win this considering the conservatives will split their purchases/votes amongst numerous candidates? Aside from the fact that the market was clogged with Obama comics which might temper interest in another bio, I don’t see any alternative outcome.
Am I missing something?
August 17th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
@JMXG – You never know in a situation like this who’ll seize the opportunity and link to it on their blog or something. I think most comics readers skew conservative anyway from what I’ve seen but even if they don’t, as Graeme points out, this is intended to reach beyond that small sample group anyway.
That said–of course one candidate for one party has a leg up on three all scratching and clawing at each other for the other’s attention. That’s why incumbents usually win.
And Albert – Has Sarah Palin officially announced yet? I don’t think she has, officially, but I could be wrong. Either way, Perry and Romney aren’t here either so it may just be the folks Boom! thinks would make for interesting reading.
August 17th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Im a big Ron Paul guy. Last time I went to a comic convention I wore my Ron Paul shirt and one of the venders gave me 20% off just cause he like my shirt lol
August 17th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Russ – President Barack Obama, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum all are represented. Graeme just cut the graphic off – check out http://www.decision2012comics.com
Albert – we just couldn’t NOT do Sarah Palin.
Best,
Chip
BOOM!
August 17th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
I think most comic creators lean left, and probably most uninformed younger readers, but most late 20/early 30 comic readers (at least that I know) are center right. It’s just the usual media vs. mainstream and this poll would be better served waiting for the Republicans to pick an actual candidate.
August 18th, 2011 at 5:15 am
Ron Paul all the way, baby! I will probably take part in this… thanks!
August 18th, 2011 at 6:29 am
I love what Boom! Studios has done. They have truthfully made some awesome comics, and they are making a great impression on the market…
…and now this.
Ugh. Can’t we wait just a LITTLE longer before this crap starts. Honestly, I’m nowhere near an Obama fan, but I agree with the poster that said “how does he NOT win this one”. All the libs pick him. All the conservatives pick someone else…and the votes are divided amongst one side.
That being said, I’ve seen enough political propaganda comics to last me until 2020, so let’s outlaw this crap until then. We get it, the left are idiots to the right, the right are idiots to the left, and the only people truly with ANY common sense are those nearer the middle who actually listen to both sides.
August 18th, 2011 at 9:02 am
PURE GARBAGE
August 18th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
The comic industry is a joke when it comes to politics. Their is NOT one single writer or artist who is going to admit to be a Conservative bc they would never get work. I remember all through 2008 how Newsarama and other comic websites interviewed comic creators who were all in the tank for President Obama. Now look at it….Guantanamo is still open, the Iraq & Afghanistan wars continue, the economy sucks, and the President starts a war against Libya!!! So where is Mark Millar,Mark Waid and the rest of the Hard Left on Obama bombing innocent Libyans? Oh wait! NO one will ever ask them
August 20th, 2011 at 8:57 am
Innocent Libyans? Step away from the bong, just say no to drugs!