I had the opportunity to take on some freelance writing for Bluewater Productions, and chose to write the Barack Obama comic book biography. Obama was hot stuff at the time, and there were multiple "cash-in" books out already. But I wanted to write a book that someone like myself would actually read because, let's face it, political figures make pretty boring comic book material. 

 

I plotted and wrote the 22-page book, which I handed off to artist Azim Akberali in South Africa. The combination of lighthearted and even-handed material combined with Azim's hyper-realistic, painted artwork made this book stand out from the crowd.

 

I also wove myself into the story (taking cues from comic writing legend Harvey Pekar) and made it more relatable for the audience: weaving in details and history about Springfield, IL (near where I grew up, and where Obama announced his candidacy) with Obama's story. 

 

The independent book sold 20,000+ copies, which is considered very respectable for
a small publisher in this publishing climate. I outsold at least one Batman book, which I am very happy with.

 

Bluewater productions is a very small, two-man operation, so I did the bulk of the promotion on my own and made myself available to press. The book was even featured on a Conan O' Brien segment by accident, but I used that screenshot to my marketing advantage anyway. Key hits/mentions:

 

PREVIEW: 'Political Power: Barack Obama' -- But Can It Beat 'Puppy Power'? [MTV Splashpages]

Bug chat with Darren G. Davis & Chris Ward about POLITICAL POWER: BARACK OBAMA [Ain't It Cool News]