with a semi-ghostly, monochrome Abe Lincoln at some highly recognizable Springfield locations. “If I’d known how accurate Azim was gonna be I would’ve gotten a haircut. I sent him some photo-references and it was just spot-on. He did a really great job.”

The creative process behind comic books remains a mystery to most. “A lot of comic book writers and artists never even meet, which is something people don’t realize,” he elaborates. “I got very lucky with Azim. I’d read some other Obama comic books and they were either just terrible – basically Wikipedia entries with pictures – or else Barack the Barbarian type parody comics. So this was a way to do something that was entertaining but could also possibly trick you into learning something.”

The comic ends on a sobering and prescient note. “I talk about how the backlash is coming and basically say we should enjoy this because it’s not going to last. Which is exactly what happened.” The only prediction Ward makes in the book that hasn’t come to pass is the one about werewolf attacks. “I’m sure it will,” he says impishly. “I mean it’s the only other awful thing that could happen at this point.”

Scott Faingold recently moved from Chicago back to Springfield to pursue a degree at University of Illinois Springfield. Contact him at [email protected].