After Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada announced that Stephen Colbert is still running for president in the Marvel Universe, we decided to follow up by contacting a reporter in that universe for updates on his campaign:

Age of Consent Powers Colbert
Ken Ellis, DB Staff Reporter

With great power comes great responsibility. And, it seems, the senior votes, if Stephen Colbert's numbers in both the Pennsylvania and North Carolina primaries are any indication. Combine that with his steadily maturing numbers among the 62 and older crowd, and Colbert is very much presidential material.

What's the secret to his sexagenarian success? Colbert has been reticent about uncovering a reason, especially in gray states like Pennsylvania, where his 36 percent of the silver-haired votes proved golden two weeks ago. Nevertheless, it hasn't stopped his age-advanced advocates from offering their own explanations.

"Older voters like me have been around the block," said Charles Hawse, a retired trolley operator from Charleston, West Virginia, who's been visiting local nursing homes to promote the Colbert campaign for next week's primary. "We've come to realize that the people we elected into office before just aren't getting the job done."

"What happened at the Baxter Building is a perfect example of why this country needs new leadership," said Rose Sanchez. Less than two weeks ago, the 63-year-old lost her part-time bank job -- and badly needed additional income -- following a nearby explosion that emanated from the Manhattan-based home of the Fantastic Four. "People were left without homes and jobs, and the government's kept quiet about the whole thing. It's like they're afraid of the negative energy it might have on the presidential election."

Some elderlies offer more innocuous reasons for backing Colbert. "I like watching his show," explained May Parker, a Forest Hills, New York resident and volunteer worker in Chinatown's F.E.A.S.T. Project. "My nephew and I love watching him do that 'Colbert Bump' of his."

For a special Colbert easter egg, check out Young X-Men #2, on sale today.

This week's image is from Amazing Spider-Man #556.

Previous Colbert easter eggs:

She Hulk #28

Incredible Hercules #116

Amazing Spider-Man #556

Secret Invasion #1

After Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada announced that Stephen Colbert is still running for president in the Marvel Universe, we decided to follow up by contacting a reporter in that universe for updates on his campaign:

See a Movie, Forge an Alliance?
Ken Ellis, DB Staff Reporter

Drones of paparazzi and autograph-seekers stood outside Graumann's Chinese Theatre Tuesday, hoping to catch a glance of celluloid celebs like Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Jon Favreau as they entered the historic Hollywood Boulevard venue for a private gala. But amid this Who's Who of Hollywood elite, the guests creating some of the hottest buzz were Anthony Stark and Stephen Colbert, who were spotted talking as they walked down the iron-colored carpet leading into the theatre.

For all the dish on the invitation-only gala -- a movie premiere that doubled as a fundraiser for U.S. soldiers injured in the line of duty -- check out Miriam Birchwood's column in the DB. Colbert's supporters, however, should be more interested in the conversation between their candidate and the Director of Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate (S.H.I.E.L.D.).

Yes, it's possible that television's most popular populist is simply asking Stark if he'd like to appear as a guest on The Colbert Report. Yet when politics are involved, rarely will one uncover "simple" explanations. As candidates approach the most critical leg of the presidential nomination race, it's more feasible to speculate that Colbert is attempting to shore up his campaign with powerful allies. And should Stark's personal mettle pass muster, it's more than conceivable that he could ultimately be tapped to fortify Colbert's Cabinet upon election into the Oval Office.

Colbert's spokespeople declined to comment on his Tinseltown tête-à-tête with Stark, other than in a written statement: "Mr. Colbert, like Director Stark, was invited to attend a worthwhile fundraiser and enjoy a great movie, and nothing more."

For a special Colbert easter egg, check out New Warriors #11, on sale today.

This week's image is from She Hulk #28.

Previous Colbert easter eggs:

Incredible Hercules #116

Amazing Spider-Man #556

Secret Invasion #1

After Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada announced that Stephen Colbert is still running for president in the Marvel Universe, we decided to follow up by contacting a reporter in that universe for updates on his campaign. What follows is the third of those updates.

Are Pennsylvania Skies Bitter Too?
Ken Ellis, DB Staff Reporter

"Bittergate" may have proven costly for Senator Barack Obama in Tuesday's primaries in the Keystone State, but small-town Pennsylvanians may now have another reason to suddenly "cling to guns and religion." It seems the sky is falling.

Four boroughs in Schuylkill County -- Coaldale, Cressona, Minersville and Frackville – reported Tuesday afternoon that sizeable portions of flaming debris had "rained down" upon their respective neighborhoods. Presidential hopeful Stephen Colbert had been meeting with Frackville's community leaders when authorities were suddenly dispatched to a blaze caused by what one resident described as "a giant, fiery hunk of metal."

"The way it plummeted from the sky, I thought we were under attack," said lifelong Frackville native Bud Wolman. "It just missed the public library. Still, nobody's driving down that street any time soon."

Based on its trajectory and impact, Frackville fire officials who contained the blaze wondered if the object -- a charred metallic alloy approximately 20 feet in diameter -- may have fallen from space. They could not confirm any connection to smaller fragments that landed without incident in the other Schuylkill boroughs, nor are they likely to do so any time soon. Agents from S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division) cordoned off the surrounding road within moments of their arrival.

Representatives in the Colbert camp declined to comment on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s actions or promote concerns of a possible terrorist act. However, one was "thankful" that none of Frackville's residents were injured. "These fine people have no reason to panic," she said, "especially if they voted for Mr. Colbert in the primary."

For a special Colbert easter egg, check out She Hulk #28 on sale today.

This week's image is from Incredible Hercules #116.

Previous Colbert easter eggs:

Amazing Spider-Man #556

Secret Invasion #1

After Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada announced that Stephen Colbert is still running for president in the Marvel Universe, we decided to follow up by contacting a reporter in that universe for updates on his campaign. What follows is the third of those updates.

Colbert Reading, then Pennsylvania
Ken Ellis, DB! Staff Reporter

Next week's primary is guaranteed to be a Democratic slobberknocker in Pennsylvania. But it hasn't hindered the Stephen Colbert political engine from contemplating a brief stopover in the Big Apple sometime this weekend -- specifically, midtown Manhattan’s Jacob Javits Convention Center, home for this weekend’s annual New York Comic Con.

"Pennsylvania is first and foremost on Mr. Colbert's agenda," assured one of his campaign representatives. "He just wants to reach out and correspond with fellow comic book fans attending from all over the country. Their opinions are extremely important to him.

"He has also been looking for a first printing of the Sentry comic that has the first chapter of 'The Alien Agenda,'" the spokesman added.

Regardless of whether or not he obtains that elusive comic book, the presidential hopeful knows that he has far more pressing issues to address. Even after numerous campaign stops throughout the Keystone State and the April 22 primary, Colbert plans to visit our nation's capital. Just over a week ago, amid a protest outside the White House, an alleged Captain America sighting sparked a media frenzy and many questions regarding the fallen hero.

"Captain America is dead, and I think Mr. Colbert just wants to re-state that it's time for Americans to move on," said Colbert’s spokesman. "The world watched him die before their very eyes. Unless they see him return from the dead the very same way, there’s no reason to speculate otherwise."

For a special Colbert easter egg, check out Incredible Hercules #116 on sale today.

This week's image is from New Warriors #11.

Previous Colbert easter eggs:

Amazing Spider-Man #556

Secret Invasion #1

After Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada announced that Stephen Colbert is still running for president in the Marvel Universe, we decided to follow up by contacting a reporter in that universe for updates on his campaign. What follows is the second of those updates.

Food for Thought Gives Some Reason to Poll-Dance
KEN ELLIS, DB Staff Reporter

Discussions about Americans' readiness for a black or female commander-in-chief may soon become irrelevant: 43 percent of respondents to a DB poll conducted this past week said they would welcome Stephen Colbert into their homes to break bread and discuss the issues this country faces."The number goes as high as 48 percent if they can meet with Colbert at a restaurant or diner," said DB polling director James White, Jr. "That additional spike may be a matter of people just not wanting to cook while discussing matters that mean a lot to them."

The poll's results, White admitted, don't specify whether or not electors would actually vote for Colbert. Nevertheless, the numbers are encouraging for his supporters, as his opponents are left to battle over the remaining 57 (or 52) percent. And according to White, seven percent of that remainder wrote in a dinner guest of their own choosing. Write-ins ranged from perennial Forbes favorites (including billionaire industrialist and Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony Stark) to celebrities like actress Mary Jane Watson.

"I think it means that people trust Colbert enough to at least sit down and discuss the topics that concern them most," White said. "And at the end of the day, the presidential race will come down to that one question: Who do you trust?"

For a special Colbert easter egg, check out Amazing Spider-Man #556, on sale today. And don't forget to pick up last week's Secret Invasion #1.

After Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada announced that Stephen Colbert is still running for president in the Marvel Universe, we decided to follow up by contacting a reporter in that universe for updates on his campaign. What follows is the first of those updates.

Heroes for Ire?

KEN ELLIS, DB Staff Reporter

With the Pennsylvania primaries fast approaching, someone has waged an April Fool's Day protest against the candidates.

The DB!, along with other media outlets, received "government-official documents" representing the controversial Superhero Registration Act on Tuesday. Allegedly completed and signed by each of the candidates, the April 1st-dated forms detailed their individual "attributes."

According to the fabricated paperwork, which highlights "Powers and Extranormal Abilities," Senator Barack Obama can "distance himself from crazed religious mentors in the blink of an eye," and Senator Hillary Clinton is described as a "trans-dimensional traveler...able to journey to alternate Bosnias where she actually has withstood heavy enemy fire." Read the rest of this entry »

The New York Times has a great drawing today of four of the top candidates as members of the Fantastic Four.

The image, beautifully rendered by Barry Blitt, declares the following:

Hillary Clinton = The Invisible Woman
Barack Obama = Mr. Fantastic
Fred Thompson = The Human Torch
Rudy Giuliani = The Thing

TheInDecider already took a stab at comparing candidates to superheroes, but neglected to compare ANY of them to the Fantastic Four.

It's definitely a fun image, but I'm not sure I agree with Blitt's choices. I mean, come on, Clinton invisible? Thompson fiery?

Personally, I think that Duncan Hunter is the closest thing to an invisible woman in the race, though I do think Giuliani as the Thing is a pretty good match. As for the rest, anyone else have any ideas?

There's been lots of buzz recently about the upcoming season of NBC's "Heroes." Stories about product placement, overseas marketing, corporate breakdowns between NBC and Apple-sounds like our kind of show! Until we watched it. What a rip: no costumes, no capes, and nary an evil super-villain in sight. Unfulfilled and misunderstood, we retreated to our own Fortress of Solitude (a.k.a. the Olive Garden in Times Square) and geeked out all night (a.k.a. we ate enough bottomless salad to cover the $9.95 menu price), Indecision 2008-style!

Hillary Clinton = She-Hulk
Trained as a lawyer, can kick pretty much any guy's ass, marriage to Man-Wolf was probably a mistake.

Mike Gravel = Wolverine
Intense, outdoorsy misanthrope from the Great White North with little memory of his past -- possibly insane.

John McCain = Phoenix
You keep thinking the bitch is gone for good, but, guess what, you're wrong again.

John Edwards = Robin/Nightwing
Kinda just worked better as a sidekick.

Fred Thompson = Onslaught
The payoff totally wasn't worth all the hype.

Joe Biden = Beast
Can't keep his mouth shut, ineffectual leader -- has kinda weird hair.

Duncan Hunter = Aquaman
Bottom-dweller.

Bill Richardson = Captain Planet
A good idea in theory, but there's just something lame about him.

Mitt Romney = Metamorpho
Able to change shape at will to suit his current needs.

Barack Obama = Black Lightning
Energetic...?

Rudy Giuliani = The Punisher
Italian American, native-New Yorker, people seem to like pretending he's a hero for some reason.

Al Gore = Galactus
Lurking out there somewhere, feeds off the destruction of the planet to maintain his massive girth.

Ron Paul = Matter-Eater Lad
Getting a lot of internet buzz, but... c'mon.