10 Comics Barack Obama should read

We've tried not to make this list solely political.
But that's hard given the job Barack was just elected to take.
Regardless of the subject matter, all these stories are really good reads. Hopefully you'll check one out to.

Watchmen
Created by Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins.

Watchmen takes place in an alternate history United States (mid-1980s but Nixon is President) where the country is edging closer to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. After government-sponsored superhero is found murdered, one hero warns his former colleagues of what he believes is a conspiracy to kill costumed heroes. As the story progresses, our heroes discover that one of their own has devised a plan to stave off war by killing millions of innocent people.

Transmetropolitan
written by Warren Ellis, art by Darick Robertson.

Spider Jerusalem (a gonzo journalist akin to Hunter Thompson) dedicates himself to fighting the corruption and abuse of power of two successive United States presidents. His group strives to keep their world from turning worse than it already is while dealing with the struggles of their new found fame and power.

Savage Sword of Conan
Writer: Roy Thomas
Artists: Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Alfredo Alcala, Pablo Marcos, and others

As a fan of Conan, I'd guess Barack might have read this series. If he could find it.
Savage Sword was written in the 70s for hard-core Conan fans who wanted to know more about their favorite Cimmerian. It like a Conan fanzine: part comic book, part journal, part forum for Conan fans to discuss their favorite character. Also, according to Evil Rich, Savage Sword also features lots of boobies.
A plus.

Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis is the authors impressionistic memoir of her childhood before, during and after Iran's Islamic revolution of 1979.
It is split between 2 books, Persepolis I depicts Satrapi's childhood in Iran, and Persepolis 2 depicts her high school years in Vienna, Austria and her return to Iran.
Each seamlessly mixes the personal, political and the various social tides of the Islamic revolution.
It's one story you can read without preconditions.

Kings in Disguise
by James Vance, Art by Dan Burr

This one takes place in 1932 at the height of the Depression and is about a family teetering on the brink of dissolution.
It's depressing and sad - exactly the type of thing someone trying to save the US from another Depression should be reminded of.

Spiderman Brand New Day
Various writers and artists

This Spidey series is fairly new and could provide a great stress break of dealing with the pressure's of the free world. Spidey's marriage to Mary Jane has been erased from memory and no one remember his secret identity either. But a new crop of villains has emerged and Spidey must stop them and save the Daily Bugle.
A fun distraction from the cares of the Oval Office.

The Ultimates
Created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch

The US Government forms a superhero group. What happens when a bunch of ordinary people are turned into super-soldiers to fight the real-life war on terror?
Barack, sir, it this could be useful one day.

Safe Area Gorazde
By Joe Sacco.

A journalist comic book about the Bosnian War. Sacco spent time in Bosnia and based this book on conversations with citizens of Gorazde, a mainly Bosniak enclave in eastern Bosnia surrounded by hostile Serb-dominated regions

9/11 Report The Comic
Written by Sid Jacobson. Art by Ernie Colón.

Barack's a smart guy, but if he couldn't get through the 3 book set the commission put out, there's an alternative
Like the real report, the 9/11 Report Comic is not a dramatization, it's the story of why this tragedy happened. It attempts to lay out the 568 report in a format everyone can understand.

Something funny

A President has to laugh and I hope Barack still can after he takes office. Recommendations: Foxtrot, Far Side. Non Sequitur. Mutts. old Bloom County. Or my personal favorite online comic: B.O.S.A.S. (Boy on a Stick and Slither)
by Steve Cloud.