She's Superwoman! First Lady Michelle Obama Is New Comic Star of Red-hot Female Force Series

By Leah Chernikoff
Daily News Staff Writer

After gracing the covers of Vogue, People, the New Yorker and New York, First Lady Michelle Obama is about to become a comic book superhero - in a sleeveless dress, of course.

Obama's 22-page bio-comic is the third in Bluewater's new "Female Force" series, following "Hillary Clinton" and "Sarah Palin."

Both debuted this week and sold out before they hit stores. "Caroline Kennedy" and "Princess Diana" are up next.

"Strong, independent women is what we're known for," said Darren Davis, president of Bluewater. "So doing the 'Female Force' series was organic for us - we try to show women in a positive light and tone down the 'T and A' angles. They're no different from a Wonder Woman type of comic."

Davis hopes the comics are a teaching tool for children who have trouble reading and an inspiration for young women across the country.

The Michelle Obama comic, which will be released April 25, and available for $3.99 at Amazon.com, traces the First Lady from her beginnings on the South Side of Chicago to her time at Princeton and her life on the campaign trail.

"I don't think people know everything there is to know about Michelle," Davis said. "There's a lot of information in her thesis, and she worked for the company that represented Barney the Dinosaur ... [it's] not just about her arms."

Davis also took pains to keep depictions of Sasha and Malia out of the comic book after the Ty Girlz doll controversy in which dolls in their likeness were renamed after the First Lady spoke out against them.

"We touch on Malia and Sasha a bit because Michelle being a mother is a big part of who she is, but we don't show much of them out of respect," Davis said.

While the "Hillary Clinton" and "Sarah Palin" comics have sold about 10,000 copies each and are in their second printing, "Michelle Obama" has presold 40,000 copies and is expected to be the top-selling independent comic next month.

More political coverage from the New York Daily News.