With Barack Obama's appearance in the Jan. 14th issue of Marvel's The Amazing Spiderman, comic book fans saw two of America's favorite superheroes getting along famously (and fist bumping!). But how have other presidents and political figures fared when pitted against the heroes and villains of penny comics?

The Prez: Richard Nixon

The Comic: Watchmen

Superhero or Supervillain: A little bit of both. In this 1985 book, Nixon has overturned the ruling for term limits and reinstated himself as president for a third term during the continuing Vietnam crisis. Meanwhile, a beloved actor from California readies his campaign, "R. R. in '85!" But in Alan Moore's universe, the R's don't stand for Ronald Reagan, they stand for Robert Redford.

The Prez: Ronald Reagan

The Comic: The Dark Knight Returns

Superhero or Supervillain: One of the bad guys, ostensibly, although Frank Miller's portrayal of the president is a pre-senile, cowboy goof who is increasingly out of touch with reality&mdasha big problem when the vigilante Batman declares an all-out war with Superman. By the end of The Dark Knight Returns, Reagan is wrapping himself in an American flag and deflecting any questions of vigilante justice with the line, "This is a local problem."

The Prez: John F. Kennedy

The Comic: Superman #168

Superhero or Supervillain: Superhero! John F. Kennedy was the only president to know Superman's secret identity as Clark Kent. And not to get all conspiracy theory on you, but the issue where Superman and JFK work together to get kids to exercise (the best use of presidential/superhero teamwork ever) was supposed to come out in April, 1964, but Kennedy was assassinated in Texas in November of '63. Maybe the Red Son started getting antsy about a man with so much authority knowing his secret. Was Superman the second gunman on the Grassy Knoll? The world may never know.

The Prez: Bill Clinton

The Comic: Superman: the Man of Steel #20

Superhero or Supervillain: The Clintons were good guys in their brief cameo in the Caped Crusader's comic, where they held a tearful funeral for the son of Krypton's demise. Everything was a-okay though, since Superman came back to life (as he always does). Luckily for Clinton, Superman never revealed his secret identity to the Arkansas president.

The Prez: George W. Bush

The Comic: The Punisher

Superhero or Supervillain: Definitely not the good guy. Perhaps in bad taste, two months after the September 11th, rogue hero The Punisher burst into Bush's office and threatens the Commander-in-Chief's life.

The story portrays the President as a slobbering belching incoherent drunk, gleefully itching to launch nuclear missiles. The Punisher breaks into the Oval Office, tosses a nine-millimeter bullet before the President and warns ominously, “I can get in anywhere …Nine millimeters. I’m never further away than that.”

Funny enough, there are absolutely no images of this fight online, anywhere. The Internet police are watching!

What would be a good arc for Obama and Spiderman to engage in? I'm thinking a lot of "local" politics, cleaning up the street, being fun, pacifist dudes. Any other ideas?