How is Barack Obama represented in popular culture? He is more than the United States' 44th president, but is also a lens through which we can examine politics, art, comics, and music in local, national, and international contexts. The all-new essays in this collection focus on the buildup to the 2008 election as well as Obama's first year as president, a brief historical moment in which "Obama" was synonymous with possibility. The contributors represent a variety of scholarly standpoints, each adding a unique perspective on Obama's relationship to popular culture.