WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – A newly elected Democrat Congressman from California opted to be sworn in on a copy of the original Superman comic.
In addition to being sworn in on the comic, Robert Garcia, former mayor of Long Beach, will be sworn in on a photo of his deceased parents, both of whom he lost to COVID-19 in 2020, a copy of the constitution, and a copy of his citizenship certificate. The comic will be borrowed from the Library of Congress. Garcia will be the first openly homosexual immigrant in Congress.
Will be proudly sworn-in to Congress on the U.S. Constitution. Underneath the Constitution will be 3 items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who I lost to covid, my citizenship certificate & an original Superman #1 from the @librarycongress. 🇺🇸😊 pic.twitter.com/YGW43OLsIp
— Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) January 3, 2023
Garcia spokeswoman Sara Guerrero, speaking with the New York Post, said that “Congressman Garcia learned to read and write in English by reading Superman comics so it’s especially exciting he was able to borrow this rare copy from the kind folks at the Library of Congress.”
The original Superman comic to be used in Garcia’s swearing in, Superman #1, was published by DC Comics in 1939. Last year, a copy of the comic sold at auction for $5.3 million. According to Screen Rant, the comic is considered a “holy grail” for comic collectors.
In 2021, DC announced that it would run a new Superman series. The series, Superman: Son of Kal-El, featured Jon Kent, son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and depicted him embracing several leftist causes, including climate activism and wearing a mask to fight the spread of COVID-19.
The fifth issue of the series depicted Kent as coming out as “bisexual” and starting a relationship with his friend Jay Nakamura. The issue featured a picture of the two male characters kissing.
Reacting to the issue, Garcia posted a tweet stating, “I became a Superman fan as a kid because I related to him. An immigrant, a sense of justice, and a secret identity. His son, Jon Kent is coming out in the comics. I’m proud of @DCComics & @TomTaylorMade for giving young LGBTQ+ people a hero of their own.”
Last October, Superman: Son of Kal-El was cancelled due to poor sales.
Garcia, mayor of Long Beach from 2014 to 2022, oversaw the city’s response to COVID, becoming the first city that had its first responders, teachers, and front-line health care workers receive the experimental jabs, and the first city to have a 99% jab rate among seniors, according to the Press-Telegram.
After winning election in November, Garcia tweeted about the Library of Congress, saying, “I can pull any comic book from what is the largest public comic collection in the country and read them here. Let’s go!” He also tweeted that “anyone who understands comics knows that comics are an essential part of American fiction. And the lessons learned are invaluable. It’s (sic) serious s***.”
Garcia was supposed to be sworn in Tuesday; however, because new Congressmen cannot be sworn in without the election of a new Speaker of the House, he has yet to be sworn in at the time of this writing.
The Library of Congress normally lends texts to Congressmen for their swearing in. The Library has, for instance, previously allowed Thomas Jefferson’s Quran to be used for that purpose.