President Obama to feature in The Beano

Mr Obama is due to feature in the 72-year-old comic's Meebo and Zuky strip

Barack Obama is to become the first American President to appear in The Beano, it has emerged.

Mr Obama is due to feature in the 72-year-old comic's Meebo and Zuky strip.

The 44th President will also be the first human to appear in a storyline alongside the cat and dog characters.

A writer for the Dundee based comic said he hoped Mr Obama would be thrilled by his inclusion, which comes months before The Beano's Dennis and Gnasher will be seen on American TV.

Iain McLaughlin, who also writes scripts for Minnie the Minx, Dennis and Gnasher and Ball Boy, said: "Barack Obama will be the first serving president in the Beano when he appears alongside Meebo and Zuky in their latest adventure.

"Meebo and Zuky are a cat and dog with a huge rivalry - whenever one succeeds, the other will go to any length to spoil it."

'Great and noble'

He added: "We've never written in a human character but, in this story, Meebo the cat is sent by the President on a space mission to find intelligent life on Mars.

"A proud Mr Obama is there to see Earth's envoy off in to space, but Zuky is furious at his rival's good fortune and their battle literally goes in to orbit.

"Mr Obama is trying to do something great and noble, but as Meebo and Zuky fight on Mars, he has to conclude there is no intelligent life on the planet - just those two."

Mr McLaughlin continued: "I very much hope President Obama will be happy to see himself in a fun environment like this.

"Meebo and Zuky are horrible to one another, but we haven't done anything nasty with Mr Obama."

The comic featuring President Obama is due to go on sale on Wednesday 29 September.