Prolific paperback novel illustrator Bob Abbett’s gorgeous illustrations for Irving Wallace’s 1964 unintentionally pulp PolitComic “The Man” are the perfect visual accompaniment to a premise that, until relatively recently, might have seemed most appropriate between the covers of quick-fix literature:

In the bizarre event - possible even in fiction only through the confluence of extreme political circumstances and reactionary affirmative action - a black man should become U.S President, would the challenges of racism, intrigue and public backlash from minority communities and the mainstream alike prove too much to overcome?

By all accounts, the book is hardly crammed with blade-sharp insight, but it doesn’t stop me from desperately wanting a copy.