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When California Rep. Robert Garcia is sworn into office, he’ll do so not only with a signed copy of the U.S. Constitution but also on a vintage Superman comic book from 1939.

The Long Beach Democrat has been a vocal comic book fan and after he won his election in November tweeted he was excited to be able to read rare copies of comics.

The items chosen to take their oath of office by newly elected Congressional members included a copy of the Holy Bible, the U.S. Constitution, and the DC Comics book Superman #1, according to a picture tweeted by Congressional reporter Matt Laslo.

“A member of the House of Representatives is taking their oath on a classic Superman comic book,” Laslo tweeted.

The incoming California Democratic Representative tweeted this on Tuesday.

“Will be proudly sworn-in to Congress on the US Constitution. Underneath the Constitution will be three items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who I lost to Covid, my citizenship certificate, and an original Superman #1 from the Library Of Congress.” 

The first edition Superman comic is reportedly on loan from the Library of Congress. The library allows lawmakers to use historical works during swearing-in ceremonies.

After it was confirmed by DC Comics in 2021 that the new Superman was bisexual, Garcia, who is openly gay, released a statement saying he related to the superhero.

Garcia, the son of immigrants from Peru and former mayor of Long Beach tweeted, “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.” 

Garcia also expressed his excitement over comic books in a November post when he first visited the Congressional members reading room at the Library of Congress.

“OK y’all I’m freaking out. This is the Congressional members reading room in the Library of Congress. 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 tweeted.

Garcia came to the United States when he was 5 years old.

His spokeswoman, Sara Guerrero, said the congressman-elect “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.”

Garcia was elected mayor of Long Beach in 2014, a position he held until last year. He was the first LGBT mayor in the city’s history and will also be the first LGBT immigrant to serve in Congress.

Members of Congress are traditionally sworn in on a Bible. However, there is no requirement to do so. Garcia will be the first congressman to include a comic book in his ceremony.

He was supposed to be sworn in on Tuesday, but those plans were put on hold after the House of Representatives failed to elect a speaker. The election was at the top of an itinerary of the first day of Congress, followed by a speech by the speaker-elect and the swearing-in of members.

Despite reports Republican California Rep. Kevin McCarthy would be elected as House Speaker, he failed to secure the 218 votes required. It has been over a century since the House needed more than one ballot to elect a new speaker.

Source: DailyWire

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