When we read in early January that Marvel was releasing a limited-circulation, Obama-themed Spider-Man cover shortly before Inauguration Day, our first reaction was to wonder how it would effect Spidey’s eBay sales. And, according to Terapeak’s Superheroes index, the answer is pretty clear:

As you can see, Spidey’s sales numbers take off around the second week of January, and actually climb so high that they surpass those of Batman — something unheard of since the raging success of The Dark Knight last year.

On that note, going forward, it’ll be interesting to see what effect the upcoming Academy Awards have here. The Dark Knight is nominated for a total of eight awards in 2009, including the one that everyone’s watching — Heath Ledger’s nod for Best Supporting Actor.

We’ll be tuned in to the ceremony and the index!