Mikhaela: The liberal Jack Chick
More nice letters and a quasi-mean one

Popularity is a foreign concept to me, as I spent most of my formative years being called "four-eyes" by my classmates. But lately I've been pretty popular, at least on the Internets. I used to get about 400 visitors a day to Mikhaela.Net, but yesterday I got a record 1,914, mainly due to links from Atrios, Feministing, This Modern World and Big Fat Blog (and my cartoon about cosmetic toe surgery). Monday night I received a marriage proposal, and I got a few more nice letters today. Ian (of Republican Dictionary) writes:

I'm an aspiring writer/political-cartoonist longtime super-fan. Your latest toon had me laughing out loud. Slam-freakin-dunk!

In related news, did you happen to see what is perhaps the most ludicrous press release ever from the White House? I swear to God: Bush Administration Takes the Lead on Energy Conservation

Do check out the above link, it's all about vampires and vampire slayers, I kid you not. And "a fan" writes:

I stumbled on to your cartoons on feministing.com and I have to say, I love your style and humor in your presenting various issues. Don't ever stop, you are awesome!

At this rate, I'll be as bitchy as the girls in Heathers in no time (sans shoulder pads).

I also got written up as an evil feminist on a "men's news" website, Gonzo's Bar and Go-Go Grill (slogan: "**Cleaning up the Gene Pool - One Idiot At A Time! Anti-Fascist, Anti-Feminist, Anti-PC! Your house is Next!**"). I won't do them the favor of giving them a link, but here's a few of the comments they left about my cartoons:

"Hmmm - looks like the Liberal Version of Jack Chick to me."

"I like how many of the comics that depicted Christians depicted them as white, gaybashing, anti-pigment people. I mean if that isn't the truth I don't know what is!... Well, sice I'm sure some people won't be able to tell, I'm being sarcastic."

"What a load of crap. I love how the people who get the most press can bitch that they need more, and are oppressed. I love how only white, straight, christian men are targeted. There are blacks, jews, women, gays, arabs, athiests....then the oppressors. Real subtle, aye?"

I must say, I'm pretty excited about being compared to Jack Chick (the crazy evangelical cartoonist who draws the weirdest religious tracts ever, about everything from carpet stains and Halloween to dead race car drivers). Maybe I'll use that quote on a book jacket some day.