Back in my CAPTAIN AMERICA days, a few fans grumbled that his new girlfriend, Bernie Rosenthal, looked too much like Kitty Pryde. Strictly for my own amusement, I did a sketchbook drawing of the two of them standing next to each other, with Kitty noting people saying they look alike, and Bernie responding “Just like chalk and cheese.”

This was not intended for publication, but it was in one of several sketchbooks that were stolen, and thus it made its way into the public venue, along with several other pieces never meant to be seen.

Now, decades later, I stumble upon a FaceBook thread with someone asking how cheese and chalk are supposed to be the same, and someone else suggesting it means Cap’s “Jewish girlfriend” smells like cheese and chalk.

Perhaps I should shoulder a degree of blame, here. “Just like cheese and chalk” is an old British expression describing things that are NOT alike. But I may have reached beyond the intellectual level of the audience (that I didn’t think I would have), tho surely the meaning is obvious from CONTEXT?

But, yes, the internet is where context goes to die.

sigh