Michael Chabon: He's trained to interpret communications from Bizarro World As Izzy noted yesterday and Michael followed up on today, Michael Chabon wrote a ringing endorsement of Obama in the Washington Post. Concerned that Commentary might lose its credentials as the most borderline-delusional magazine in the Jewish world today, Jeopardy champion John Podhoretz penned a reply to Chabon in which he referred to The Yiddish Policeman's Union as "a work of anti-Zionism so thoroughgoing that it makes Mearshimer and Walt look like Jabotinsky and Ben-Gurion by contrast." Excellent piece of prose, John! It almost makes daddy's "World War IV" argument sound rational!

But with characteristic class, Chabon came back with a gentleman's knockout:

Dear Mr. Podhoretz,

Criticism from you is, as always, particularly sweet, though I am forever grateful for having been trained, by years of reading Superman comic books, to properly interpret communications from the Bizarro World.

So, thanks for the reassurance and endorsement of my views.

Sometimes I can’t not help not enjoying your writing, either!

Sincerely,

Michael Chabon

(I'm assuming it's the real Chabon who commented there, but obviously it could have been anyone.)

It's been 70 years since the Man of Steel first sprang forth from the imaginations of Jewish writers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Now the Jewish Museum of Florida has a new exhibit on display called Zap! Pow! Bam! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books 1938-1950 about the fascinating, and Jewcy, history of the comic book industry. If you're not headed to Miami any time soon, take a look at the Miami Herald's informative review of the exhibit, as well as a slide show of some featured comic book covers.