As something of a fair weather KU basketball fan, I had a pretty decent weekend watching the Jayhawks take the men's Big 12 Tournament. Why only decent? Well, between plays I had to endure commercials - notably Muscle Milk's miserably ironic bro-bashing bits, which happened to take a jab at comics in the most condescending of ways.

Here's the copy from the TV spot:

Chet: He believes comic books count as literature. He fantasizes about fantasy football and has been ejected from several coed softball games. But Chet drinks Muscle Milk, which pays off.

The comic book remark is pretty lame coming from a product that contains precisely zero percent actual muscle or milk. Essentially a chalky pseudo food thinks it can call a recognized art form kid stuff because, you know, it's totally a gourmet meal that will get you laid an' shiz.I don't think I'm in a forum that needs to defend the sequential art medium as a valid form of art and literature, so I won't waste my time doing that here. We all know comics are the jam.

Furthermore, as a recovering advertising major, I don't expect the folks who spin Axe body spray level tripe to stick to standard beer commercial gags - you've got to stand out among the car insurance and loin-tingling pharmaceutical spots somehow - but equating Chet's mentality with reality is a mixed message in itself and one upstanding comic readers and even bodybuilders should be spared from.

Chet's a meathead, but he's super buff and gets plenty of action between jaunts on a bicycle built for five thanks to brokind's Ovaltine? Good for him! Just don't bring comics into it Muscle Milk, it makes you look as out of touch as your supposed customer base that you're all-to-willing to mock (apologies to any of our readers who dig the stuff, but I advise getting your liquid protein fix another way).

More From ComicsAlliance