toxic

A four-panel SMBC comic. Panel 1: outdoors by a tree, a bald bearded man with glasses talks to a woman; a caption reads "The monarch butterfly eats toxic milkweed." Panel 2, close on the pair, the man explains: "By taking toxins into its body, it makes itself toxic to those who would prey upon it." Panel 3: the man continues, "Likewise, when someone tries to talk to me, I reflexively start my rant about how Sasquatch is in charge of the deep state, and they flee before me," while the woman runs away screaming "AHHHHHH!" Panel 4, captioned "Earlier...": the same woman points accusingly at the man sitting at a laptop and asks, "Why do you consume all these poisonous podcasts?!"—revealing his conspiracy obsession is the very toxin he now uses as a defense. Votey (aftercomic): a single panel showing the man's smiling head as he says, "I've thrown her off the scent, Lord Squatch," implying he sincerely serves Sasquatch and only pretended the rant was a defensive tactic.