CHIK-FIL-A DEBATE: 10 Eye-Catching Cartoons about meals, marriage and rights

IN SHORT ORDER, it’s become a foodstuff larded with sociocultural symbolism — meal as controversial metaphor, hot wing as hot-button issue. That’s right:

The Chik-fil-A chicken sandwich now doubles as a political pigskin.

The kerfuffle ruffled national feathers, of course, after Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy said on radio and in print that he supported a “traditional” Christian definition of matrimony and opposed same-sex marriage. After his words sparked calls to boycott the chain, several mayors — including D.C.’s Vincent Gray and Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel — said new Chik-fil-A eateries aren’t welcome in their cities; former guv/pundit Mike Huckabee helped stage a national Chik-fil-A appreciation day last Wednesday; and on Friday, “kiss-in” protests were held to oppose Chik-fil-A’s stance.

As the chicken-chain skirmishes burn on — over same-sex marriage and tolerance, over freedom of religion and free speech — artists, too, have turned up the rhetorical flame. Political cartoonists and “Mike du Jour” creator Mike Lester — who is syndicated by Washington Post Writers Group/News Service — posted pictures of himself eating at Chik-fil-A in support of the restaurants. Then came the return fire: The Salt Lake Tribune’s Pat Bagley told Comic Riffs on Saturday that in his latest cartoon on the issue, he depicts Lester himself chomping on a chicken — a sort of inside-baseball retort among cartoonists.

Amid all the debate, here are 10 Eye-Catching Chik-fil-A Cartoons:

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JIMMY MARGULIES :

. (JIMMY MARGULIES / The Record (N.J.) - .)

MIKE LUCKOVICH :

. (MIKE LUCKOVICH / Atlanta Journal Constitution - .) STEVE KELLEY :

. (STEVE KELLEY / New Orleans Times-Picayune - .) .

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GARY VARVEL :

. (GARY VARVEL / Indianapolis Star - .) SIGNE WILKINSON :

. (SIGNE WILKINSON / Philadelphia News & Inquirer / WPWG - .) RICK McKEE :

. (RICK McKEE / Augusta Chronicle / Cagle.com - .) GLENN McCOY :

. (GLENN McCOY / Universal UClick - .) NICK ANDERSON :

. (NICK ANDERSON / Houston Chronicle / WPWG - .)

MARK STREETER :

. (MARK STREETER / Savannah Morning News - .) JACK OHMAN :

. (JACK OHMAN / The Oregonian (Portland] - .) .