# Can someone explain this comic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 27, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560 "2003-03-27T17:50:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/1 "2003-03-27T17:50:31Z")
I don’t think I get this [comic](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/uclickcomics/cx_crbal_uc/latest). Is the joke that she farted and is trying to cover it up? ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/2 "2003-03-27T17:52:35Z")
I think the joke is that something frightened the old guy so much that he jumped up on the back of the couch, something so insignificant his wife didn’t even hear it. ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/3 "2003-03-27T17:53:51Z")
I agree, **pravnik**. ---
**Author:** ![Apex\_Rogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@Apex\_Rogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apex_Rogers)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/4 "2003-03-27T18:13:59Z")
I still don’t get it, or why that would be a funny thing to make a comic out of. Maybe if someone explained it again? ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Vampire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Space\_Vampire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Vampire)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/5 "2003-03-27T18:18:46Z")
My best guess is that it’s hilarious that the man is acting like women supposedly do. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![bafaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@bafaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bafaa)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/6 "2003-03-27T18:21:30Z")
I think **Space Vampire** is probably right. Still not funny but at least it makes sense now. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/7 "2003-03-27T18:26:35Z")
I think they’re comparing the man to a dog who gets excited over something only he can hear. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/8 "2003-03-27T18:41:05Z")
Or a cat. ---
**Author:** ![Apex\_Rogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@Apex\_Rogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apex_Rogers)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/9 "2003-03-27T18:42:00Z")
Ahh that makes more sense. Thanks \ Space Vampire\, you did make it make sense. It’s quite ‘hilarious.’ Or something. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/10 "2003-03-27T18:42:40Z")
I think there is a deliberate parallel to cat/pet behavior (my cat will do the same thing). Van Amerongen has a very skewed view of life - one of my favourite comic artist/authors. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/11 "2003-03-27T19:08:43Z")
Pravnik’s right. The upshot is, it’s just a weird, not always funny strip. Read through some of the other Ballard Street panels linked to on that page. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/12 "2003-03-27T20:15:38Z")
If you aren’t satisfied with the answers here, you could send it to the guy who runs the [Comics I Don’t Understand](http://www.comicsidontunderstand.com) site. That’s a CIDU if I’ve ever seen one. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Adam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e68b1a/32.png) [@Evil\_Adam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Adam)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/13 "2003-03-27T23:03:52Z")
Who ever said comics had to be funny/make sense? Have we all forgotten the zany adventures of Marmaduke? I’d put that dog to sleep in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/14 "2003-03-28T00:08:16Z")
I thought it was meant to be slightly political – if it’s a recent comic anyway. The man’s reading the daily newspaper, while the woman is reading the latest _Ladies Issuez_ from the looks of it. I think the question might be, “Does _Cosmo_ have a war correspondent”? (They probably do, but I don’t much care anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![slipster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@slipster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slipster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/15 "2003-03-28T00:13:49Z")
The man is poised more-or-less like a dog, so maybe there is supposed to be an analogy to animal behavior. Could it be significant that he is ignoring the open window and, instead, appears to be staring at the wall? I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![slipster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@slipster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slipster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/16 "2003-03-28T00:23:47Z")
Another thought: Gary Larson has written about how, when he was producing his **far side** series, newspapers would, from time-to-time, crop one of his drawings so that an essential part was left out. For example, he once did a cartoon where a man was standing at the open window of a factory, talking on the phone about how one disaster had led to another that day. He ended up by saying “and then everything went, well, you know…” Numerous readers wrote him to say “huh?”. The problem was that some newspapers had clipped off the very top of the drawing, where one could see that there was a sign on the factory roof which said something like “Acme Haywire Company”. Arguably, it still wasn’t that great of a joke, but at least it made sense. Possibly some key element of the drawing is not visible here. I don’t know: could the woman be deaf and be sitting on the cat or something? Is the starting pistol she is using to spook her husband just out of sight? ---
**Author:** ![stypticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@stypticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stypticus)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/17 "2003-03-28T00:35:38Z")
That window looks awful empty. I’m betting the artist forgot to ink in the slathering bug-eyed monster tapping on the glass. ---
**Author:** ![daniel801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@daniel801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daniel801)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/18 "2003-03-28T02:25:56Z")
he’s on the bed, he’s not acting like a dog ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/19 "2003-03-28T02:50:51Z")
I think it’s about deafness and denial. She can’t hear, and she’s not worried about anything she can’t hear. ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560/20 "2003-03-28T04:43:01Z")
How is it that this thread hasn’t been moved to Cafe Societ yet? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-this-comic/164560.md?page=2)