LOL-December 8
Cidu Bill on Dec 8th 2008
Shortly before this LOL entry went online, both Grant Yochim and Nicole suggested this one for the Arlo Page)
(The Flying McCoys)
(Click to read full-sized comic)
Filed in Argyle Sweater, Arlo Page, Bill Bickel, Christmas, Flying McCoys, Francesco Marciuliano, Garfield, George W. Bush, Jim Davis, John Deering, Lio, Luann, Mark Tatulli, Medium Large, Modern World, Rubik's Cube, Santa Claus, Sarah Palin, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, Scott Hilburn, Sex in the City, Star Trek, Strange Brew, Tom Tomorrow, Zach Weiner, aliens, bras, comic strips, comics, comics that made us laugh out loud, elves, golf, humor, lol, politics, xkcd | 22 responses so far
Lisa Dec 8th 2008 at 01:01 pm 1
The SMBC was a CIDU for me.
Mir Dec 8th 2008 at 01:09 pm 2
They’re telling him he’s just now been adopted out, rather than than he had been adopted by them.
Mitch4 Dec 8th 2008 at 01:12 pm 3
@Lisa — The speech balloon in the panel sends us to the conventional interpretation: “We adopted you, years ago when you were too young to remember all that”. But the below-panel caption says he’s just being adopted-out now — as though the speech balloon had said “You’ve been adopted” instead of “You were adopted”.
I think it leaves unsettled whether the adults in the panel are his biological parents — deciding to get rid of him even at this advanced age — or the managers / social workers at an orphanage.
==Mitch
Dan Dec 8th 2008 at 02:41 pm 4
I don’t get the Garfield one. Which is humiliating. You should always get Garfield.
I mean, sure, I get that elves are theoretically small, but come on. He fell in the hole? Really? How big does Jim Davis think elves are that they’d fall into a golf hole?
Keera Dec 8th 2008 at 02:53 pm 5
Dan, if “two-footer” is referring to the _hole_…
Derek Dec 8th 2008 at 02:55 pm 6
I agree with Dan on the Garfield one. If an elf (who’s small enough to fall in a golf hole) is playing golf on a full size course, wouldn’t it take him days or weeks to get anywhere near the green? Does he have a regular size club or an elf-sized one? What about the ball? And how would he fall in the hole from two feet away? The whole idea just raises too many questions. If I wanted to use my brain, I wouldn’t be reading Garfield.
Also, is there a better name for a golf hole than “golf hole”?
Kelex Dec 8th 2008 at 03:44 pm 7
“The Golf Hole” can also be called “The Cup” if you prefer.
GP Dec 8th 2008 at 04:49 pm 8
“How big does Jim Davis think elves are that they’d fall into a golf hole?”
So how big are they? I’ve never seen one.
Chaz Larson Dec 8th 2008 at 05:52 pm 9
Really? There’s argument over whether Garfield is getting the size of elves wrong?
Um, this same strip features a sentient cat watching golf on TV.
Chaz Larson Dec 8th 2008 at 05:55 pm 10
I thought the “Son, …” made it clear the these are the people the boy thinks of as his parents, at least until this afternoon.
Frank Dec 8th 2008 at 08:54 pm 11
Not as quickly as he mastered the Rubics cube, but the adolescent lad eventually mastered the bra clasp one handed.
Dave Van Domelen Dec 8th 2008 at 09:51 pm 12
Well, presumably the elves use a miniature golf course as a full-sized set.
Kit Dec 8th 2008 at 11:07 pm 13
“The Modern World” one wasn’t a “lol” for me as much as it saddened me thinking of what might have been
Charles Dec 8th 2008 at 11:49 pm 14
Lio reminds me of an old Far Side - which I can’t find a copy of - wherein the earthling consigns the earth to more centuries of isolation (or destruction, I can’t remember which) when he shakes the “hand” of a visiting space alien, who looks very much like a Tralfamadorean.
Here’s a link to a fan drawn image of a Tralfamadorean: http://tinyurl.com/5fkg4r
furrykef Dec 9th 2008 at 05:32 am 15
Really? There’s argument over whether Garfield is getting the size of elves wrong?
Um, this same strip features a sentient cat watching golf on TV.
You can use this sort of argument to excuse anything in a comic strip. Any problems with the joke don’t matter because there’s a sentient cat watching golf on TV! Hey guys, you can make a comic strip as inconsistent and illogical as you want and it won’t matter as long as there’s a sentient cat watching golf on TV!
Look. It doesn’t matter if there’s sentient cat watching TV. If something ruins the joke, it’s too late for the viewer to laugh no matter silly his reason for not laughing might be.
(If I seem grouchy about something that seems utterly unimportant, it’s because I’m tired of seeing this kind of logic. Each individual instance is unimportant, but it adds up.)
- Kef
Powers Dec 9th 2008 at 07:59 am 16
furrykef, I normally agree with you that the premise of the strip should be ignored when analyzing the logic of the particular joke.
But in this case, I think folks are just overthinking it. It’s not supposed to make sense if you think too much about it — that’s part of the reason he puts these jokes on TV and doesn’t show them. He wants you to imagine it — ha ha, elf was so small he fits in the golf cup.
I laughed.
furrykef Dec 9th 2008 at 08:24 am 17
But in this case, I think folks are just overthinking it.
That’s just it, though. If people overthink the joke, it’s still not really their fault. After all, you can’t help it if you don’t laugh. The way it was set up invited overthinking in the first place.
(And yes, I do think they’re overthinking it. I’m just making the point.)
- Kef
Brett Dec 9th 2008 at 08:37 am 18
“Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested, and the frog dies of it.”
E.B.White
furrykef Dec 9th 2008 at 11:19 pm 19
What’s the source of that quote, Brett? I’ve heard it attributed to White, Mark Twain, and even James Thurber, and I’ve heard numerous variations, but I’ve never been able to nail it down.
Brett Dec 10th 2008 at 08:32 am 20
You’d think it would be Twain, since he did write a little “frog” story, but it’s White.
furrykef Dec 10th 2008 at 10:10 am 21
Yes, but what’s the source of the quote?
Charles Dec 10th 2008 at 10:30 pm 22
Found a copy of the Far Side I was thinking of and scanned it:
http://tinyurl.com/6qcpbv