I take it that the cartoonist is saying that he was caught in a power outage (which may or may not actually have occurred), so is unable to draw a cartoon. He assures us, however, that if we could only see it we would recognize that it is hilarious. It may not in fact be hilarious, but I am willing to give some credit for the premise.
This is nothing more that a single-panel rendition of “The Noodle Incident” gag used repeatedly by Watterson in Calvin and Hobbes: the author has told us that it was a hilarious scene, and is depending on the reader’s imagination to generate it.
If Watterson had ever drawn (or even described) what actually “happened” in “The Noodle Incident”, it would have completely deflated the gag.
Comics I Don't Understand 
Maybe the “Quack” relates to needing to Duck if walking around in the dark where there may be obstructions.
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“Why a duck?”
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Meant to say that I actually quite like this–it’s surreal and/or meta.
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Possibly just because “duck” and “dark” sound similar?
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I take it that the cartoonist is saying that he was caught in a power outage (which may or may not actually have occurred), so is unable to draw a cartoon. He assures us, however, that if we could only see it we would recognize that it is hilarious. It may not in fact be hilarious, but I am willing to give some credit for the premise.
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The comic is claiming that it would be hilarious if there hadn’t been a power outage.
“Why a duck?” you ask… because ducks are inherently funny, just like spleens and weasels. “Ouch, my spleen!” vs “Ouch, my duck!” See?
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Actually I was just quoting Groucho…
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…and put on a bit of his accent, and you get “Viaduct”!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHMrLpDHXc0&t=2s has the Marx Brothers asking “Why a Duck?”
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My trust only extends so far.
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One too many Rick Rolls?
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phsiiicidu –
I’m alright – how are you?
(Groucho’s response to same.)
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Maybe this is a reference to Discworld fans’ “What duck?” meme. 😁
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What duck? I don’t see any ducks!
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This is nothing more that a single-panel rendition of “The Noodle Incident” gag used repeatedly by Watterson in Calvin and Hobbes: the author has told us that it was a hilarious scene, and is depending on the reader’s imagination to generate it.
If Watterson had ever drawn (or even described) what actually “happened” in “The Noodle Incident”, it would have completely deflated the gag.
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The duck says, “Put it on my bill.”
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