The difference between the men and the boys…

Tim Harrod submitted this “Wizard of ID” strip, noting that “…the writer seems to think that Moses was a wizard“. I sure hope that the theology in B.C. isn’t starting to leak over into the Kingdom of Id.

I think the joke in the final panel is clear, but I don’t understand the gag in the second “throwaway” panel, unless it’s a topical reference to some scene in a movie. The part I liked best was the snide adjective in the fifth panel: “adult” appears to be referring to the juvenile wizards in Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books, who all use dinky little wands instead of “manly” staves. On the other hand, the Wizard’s traditional implement has always been one of those wands, as we saw in the “I’m stumped” post just last month:

7 Comments

  1. Unknown's avatar

    My fears about theological cross-contamination turned out to be justified, as the strip dated 22-June shows:

    It doesn’t matter who the Wizard thinks he is addressing in the third panel; it still boils down to some sort of faith in “intelligent design”.

    P.S. That puddle cannot be plain water. At normal air pressure, the water would need to be about three times as salty as sea water to reach 214 degrees (F) without boiling away.

  2. Unknown's avatar


    The throwaway panels are not meant to be a separate gag in this case, just a lead-in to the main strip. So the “My friend…” is addressed to Rodney.

    (Also, Aaron was the wizard in the family.)

  3. Unknown's avatar

    The introduction referred to “a topical reference to some scene in a movie,” so my earlier comment pointed to Scarface (1983).

    Curiously, the Google page suggested “See results about

    Say Hello To My Little Friend /
    Song by Al Pacino”

    I can’t even imagine what a song by Pacino might sound like. (shudder)

  4. Unknown's avatar

    “Say hello to my little friend” is a line he says in “Scarface” in reference to his gun – I believe it was using on someone when he says it.

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