Mitch4 sends this in: “Two and a half hypotheses:
1) The intended cartoon was indeed pulled by the editors, for being in one or another aspect beyond the limits of acceptable — political or personally impolite etc.
[1.5 Exactly as reported, it was pulled for being “too humorous” — nah, very unlikely, but maybe this was literally what was stated to him though intended to convey #1.]
2) Nothing of the sort happened, and this is just a variation on “the cartoonist took a day off from drawing”.”
Comics I Don't Understand 
It’s 2. What actually happens when a strip is pulled for reasons is that a rerun goes in instead.
LikeLike
I found the original:
Wenn ist das Nunstück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
[If you got that, it way past time to schedule a colonoscopy.]
LikeLiked by 1 person
I expect it’s just #2, but I like to believe it’s a reference to Anthropic’s announcement last week that they are going to withhold their latest AI model’s release, because it’s too powerful for general use.
LikeLike
I asked the internet to translate Max C’s contribution, since my one Jar of high school Deutsch in 1961-1962 was not up to the task. The result:
When is the nunstück git and Slotermeyer? Yes! Beiherhund das Or the Pinpperwaldt gersput!
The internet only got all the words I already knew such as when, is, the, and, and or!
LikeLike
The answer to Max’s question: “Why did the calf walk around the cow? To get to the udder side!”
Before there were Pythons, there was Dogpatch.
LikeLike