Usual John sends this in. “Curtis is supposed to be eleven, and Michelle presumably is about the same age. Catwoman. Wonder Woman, and Tinker Bell all seem like plausible costume choices for a eleven-year-old girl, even if we might think of them as having more adult physiques. Since Curtis usually is wild to get Michelle to go out with him, I don’t see why he would be turning down this opportunity.”
Back in mid-June, Chak submitted one of Zach Weinersmith’s SMBC comics as a partial CIDU, commenting: “I could only find eight broken Commandments, can anybody get all ten? And if so, which of the three lists of Commandments in the Bible did they use?“
(Ordinarily the comic would appear right here, but not this time.)
Here’s why: Besides the theological irreverence present in Zach’s caption, the main problem (and part of the reason for the delay in posting Chak’s submission) is that while there is nothing visually offensive (nor “Arlo”) in the artwork, the dialog is simply much too crude to post openly at CIDU (some might even call it blasphemous). I’m not willing to risk one of those fancy “swipe” frames to hide it, because that mechanism is browser-dependent.
Since we do not have access to Bill’s “Arlo Page” to use as an asylum for this kind of material, the experiment I propose is to provide non-embedded (text) links, which may be used to open the corresponding images in a separate browser tab or window. Everyone should remember that the images behind these links should not, repeat not be opened by anyone who is easily offended (in this case, by F-bombs and other gratuitous crudeness).
Here is the link to the SMBC comic (NSFW).
Reminder: you have been warned!
This second link is for the bonus “votey” panel (also NSFW).
Again: you have been warned!
Anyone who wishes to answer Chak’s questions or participate in the discussion may do so in the comments below, but please remember, even though Zach used crude language in his comic, there are still standards of decorum here at CIDU, so please keep everything civil. I wouldn’t expect that this conversation will qualify for a G-Rating, but it would be nice if we could keep it below PG-13.
P.S. If this discussion method works, we might consider using it with other (especially “Arlo”) comics that would otherwise not qualify to be posted at CIDU.
P.P.S. Those of you who may feel that this experiment was a bad idea, please say so. CIDU is a community; it cannot function properly without honest, open communication. (I’m referring here to the method of discussing NSFW material, and not the SMBC comic itself, which is sure to offend a certain percentage of readers.)
Jack Applin sends this in. “Bob states that all the sides and angles are equal, which is true for a (regular) octagon. Yes, and … ? Is it a gag about the word “side”, that there’s no need to get to the other side, because all sides are equal?“
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Unless someone can think of a reason why it might be meaningful, let’s assume that “⦣BDC” is simply a typo for “⦣BCD“.
Here are a couple of octagons that are not regular. After someone explains what the joke is, we can consider whether the joke would apply to these octagons.
Boise Ed submitted this Carpe Diem as a CIDU, commenting: “There’s a stereotypical guy stranded on a tiny island and a ship passes by. We’re supposed to laugh at this? The boat is labelled ‘United Bananas’, so that apparently has something to do with the apparently intended humor.“
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P.S. At first I was completely puzzled and in total agreement with Ed, but only after I created this post (and examined the comic about a dozen times) did I finally discover the critical detail. Now I feel pretty silly (and I understand why this didn’t get posted before), but I’m still not going to reveal the answer.
The most recent appearance of Zits at CIDU was posted 4.5 years ago by Bill, so it seems like it’s time for a few more.
This first one was submitted two years ago by Dave in Boston, but probably got lost in the shuffle because the Arcamax link had expired(+), and Comics Kingdom (back then) had a very limited memory (something like two weeks for non-subscribers). Since Arcamax links do not indicate the date, it took a bit of detective work to find the comic that Dave had intended:
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Here’s what Dave wrote: “It seems the joke is supposed to be that the teenagers are so glued to their phones that they need to check the weather app to find out that they’re being rained on. But, it’s perfectly reasonable in that situation to check the forecast or the radar to see how long it’s going to last. And then there’s no joke. Or there’s something IDU.“
Coincidentally, Chemgal submitted this recent Zits strip as a CIDU, asking, “Just what is supposed to be in that contract?“
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P.S. I don’t have the slightest clue as to “What?“, but I have a pretty good idea as to “Why?“: Friends of ours here in Germany had photovoltaic panels installed under a “lease to own” agreement that will take 15 years for them to complete.
P.P.S. (+) The moral of the story is not to trust Arcamax links for submissions. Using Arcamax links for embedding images in comments is even worse, because the image will disappear later. If you have no other option, at least mention the publication date.
Irv submitted this Wizard of Id Sunday strip as a CIDU, commenting: “The second and third frames in the second row are what IDU. If the Wizard is cheating, shouldn’t the beam and hangers be visible there as well as in the last frame? Otherwise, maybe he is cheating and conjures the beam and hangers to ‘prove’ he wasn’t using magic in the previous frames even though he was? All told, IDU what’s going on here.“
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I agree with Irv: if there is no magic here, then the logistics of the Wizard’s cheating scheme simply do not work, for multiple reasons. The same problem in the second and third panels of the second row also applies to the first, and the hooks would also be visible in the third panel of the bottom row, since the barbell is drawn a little too low. Finally, the Wizard’s arms in the first panel of the bottom row appear to be impossibly long.
Kilby suggested this Macanudo from 2022:
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P.S. Perhaps they should join the sheep in that tree just above the strip.
For those unfamiliar with “What the Duck“, the artwork shows a sad duck with its head on the keyboard:
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P.P.S. The Ctrl-S key (for “save“) is in fact adjacent to Ctrl-Z (“undo“).
A sweet little fourth-wall moment with Arlo & Janis:
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As Mark H. commented when he sent it in: “It IS hard to tell they are dancing without the notes.”
Las Vegas Chasm tried to submit an Argyle Sweater as a CIDU, commenting: “I usually “get” Argyle Sweater each day owing to my modestly demented mind, but today’s is a real stumper. My equally perverse friends also do not understand it. Simply put, yo soy confusado.“
Unfortunately, LVC’s link to the image was broken. Going by the date, it should have been the one on the right, but that seems too easy, so I’m also including the previous day, which seems equally funny, but might have been a little more puzzling:
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The “featured comment” at GoComics gives an explanation for the first one: “Well, if you make corn oil out of corn, and olive oil out of olives, guess what you make baby powder out of” (she tried tasting it).
Considering the logo and the claims linking baby powder to cancer, eating that stuff is definitely not a good idea.
Where do they keep the journals at a Chemistry library? On the periodical table.
Danny Boy sends this high-voltage LOL in.
At the risk of offending some readers, I have decided to post the Cyanide & Happiness comic shown below to demonstrate a point. It was submitted over a year ago as a CIDU by Pandemonium, who noted: “The [explosm] site is sometimes (often) in poor taste.” That is undeniably true. Although Bill posted a number of Cyanide & Happiness comics from time to time, only two of them have appeared at CIDU in the last four years, and this one is an excellent example of why they have been so rare:
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Pandemonium noted that “This [one] doesn’t seem to be part of a running gag, series, or topic“, and he is certainly right about that. The gag is a simple pun, conflating a perfectly normal technical term (in metallurgy, note the damage to the breastplate) with an unacceptably racist epithet (both terms having identical spelling and pronunciation).
The only possible saving grace in this comic is that the word is not explicitly named, and soldier in the background appears to object to the use of the term entirely, but the primary purpose of the comic here is just as a borderline example.
Please note: Since CIDU no longer has access to a separate “Arlo” page to “hide” potentially offensive material, please be aware that it may not be possible to post every comic submitted, in particular when the artwork or language may be unacceptable for some readers.
What’s the line for? Where is Horace at in panel 3, since the gray floor has disappeared? Is he picking up random detritus in panel 3, or something of significance?
Boise Ed submitted this Speed Bump as a CIDU back in April, commenting: “I don’t get why the cones would be so irritating. I’m assuming the wheel is meant to be for transportation, although it lacks the axle/footrests of the wheels in B.C. If it’s not for transportation, then I have even less of a clue what he’s on about.“
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P.S. Last Saturday (Nov. 2nd) was the 81st anniversary of Charles Scanlon’s patent (US2333273A) for a “Safety Marker“.
Comics I Don't Understand 
