Sometimes the joke lands immediately and you don’t need it spelled out, or an attempt to cap it.
Here they aren’t strictly speaking separate panels, but the effect is the same.
Here, the name “Fading Sunset” in the first panel is much funnier than the predictable punchline in panel 3.
A bit of nostalgia here, since we seem to have been in a continual U.S. political campaign since 2018, with little or no letup.
The day after Labor Day used to be the traditional day for school to start, but the start has crept backwards: the local schools start a full two weeks earlier. Are there schools that have the patience to wait until after Labor Day? (colleges don’t count).
Since this is CIDU, we’re including this one, that’s not so much a CIDU as a search engine lookup for Hokas.
Labor Day is typically the end of the period when vacations are taken for adults as well, at least those who have children in school.
And to close out with a return to a pet view :
Such practical good advice!
Chemgal sends in this unusually funny fourth-wall break.
Understanding hotel etiquette.
From Boise Ed, who gets the intended joke but remains dubious about there being something actually funny going on.
And a LOL from Usual John:
Makes you want to share the word toroidal with them!
Speaking of pen names:
The two strips below were a Monday and a Friday release, with three completely unrelated comics in the days in between. Does that boost the joke?
The squiggle in the bottom right looks identical in the two final panels, and may be a hint of the guest artist’s signature. Does anyone here remember where we might have seen a listing of the guests and their dates?
A nice double-level conundrum from My Actual Real Name, who says “Completely mystifying to me. Anyone have any idea at all?”
[Post title is excerpted from https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=terrier ]
Yes, Waterloo is a brand of sparkling water. Yes, Waterloo is a well-known ABBA song (Eurovision winner, 1974). But how is Tabby’s statement in panel 4 a punchline?
Edit: for those of you who wondered if Waterloo was a real brand:
(Part 1 can be found at this link.)
Some comics for which we could not answer “What is the joke here?” but OTOH could not in good conscience call a clear CIDU and devote a full daily standalone to.
No, we haven’t any idea, at least not if it’s supposed to be clever or a punch line. And does that mean the joke here is just … “What if there were traffic cops in outer space!”?
Shoehorning in a lovely Macanudo, not meant as funny but it claims to not be surreal either!
This one also may not perfectly fit the premise: I sort of see a joke, and it’s sort of funny. But mostly the point seems to be just contemplating the sad aspects of the absurdist situation.
Here’s one that Grawlix says showed up in his Facebook feed; apparently posted by the cartoonist, asking his public whether the cartoon makes sense. It probably does — there are good suggestions in the Facebook comments — but for some the main impression is just how strange it must be to meet this locomotive guy!
This one qualifies, not for absurdism precisely, but for startling incongruous backstory imagery. She’s going out, and her parents say “Don’t be late [getting back]”, all of which is perfectly normal — except she’s in a battle tank!
A GoComics commenter adds “Pero pasatelo bien” (“But have a good time”) — reminding me of my high school girlfriend’s mother, who would usually say “Be good! And have fun!”.
Okay, the extra panels at the left or top get called “throwaways” — but that doesn’t mean they need to be incomprehensible.
Especially when the main comic itself is confusing beyond repair.
P.S. Congratulations to Hilary Price as recipient of the 2024 Reuben Award as 2023 Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year!
Comics I Don't Understand 