2010-07-07
Explanation
This comic personifies loneliness as a shadowy, menacing figure confronting a red-haired man. The man exclaims, "No! I thought I destroyed you with masturbation!" The shadowy figure of loneliness responds, "You did... but I have returned now, more powerful than ever! Hahahahahaha!" The caption below reads: "Damn you, spirit of loneliness!"
The joke plays on the common trope of a villain returning after being supposedly defeated, framed here as a battle between a lonely person and the abstract concept of loneliness itself. The man believed that masturbation -- a solitary activity that temporarily alleviates certain desires -- had vanquished his loneliness. However, the comic suggests that masturbation only provides a brief reprieve; loneliness inevitably returns, and perhaps even stronger because the temporary relief makes the subsequent emptiness feel worse by contrast.
The votey panel shows the same red-haired man holding up a book or box labeled "Video Games" with dramatic rays of light emanating from it, as if it were a holy weapon. This implies his next strategy against the spirit of loneliness is video games -- another common solitary coping mechanism that, like masturbation, provides temporary distraction but does not actually address the root cause of loneliness.