2010-10-29
Explanation
This comic tells the story of a group of people who clone Adolf Hitler in order to punish him for his historical crimes. However, the premise quickly subverts expectations: without political power, Clone Hitler is just an ordinary jerk rather than a terrifying dictator. He does annoying roommate things like putting beers in the fridge that explode, and when confronted, he responds with petty dickishness rather than genocidal mania.
After feeling guilty about torturing the clone, the group releases him and gives him a greeting card that reads "Sorry you're a Hitler Clone." Clone Hitler tries to start a fascist revolt, but his roommate treats it with modern apathy, agreeing to "start a blog... tomorrow." When they get him a job in tech support (figuring his misanthropy would fit right in), he is quickly found out. His OkCupid dating profile hilariously lists his qualities as "Outgoing. Considerate. Genetically identical to Adolf Hitler."
The comic ends with a mock moral: "You can't judge a man by his genetics. Except sometimes kinda." The joke operates on multiple levels, satirizing nature-versus-nurture debates, the banality of evil when stripped of historical context, and the absurdity of applying modern social norms (online dating, blogging, tech support jobs) to one of history's most infamous figures. The votey panel shows another greeting card reading "Sorry you're a clone of Hitler. Hope that doesn't make you bitter," driving home the comic's running gag about the awkward social etiquette of interacting with a Hitler clone.