2011-05-13
Explanation
This comic explores the philosophical concept of evil through a father-daughter conversation that takes an absurd turn. In the first panel, a young girl asks her father: "Daddy, is there really '''evil''' in the universe, or are there just temporary foes and personal failures we contextualize as part of a broader scheme?" The father responds thoughtfully that humanity once believed in evil, but later realized reality was "stranger... more nuanced... more... bleakly complex."
In the next panels, the father reveals that because complexity was too psychologically difficult for people to handle, humanity created "Skull-King, the giant robotic scourge of mankind" -- essentially building an actual embodiment of pure evil so that people would have a clear, unambiguous enemy to fight rather than grappling with moral nuance. He clicks a remote, and a terrifying skull-faced monster appears on screen destroying a city. The daughter objects: "So billions have died because complexity is sad?!" The father replies: "Baby, it was either that or looking within. Have you ever TRIED looking within?" When the girl begins to contemplate this ("Maybe none of this matters"), she immediately screams in existential horror, proving the father'''s point. The final panel, labeled "Soon...," shows her fighting Skull-King and shouting "Die, monster!" -- having chosen the simpler path of fighting a cartoonish villain over confronting existential dread.
The votey bonus panel shows a detailed, dramatic close-up of Skull-King in all his terrifying glory -- a horned skull-faced creature with green claws against a backdrop of burning buildings -- played completely straight as if this were a genuine action comic, which adds to the absurd humor of the whole premise.