2012-07-22
Explanation
This comic tells a tragic story from the perspective of honeybees. Two bees are working in their hive, depositing honey to "preserve the queen and feed the younglings," commenting that love makes hard work easy. They express affection for each other by name -- "I love you, Sue!" "I love you, Sally!" Then the hive begins to rumble and crack open. The final panel reveals the cause of destruction: Winnie the Pooh, cheerfully eating the honeycomb he has torn from their home.
The humor comes from the jarring shift in perspective. Winnie the Pooh is one of the most beloved and innocent characters in children's literature, known for his gentle, bumbling pursuit of honey. But from the bees' point of view, he is an apocalyptic monster who destroys their civilization, kills their community, and devours the food they prepared for their children. By giving the bees names, personalities, and loving relationships, the comic forces the reader to confront the casual destruction that Pooh represents. It is a classic SMBC move of reframing a familiar, wholesome scenario to reveal its darker implications.