2012-12-04
Explanation
This comic imagines King Arthur on a date, trying to disclose his baggage before the relationship gets serious. He tells his date: "Before we go any further, you should know I once accidentally slept with my half-sister, then had all children born nine months later killed to make sure my incestuous offspring didn'''t survive." The caption below reads: "King Arthur rarely made it past the confession point of dating."
The humor comes from applying modern dating norms -- the awkward "full disclosure" conversation early in a relationship -- to the legendary King Arthur, whose mythology includes some genuinely horrifying acts. In many versions of the Arthurian legend, Arthur unknowingly sleeps with his half-sister Morgause, who gives birth to Mordred. Learning of a prophecy that a child born on that day would destroy his kingdom, Arthur orders all babies born on May Day to be set adrift at sea (a parallel to King Herod'''s Massacre of the Innocents). These are real elements of the Arthurian mythos, but hearing them presented as casual first-date confessions highlights how disturbing they actually are.
The votey continues with Arthur adding: "Oh, and he'''ll be responsible for my demise at Camlann, so I'''m not really looking for a long-term thing?" This refers to the Battle of Camlann, where Mordred (the child who survived the purge) ultimately kills Arthur. The additional detail further ruins any chance at romance, and his trailing question mark suggests even Arthur realizes how badly this date is going.