2013-02-02
Explanation
This comic uses a reverse-chronological structure to set up a joke connecting teenage acne to American foreign policy. In the first panel, an older woman frantically warns someone: "Dammit! Don'''t you understand? If the Americans find out you have so much oil, they'''ll invade!" This initially reads as a geopolitical scenario, perhaps a conversation between officials in an oil-rich nation.
The second panel, labeled "Earlier...," reveals the true context: a boy is asking his mother why he has to take acne medication. The joke snaps into focus -- the "oil" is not petroleum but the excessive facial oil (sebum) produced during puberty that causes acne. The mother'''s exaggerated panic about Americans invading reframes a mundane teenage skincare issue as an international crisis.
The humor works on the well-known satirical premise that the United States has a tendency to involve itself militarily in oil-rich regions. By connecting this geopolitical trope to the oily skin of a pubescent teenager, the comic creates an absurd juxtaposition between the trivial (acne) and the serious (military intervention). The votey panel extends the gag by showing someone looking out a window at a military tank and exclaiming "Damn!" -- confirming that the Americans have indeed arrived, taking the absurd premise to its logical conclusion.