2013-08-21
Explanation
This comic features an old man (who appears to be a deceased relative or mentor) reading a letter that was apparently arranged to be sent after his death. The letter explains that if the recipient is reading this, it means the old man has died and the package has been delivered as planned. The letter also notes that if the recipient's curiosity had been stronger, they would have stopped the package before it arrived -- suggesting it is some kind of test or guilt trip.
The old man opens the accompanying package to find a box of chocolates. The letter continues with increasingly manipulative and passive-aggressive instructions, essentially saying "Either you come see me again, or you get a box of candy" -- implying the chocolates are a guilt-laden consolation prize for not visiting enough while the person was alive. The letter keeps going with more guilt-tripping, and the old man (the recipient) eventually resolves to try to make contact or be better, clearly affected by the emotional manipulation from beyond the grave.
The humor lies in the concept of posthumous guilt-tripping -- the idea that someone could arrange to emotionally manipulate their loved ones even after death, using carefully timed letters and chocolate deliveries. It is a darkly funny take on family guilt dynamics and the lengths some relatives will go to in order to make their family feel bad about not visiting enough. The votey panel shows the author promising "Wiener joke tomorrow, I promise!" -- a meta-joke where Zach Weinersmith acknowledges this comic was more sentimental than his usual fare and promises to return to his trademark humor.