2014-12-02
Explanation
The Joke
A Frankenstein-like mad scientist declares, "I have done it! I have created a Frankenstein! Hahahahaha!" His creation, a green monster, corrects him: "Technically I'm a Frankenstein's Monster. You're Frankenstein." The scientist suggests, "Let's just have a look at the language-processing region of your brain, shall we?" In the next panel (labeled "Later"), the monster is reduced to saying "GRRRGH! BRARRRGH!" -- the scientist has apparently lobotomized or altered the monster's brain so it can no longer make pedantic corrections.
The Humor
The comic plays on one of the internet's most beloved pedantic corrections: when someone calls the monster "Frankenstein," there is always someone ready to point out that Frankenstein is actually the name of the scientist, not the monster (who is properly called "Frankenstein's Monster" or "the Creature"). The twist here is that the scientist, rather than accepting the correction, simply removes the monster's ability to speak intelligently -- eliminating the pedantry at its source. The joke works as a meta-commentary on how tiresome this particular correction has become, suggesting that the only way to stop it is brain surgery. It also plays on the horror-comedy of a mad scientist who responds to criticism not with reason but by literally altering his critic's brain.
References
- Frankenstein is the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley. The scientist is Victor Frankenstein; his creation is referred to as "the Creature" or "Frankenstein's Monster," never as "Frankenstein" in the original text.
- The "Frankenstein vs. Frankenstein's Monster" correction is a perennial internet pedantry, often deployed in online discussions about the novel, films, or Halloween costumes.