duck
Explanation
This comic features a character being mocked for writing a "hyper-realistic novel about a duck with human-level intelligence." When challenged about the premise, the author explains that a duck gaining consciousness would experience an existential crisis about its place among humans, leading to deep philosophical questions about identity and belonging.
The story-within-the-story follows the duck's journey as it grapples with human-like desires for affection while being trapped in a duck's body, leading to increasingly absurd scenarios. The literary agent or critic dismisses it, but then we see the actual duck checking into a hotel and requesting the bill be put on his tab, delivering a mundane duck-related pun that undercuts all the lofty philosophical setup. The final panel labels this "poetry, then," suggesting that the contrast between grand existential themes and a simple pun is itself the point. The comic mocks pretentious literary fiction while also gently poking fun at how "literary" stories often dress up simple ideas in elaborate philosophical clothing.