Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

perch

2023-04-30 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
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perch
Votey panel for perch
This explanation is incomplete or may contain errors. It was generated by AI and has not yet been reviewed by a human editor.

Explanation

This comic is a parody of Batman. A butler figure (clearly Alfred) tells a Batman-like figure, "Sir, there's a god-like criminal psychopath with an army of henchmen. You'd better go alone, wearing a bright yellow logo on your chest." Batman replies, "Thank you, Alfred." Alfred adds, "Yes sir, remember to perch dramatically on ledges whenever possible."

Below the comic is a "Comic Book Fun Fact" that reads: "Alfred has been trying to get Bruce Wayne killed for 70 years."

The joke reframes the classic Batman setup through a lens of practical absurdity. When Alfred's standard advice -- go alone against an army, wear a conspicuous bright target on your chest, and stand dramatically on exposed ledges -- is stated plainly, it sounds less like the counsel of a loyal butler and more like a deliberate attempt to get Batman killed. The "fun fact" makes this subtext explicit, suggesting that Alfred is not a faithful servant but a long-running attempted murderer whose terrible tactical advice has somehow never worked because Batman is too competent to die from it.

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