protagonist-2
Explanation
A fantasy hero returns to his village after completing a classic "Hero's Journey," announcing that he has gained wisdom and fortitude through his quest. He excitedly tells the villagers about how he faced physical obstacles that represented emotional maturity, and defeated a dragon that embodied pride.
The villagers, however, are completely uninterested and repeatedly tell him to "Fack off!" In the final panel, we see the hero at home with his wife/partner, who patronizingly says "Sure did, honey. Good job, honey. How's the job hunt going?" -- revealing that his grand mythological adventure is treated by everyone around him as an unemployed person's fantasy, and that real life has far more mundane concerns than allegorical spiritual growth.
The humor works on multiple levels. First, it satirizes the Hero's Journey narrative structure (as described by Joseph Campbell in "The Hero with a Thousand Faces"), in which a protagonist leaves home, faces trials, and returns transformed. The comic points out that in real life, nobody wants to hear about your personal growth journey -- especially if you don't have a job. Second, it skewers the self-importance of people who frame their experiences in grandiose mythological terms when everyone else just sees an unemployed person with delusions of grandeur. The villagers' blunt profanity contrasts hilariously with the hero's flowery, symbolic language. The wife's response is the final deflation: she's heard this story before and is far more concerned with practical matters like employment.