2009-12-04
Explanation
This multi-panel comic presents what appears to be a dramatic science fiction scenario. A comet is heading toward Earth, and with limited escape vehicles, "a hard choice was made." The narration explains that they decided to put all the children into spaceships and send them off into the stars. A woman is shown looking sad as a spaceship departs Earth, and the text reads: "We loved them dearly, but had to let them go for the sake of humanity's future."
The punchline comes in the final panels, which reveal the true motivation. The narration shifts to: "Or at least... that's what the ships' logs will tell them..." The last panel shows the adults celebrating at a party with a banner reading "No Kids Day!" with everyone drinking and having a great time. The supposed noble sacrifice was actually just the adults seizing an opportunity to get rid of their kids and throw a party, using the comet as a convenient excuse.
The votey panel extends the dark humor, showing a woman wearing a party hat and blowing a noisemaker while saying: "By the time you see this video... we will all be dead" -- recording a fake farewell message for the children while clearly having a blast. The joke taps into the universal parental fantasy of getting a break from the kids, taken to an absurdly extreme and darkly comic conclusion.