2009-10-04
Original: 2009-10-04 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Title banner: LITERARY MYTHS: "EDITORS RUIN GREAT NOVELS"
Panel 1:
Editor (a young man with light hair, seen from behind): "I'm going to add this motif of a white whale to your book. It's about the futility of vengeance on-"
Bearded author (an older man with a long gray beard and gray hair): "WHAT?! That does it! I'm taking out all the fart jokes and the space-gorilla!"
The bearded author points angrily at the editor.
Votey:
Close-up of the bearded author's face, drawn in black-and-white sketch style, looking sullen and glaring.
Bearded author: "Call me pissed."
Panel 1:
Editor (a young man with light hair, seen from behind): "I'm going to add this motif of a white whale to your book. It's about the futility of vengeance on-"
Bearded author (an older man with a long gray beard and gray hair): "WHAT?! That does it! I'm taking out all the fart jokes and the space-gorilla!"
The bearded author points angrily at the editor.
Votey:
Close-up of the bearded author's face, drawn in black-and-white sketch style, looking sullen and glaring.
Bearded author: "Call me pissed."
Alt text
A two-panel SMBC comic. A red title banner reads: "LITERARY MYTHS: 'EDITORS RUIN GREAT NOVELS'." In the main panel, a young light-haired editor (seen from behind) tells a bearded older author: "I'm going to add this motif of a white whale to your book. It's about the futility of vengeance on-" The author, an old man with a long gray beard who resembles Herman Melville, jabs an angry finger and shouts: "WHAT?! That does it! I'm taking out all the fart jokes and the space-gorilla!" The joke flips the premise: here the editor is the one trying to add the famous white-whale theme of Moby-Dick, while the author defends his crude jokes. Votey (bonus panel): a rough black-and-white sketch close-up of the scowling bearded author's face. He says flatly, "Call me pissed." -- a play on Moby-Dick's opening line, "Call me Ishmael."
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.