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a-bug39s-life

Original: a-bug39s-life on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Transcript

Panel 1 (single panel): A man with dark hair, shown in profile from behind/side, narrates.

Narration (in a caption box):
"A family come back from a trip to the countryside to find a giant bug inside their home. They hack out some boarders to make space for the bug, then treat it better until one day he turns into a real person, gets a job, and supports the family."

Below the panel:
Fun Fact:
If you read Kafka's stories backward they all make great kids' stories.

Votey:
The reverse is also true:

Pinocchio:
Boy gets up to too much trouble, so old man turns him into a puppet.

Cinderella:
Prince divorces woman and takes her shoes. She lives with her Godmother for a while, then ends up with her abusive stepmother.

Alt text

A single-panel comic showing a dark-haired man in profile, narrating a story. The caption reads: 'A family come back from a trip to the countryside to find a giant bug inside their home. They hack out some boarders to make space for the bug, then treat it better until one day he turns into a real person, gets a job, and supports the family.' This is Kafka's Metamorphosis told in reverse, turning a tragedy into an uplifting tale. Below is a 'Fun Fact': 'If you read Kafka's stories backward they all make great kids' stories.' The votey (aftercomic) is a text panel reading 'The reverse is also true:' and applies the trick to wholesome stories to make them dark. Pinocchio: 'Boy gets up to too much trouble, so old man turns him into a puppet.' Cinderella: 'Prince divorces woman and takes her shoes. She lives with her Godmother for a while, then ends up with her abusive stepmother.'

Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.