Difference between revisions of "752: Phobia"

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(Explanation)
(Transcript: details)
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==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
:[A blonde woman and Megan observe a snake on the ground.]
+
:[A blonde woman and Megan in the background of the image observes a long snake on the ground in the foreground.]
 
:Blonde: Whoa, a snake!
 
:Blonde: Whoa, a snake!
 
:Megan: Cool!
 
:Megan: Cool!
 
:Blonde: I'm afraid of snakes.
 
:Blonde: I'm afraid of snakes.
  
:[The brunette looks pensive.]
+
:[Zoom in only on Megan's upper half.]
:Megan: I'm afraid of saying "Everything's complicated right now, but maybe next year" until there are no more years left.
+
:Megan: I'm afraid of saying "everything's complicated right now, but maybe next year" until there are no more years left.
  
:[The blonde considers her response.]
+
:[Slim panel with a zoom to a full picture of only the blonde woman as she considers this. Beat panel.]
  
:[Megan cuts her off mid-sentence.]
+
:[Same type of image of Megan, who cuts the blonde woman's reply (from off panel) off in mid-sentence.]
:Blonde: Do you-
+
:Blonde (of panel): Do you-
 
:Megan: I want to be a storm chaser.
 
:Megan: I want to be a storm chaser.
  
:[A tornado reaches from the black storm clouds to the earth, kicking up a sizable cloud of debris at its base. The blonde woman is at the wheel of a car, Megan hanging out the window and holding a camera.]
+
:[A black tornado reaches from the black storm clouds to the earth, kicking up a sizable cloud of debris at its base. The blonde woman is at the wheel of a car, with Megan hanging out the window and holding a camera.]
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
 +
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
 
[[Category:Animals]]
 
[[Category:Animals]]

Revision as of 20:19, 27 June 2016

Phobia
Oh God, the tornado picked up snakes!
Title text: Oh God, the tornado picked up snakes!

Explanation

This comic is about phobias and being afraid of specific and non-specific things. The blonde is afraid of snakes, while Megan as usual acts overly philosophical and says that she is not afraid of snakes, but instead afraid of putting off personal dreams and ambitions for too long.

In attempt to address the problem of having fears, both women decide to follow one of Megan's ambitions and become storm chasers - individuals who pursue severe weather conditions, for either scientific investigation or providing media coverage or an adventure. Ironically, chasing adverse weather, especially tornadoes, is more dangerous than the things that cause the original phobias of the main characters. Indeed, one's ability to control the risk while being near tornado is far less than one's ability to control the risk of being bitten by a snake; the tornado is violent and unpredictable, while snakes only attack humans when they feel threatened. Additionally, one needs to deliberately expose oneself to the snake in order to have any risk of being attacked.

The second element of irony in this comic is that while observing the adverse weather, the main characters notice that the snakes have been picked up by the tornado, and now, in addition to being exposed to the violence of weather, the main characters are also exposed to snakes again.

This comic may have references to the movies: Snakes on a plane, Twister and Thelma & Louise.

Transcript

[A blonde woman and Megan in the background of the image observes a long snake on the ground in the foreground.]
Blonde: Whoa, a snake!
Megan: Cool!
Blonde: I'm afraid of snakes.
[Zoom in only on Megan's upper half.]
Megan: I'm afraid of saying "everything's complicated right now, but maybe next year" until there are no more years left.
[Slim panel with a zoom to a full picture of only the blonde woman as she considers this. Beat panel.]
[Same type of image of Megan, who cuts the blonde woman's reply (from off panel) off in mid-sentence.]
Blonde (of panel): Do you-
Megan: I want to be a storm chaser.
[A black tornado reaches from the black storm clouds to the earth, kicking up a sizable cloud of debris at its base. The blonde woman is at the wheel of a car, with Megan hanging out the window and holding a camera.]


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Discussion

"This comic may have references to the movies: Snakes on a plane, Twister, and Thelma & Louise."... and Sharknado. -- ‎201.76.25.153 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

Sharknado wasn't around at the time of this comic, so I removed it from the explanation. Although Randall seemed to predict it or inspire it. 108.162.212.196 02:18, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

I read this as Megan possibly wanting a 'more than friends' relationship with blonde-hair, but never having the guts to say anything. Her expressing this fear is the closest she has got to saying anything, hence the awkwardness in the following panel. When blonde hair start to question Megan, she quickly interrupts and decide to go do something crazy together. I think I might be reading into things too much... --Pudder (talk) 09:25, 25 September 2014 (UTC)

That's pretty much what I thought. I read it as the blond thought Megan was hinting at something more than friends, but she actually meant she was putting off her desire to become a Storm Chaser. Randall Monroe? Want to shed some light on this?108.162.219.77 19:02, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
Maybe 'I'm afraid of snakes' is another lesbian reference... --Pudder (talk) 09:26, 25 September 2014 (UTC)
I agree with Pudder's first comment. For sure the Blonde woman begins to ask something regarding Megans phobia, and suddenly Megan and Blondie is not afraid even of tornadoes with snakes... --Kynde (talk) 20:21, 27 June 2016 (UTC)

The "romance" interpretation is entirely optional; I'm planning to update description to make that clear. "Everything is complicated right now" can apply to anything, and represent a psychological obstacle to taking up a new career or hobby, just as much as it can be an excuse to not pursue a romantic prospect. --mezimm 172.69.71.98 20:27, 3 December 2021 (UTC)