Editing 914: Ice

{{comic
| number    = 914
| date      = June 20, 2011
| title     = Ice
| image     = ice.png
| titletext = On the plus side, she wrote "Welcome to the AAA Club!" in lipstick on the bathroom mirror, and left me a membership/roadside assistance card on the counter.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to an [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp old urban legend]: a guy is drugged, then he awakes in an ice-filled bathtub only to discover both of his {{w|kidneys}} have been harvested by {{w|Organ theft|organ thieves}}. They have left him in the tub of ice, to let him survive in time to get to a hospital for {{w|dialysis}}. It is now his problem to get a new kidney, whereas the thieves can sell the organs to someone who (also) needs a {{w|kidney transplantation}}. By doing it in this way, the thieves prevent themselves from becoming murderers; thus if they get caught they might get a lesser sentence. That would be the explanation why they do not just kill the "{{w|organ donor}}".

In this comic the situation is reversed: [[Beret Guy]] (who has just bought some ice for the party he is about to return to) is lured by [[Danish]] up to "her place" where he is drugged. The next morning he awakes in a bathtub filled with kidneys, only to discover that his ice has been harvested by Danish.

The title text refers to a {{w|Pin prick attack#As an email/Internet scare story|similar story}} where the victim is left a note by their captor or one-night stand that says "[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/aids-mary/ Welcome to the AIDS club]". Rather than having been involuntarily infected with {{w|HIV/AIDS}}, the victim, Beret Guy, has been involuntarily enrolled in the {{w|American Automobile Association}} (AAA) and his {{w|roadside assistance}} card has been left on the counter. This could also be another pun on Beret Guy's response of yelling ''AAAAAAA'', which could be another kind of AAA club that he is welcomed to.

There is no display of typical "Beret Guy behavior" in this comic, although it is typical for him to be involved in an incident that turns the world upside down. His encounter with organ thieves only cost him his ice, a party and that he got a nasty experience. But he retained his kidneys and was not infected with HIV.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is setting up a party. She is standing with a bottle in one hand looking at a snack table in front of her. Beret Guy stands behind her with both arms raised. Above and behind them there is a big banner with gray text.]
:Megan: Everything's ready...
:Megan: Except we're out of ice.
:Beret Guy: I'll get some!
:Banner: <font color="gray">Party!</font>

:[Beret Guy is walking down the street past a building with a store window and sign. He is carrying a large bag of ice over his shoulder. Danish is standing on the sidewalk up against the brick wall and calls to him.]
:Danish: Hey sexy. Where're you headed with all that ice?
:Beret Guy: A party!
:Danish: There's a ''better'' party up at my place.
:Beret Guy: But I—
:Danish: C'mon, one drink.
:Sign: <font color="gray">Save Mart</font>
:Bag: Ice

:[Zoom in on Beret Guy who rubs his eyes groggily, small bubbles floating up from his head. A caption is written above the image in a box that breaks the top frame of this panel:]
:The next morning...
:Beret Guy: ...Ugh... Where am I?
:Beret Guy: I was supposed to—
:Beret Guy: —Where's all my ice!?

:[Beret Guy looks down to find himself in a bathtub full of kidneys. His scream extends on both sides of the panel, with only the five central A's in full view:]
:Beret Guy: <big>'''''AAAAAAA'''''</big>

==Trivia==
* Since her character introduction, this is the first strip to feature [[Danish]] without a connection to [[Black Hat]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]