Editing 542: Cover-Up

{{comic
| number    = 542
| date      = February 11, 2009
| title     = Cover-Up
| image     = cover_up.png
| titletext = Man, this trick has saved me so many times.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Black Hat]] and [[Danish]] are trying to clean up the mess that some bloody murder most likely performed by them has left.  This story may thus be a continuation of [[515: No One Must Know]].

Another guy, [[Cueball]], is on his way home and is about to arrive just when they are finishing the clean up. But then Black Hat realizes that the ceiling has also been stained (by the violent murder...) And now they do not have time to fix it.

But Black Hat knows how to deal with the situation, and when Cueball comes home, he says: "Did you know 'gullible' is written on your ceiling?"

{{w|Gullible}} means easily deceived or naive. An old and simple prank is to make an unlikely claim related to the word "gullible". For example, you might claim that the word "gullible" isn't in the dictionary, or that someone wrote the word "gullible" in the sky. The notion that you're deceiving the other person is embedded in the claim, so if they believe you (even for long enough to check), they're labelling themselves as gullible.

Here, Black Hat uses the existence of such pranks to his advantage. When he makes the claim, Cueball immediately catches the joke, and deliberately avoids looking at the ceiling, to prove that he wasn't fooled. Of course, preventing him from looking at the ceiling was the entire point. 

The title text is hinting that Black Hat has had to cover up killing people several times as this trick has saved him many times. Of course there could also be other things than blood that he had to hide (the money he just stole etc.)

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat looking slightly up is holding two rags stained red with blood while Danish is holding an equally bloody mop.]
:Black Hat: Okay, got the blood off the walls. 
:Danish: I finished the floor.

:[Black Hat drops the bloody rags behind him while looking up at the ceiling, Danish has put the bloody mop behind her leaning against the wall while covering her mouth with her hands.]
:Black Hat: Good; he'll be home any-
:Black Hat: Oh crap! We forgot to clean the ceiling!

:[Black Hat has moved away from the bloody rags towards Danish who has taken her hands down. They look straight at each other. The bloody mop has fallen over on the floor.]
:Danish: There's no time!
:Black Hat: Wait, I'll handle it.

:[Cueball with briefcase enters the house through the front door behind him, still standing open. He is greeted by Black Hat holding out a hand towards him. The corner of the room and the wall behind them and past the door is outlines with three lines connecting in the corner.]
:Black Hat: Hi. Did you know "gullible" is written on your ceiling?
:Cueball: Hah. Yeah, right.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]