Questions Unanswered Truths Revealed

See it here.

I'd say we know exactly where that trunk has been, given that this poor elephant has exactly 6 inches freedom of movement on each side of its pen at the Animal Cruelty Petting Zoo.

Of more concern to me would be knowing what kind of establishment believes an elephant belongs in a petting zoo.

Or identifying, so I could avoid engaging in conversation, the creativity-deficient mouth-breather responsible for naming the animals: Captiva the captivity-bred elephant, Wild Billy the billy goat, and Wilbur the pig.

Or discovering the mad scientist's lab in which they violated nature's laws by breeding the "safari-size" elephant and putting the brain of a dog into the body of a pig.

On the other hand, I'd rather not know when the toothless carney who served me the bag of popcorn last washed his hands. Some things you're just better off not knowing.

As a reader, I also want to know why we join this panel at this particular moment when I'd much rather see what happens next. I want to see the elephant plop a pile of poop onto Burl's head and see the billy goat sink his horns into Burl's ass.

For all the unanswered questions, we can see the truth all too clearly.

An elephant which should be roaming the wild expanse of the savannah is instead cooped up in a 3x5 pen. That is the perfect metaphor for Dale and Burl's refusal to allow Timmy any leeway for youthful exuberance and creativity. Any room to explore the world on his terms.

They fear what his youthful mind may soak in and what, left to his own devices, Timmy may become. Given the mere presence of the elephant, the phallic symbolism of the trunk which Timmy wants to touch, and Burl's incongruous and mean-spirited shirt, this whole panel probably reveals Dale's deep-seated fear that his grandson is gay.

Please don't feed the marginalia:

• Why does the pig have a fan? And why isn't it on?
• I don't think I've ever seen anything which could be considered an expression of emotion on Burl's face, but this elephant does a fairly anthropomorphic rage. I'm especially fond of his darting eyes.