Parenthetical Names
I never got around to seeing that movie about the battle (of Midway).
I never got around to seeing that movie about the battle (of Midway).
This is another comic in the My Hobby series.
Parentheses are generally used in a sentence to add additional information that clarifies the topic. For example, in the sentence, "Barack Obama (a Democrat) is the 44th President of the United States," the parenthetical clause clarifies who Obama is, but is not strictly necessary to the sentence. However, in the comic, Randall uses parentheses for where they are not needed, either because the subject needs no clarification or because the parenthetical clause is so important to the subject that it should not be relegated to parentheses.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game franchise featuring the eponymous Sonic the Hedgehog character. Sonic is also the name of a train, a restaurant franchise, and a Californian internet service provider, among other things Randall is trying to avoid confusing the hedgehog with; however, it is unlikely that any of these would have movies made about them.[citation needed]
Jack the Ripper is the name attributed to a serial killer active in London in 1888. His true identity has never been confirmed, and he has been featured in hundreds of works. "Jack" is one of the most-common given names for males in much of the Anglosphere.
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon character created in 1929, and has been adapted for feature film, television, comic books, and other media. Popeye the Sailor is the best-known character named "Popeye", so it is a little unusual that Randall would have to clarify which Popeye he is referring to. Other Popeyes include Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle from The French Connection and the criminal Popeye from William Faulkner's novel Sanctuary. Like "Sonic", there is a restaurant chain named "Popeyes", which is the second-largest fast-food chicken restaurant chain in the world (after KFC).
The title-text alters the pattern slightly by discussing the Battle of Midway (i.e. the X of Y). This case has additional humor because Randall clarifies which battle he is talking about, but not which of the several movies depicting the battle (although he was most likely referring to the film released in November 2019, simply called Midway).