Last month’s contest featured a cartoon by Ken Levine, who joined our judging panel. Ken is not only a New Yorker cartoonist; he’s an Emmy-winning screenwriter who’s worked on some of the greatest television comedies of all time, including M*A*S*H, Cheers, and Frasier.
In Ken’s drawing, a woman is standing in the doorway of what appears to be her husband’s home office and holding a superhero’s costume that has a lightning bolt emblazoned across the front. She’s addressing her husband, who’s sitting at his computer. Ken’s original caption—“Since you’re no longer fighting crime, can I donate this to the Council of Jewish Women?”—alludes to the fact that the man no longer looks anything like a superhero. It’s also a good Jewish joke.
These entries all address the computer:
- “Corporate decided it’s cheaper to make you a superhero than to hire you an assistant.
- “So you’re the one who’s been saving the city from Excel crashes.”
- “The Justice League won’t let you work from home anymore.”
- “They need you to convert a PDF to a Word doc.”
- “So…are you fighting crime remotely now?”
- “Honey, google ‘delusions of grandeur.’”
Here are the month’s best sex jokes:
- “Fine, I’ll be a schoolgirl tonight, but you’re wearing this.”
- “Foreplay is out, but cosplay is in?”
The best pun: “Saving any files today?”
And the best dark joke: “Don’t you think this suit’s a bit flashy for mom’s funeral?” Replacing the words “this suit’s” with a simple “it’s” would make the joke punchier.
Some of the judges liked this entry—“I sewed your name inside the cape.”—but I don’t think it makes sense because the woman’s not addressing a child.
I also disagreed with a few of my fellow judges about this entry: “Are you saving someone else?” It implies the man’s having an affair and addresses the superhero angle changing the word “seeing” to “saving,” but it doesn’t make sense.
The next two entries suggest that the man’s been trying to protect his secret identity by lying to his wife about where he goes and what he does:
- “What exactly happens on these fishing trips with the boys?”
- “So…anything you want to tell me about ‘Bridge Club?’”
- “I never believed you were bowling, but this?”
This caption suggests the man is a collector: “Did you get a Certificate of Authenticity?”
This next entry combines references to both the domestic setting and the comic book character who popularized the superhero genre: “We’ve been invited to the Kent’s for dinner.”
These two captions acknowledge that the woman’s husband is, at best, a second-rate superhero:
- “They said all the other superheroes are busy.”
- “Remind me. What’s your superpower?”
The next two entries suggest that the man is trying to become a superhero (or at least dress the part) because he’s having a midlife crisis:
- “Why can’t you buy a Corvette and have an affair like other men your age?”
- “Most guys just buy a sports car.”
This caption makes the woman sarcastic: “Maybe this will give you the strength to wipe the kitchen counters.”
This one makes her disappointed: “Of all the superheroes in the world, I marry ‘Tax Man.’”
And this one makes her the voice of reason: “You’re getting a little carried away with neighborhood watch.”
Congratulations to MIKE DOUGLAS, who submitted the winning caption: “So…anything you want to tell me about ‘Bridge Club?’”
The five runners-up are:
- “Why can’t you buy a Corvette and have an affair like other men?”
- “You’re getting a little carried away with the neighborhood watch.”
- “The Justice League won’t let you work from home anymore.”
- “Honey, google ‘delusions of grandeur.’”
- “Foreplay is out, but cosplay is in?”
Watch the Judging Process
We recorded our deliberations with Ken, and you can find it below
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