Editing 2252: Parenthetical Names

{{comic
| number    = 2252
| date      = January 8, 2020
| title     = Parenthetical Names
| image     = parenthetical_names.png
| titletext = I never got around to seeing that movie about the battle (of Midway).
}}

==Explanation==

This is another comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series.

Parentheses are generally used in a sentence to add additional information that clarifies the topic. For example, in the sentence, "{{w|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. 

''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is a video game franchise featuring the eponymous Sonic the Hedgehog character. Sonic is also the name of a {{w|Sonic (train)|train}}, a {{w|Sonic Drive-In|restaurant franchise}}, and a {{w|Sonic (ISP)|Californian internet service provider}}, among other things Randall is trying to avoid confusing the movie with.

{{w|Jack the Ripper}} is the name attributed to a {{w|serial killer}} active in {{w|London}} in 1888. His true identity has never been confirmed, and he has been featured in {{w|Jack the Ripper in fiction|hundreds of works}}. {{w|Jack (given name)|"Jack"}} is one of the most-common given names for males in much of the Anglosphere.

{{w|Popeye|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 {{w|Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle}} from ''{{w|The French Connection}}'' and the criminal {{w|Popeye (Faulkner character)|Popeye}} from {{w|William Faulkner|William Faulkner's}} novel ''{{w|Sanctuary (Faulkner novel)|Sanctuary}}''.  Like "Sonic", there is a restaurant chain named "{{w|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 {{w|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 {{w|Midway (2019 film)|''Midway''}}).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is typing on his smartphone. Three messages appear in gray boxes above him.]
:Do you want to go see Sonic (the Hedgehog)?
:Why are there so many books about Jack (the Ripper)?
:I didn't know Robin Williams once played Popeye (the Sailor Man)

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My Hobby:
:Whenever I mention anyone called "<Name> the <X>," I put "the <X>" in parentheses, like I added it as a clarification.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
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