Sometimes it’s almost like I’m playing a ridiculous game with the internet, to see how obscure I can make a joke and how many people will still get it. Today we’ve got a punchline that requires you be familiar with several different Stephen King works, enough to realize he’s known for having particularly open-ended endings, where the resolution is often left up to the reader’s imagination.

Compounded to which, there’s the “Ka is a Wheel” line, which is a reference to a Stephen King series called “The Dark Tower,” which, although he considers it his most important work goes largely ignored by most of his fans.

Coincidentally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this approach. I like to write things that make me laugh, and not worry about how obscure it is. Obviously if the joke hinges on something utterly ridiculous, like knowing an easily overlooked background detail from a middle episode of Doctor Who, Season 2, then I might be in bad territory. But I think even those who don’t know what ‘Ka’ is can still laugh at the other quotes, and at Bob’s ridiculous responses here, which were fun to write.

And it’s not like I’m ALWAYS obscure, right? I mean, my last post was pretty generic — EVERYONE knows about the mythology and writing style of H.P. Lovecraft, right?

Right?

Guys?

1920’s horror short stories are still cool and relevant, right?

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