What does the 'H' stand for? We can examine every detail of this latest chapter, but we're given no clue. As we traverse the panels we see many items that might point the way, but they all contradict each other. We face an ambiguity that leaves us utterly bemused.
In the first panel, we see a queue for H, leading us to suppose that Ndbag is alluding to quantum holograms; but is that likely? Yes, it seems plausible at first glance, but subsequent panels belie this plausibility. And when we realise this, we realise how naïve we were to think it in the first place, as the presence of Pandaman and the unnamed beastie show quite categorically that the Q stands for Quadrotriticale.
Or does it?
Yes, the signs all point that way. To suggest that the H stands for homophone, though, is to belittle the complexity of the boogeyman's adventures. The very obviousness should, to the experienced eye, imply a more subtle meaning. We can't dismiss outright the reference to quadrotriticale, but we should look further. The second panel points the way.
Why, one wonders, would the Sock Channel have a booth at Comiccon? Surely their World Science Fiction Convention debacle of 1995, when hordes of Scotsmen rioted after the free socks ran out, would deter further participation at such events? We're led to the conclusion that Ndbag brought the bag with him, simultaneously taunting jealous attendees and reminding us of the multiple meanings of the word 'cover'; not just a homophone, but a homonym. The bag covers the contents; the channel covers socks. And socks serve as cover to hide unsightly foot blemishes such as corns. So we're forced to conclude that while our initial assumption about the queue is merely a cover itself; the frustration we feel at this shifting in meaning is all too palpable, and shows us that our expectations all too often serve only to disappoint.
This is illustrated brilliantly in the last panel, when we see Ndbag ogling a limited edition sock. We notice that the sock is alone in the display case; it may be a collectible, but any joy one might feel at acquiring such an item would be short-lived, as the realisation soon dawns that the sock is part of a matched set. If one has to go to such lengths to purchase one, how much more will be required to get the second? Too much, one fears. As so often happens in life, the acquisition of one sock leads only to the desire for another.
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