Given that it’s intended for children, this comic is philosophically quite disturbing. Punch mimics the behavior of his creator in bringing a toy to life; yet without his creator’s deft hand, the resulting beast is an abomination. But the original comic doesn’t question the entire process of playing god, but only condemns Punch for his sloppiness instead of also calling out the Toymaker for using exactly the same power — and with similar results, as Punch is obviously a sociopath! Talk about mixed messages.

How can a god who creates a devil be considered moral? This is the same issue faced by biotechnological genius Eldon Tyrell in Blade Runner; he made replicants, who (like Satan) were flawed but powerful, and it bit him in the ass.

Existential crises are goldmines for drama, humor — and horror. Tales from Pinocchio to Frankenstein have covered this territory, as it’s the narrative gift that keeps on giving.

Read the original comic in Punch and Judy #1.

• Bio of this comic’s artist/writer Joe Oriolo, who created Casper the Friendly Ghost.The Grand Comics Database also has a list of his works.
• Grimm’s Fairy Tales: 269 Stories: If you haven’t cracked these open yet, you’re missing out on some of the great foundational documents of Western literature. And this stuff is dark. For a really fucked-up read, check out The Goose Girl, which is layered with symbolism, and rife with both sadism and masochism.