We see Darth Vader, a character from the popular science fiction series “Star Wars,” being wheeled away on a gurney. In the second frame there is a room with a mirror and a laptop displaying the wikipedia page for Autoerotic Asphyxiation.
The reader is meant to believe that this was the room where Darth Vader was found by the EMT’s in the first frame. The laptop is meant to signify that Darth Vader was interested in autoerotic asphyxiation. Autoerotic asphyxiation is a sexual practice in which the practitioner restricts his own breathing in order to enhance sexual pleasure while masturbating. The mirror, we are meant to believe, is the means by which Darth Vader strangulated himself. In the “Star Wars” series Darth Vader is a practitioner of “The Force” which grants him telekinetic abilities. This comic indirectly references the famous scene where Darth Vader telekinetically strangles an officer who mocks “The Force.” We are meant to believe that Darth Vader needs line of sight in order to strangle someone therefore he used the mirror to telekinetically asphyxiate himself.
Given this apparent turn of events, it is curious that the first frame of the comic does not depict Darth Vader as having a Death Erection, which is common in cases of autoerotic asphyxiation death. Given Darth Vader’s disfigurement and subsequent prosthetic enhancement we can speculate that Darth Vader’s penis is either prosthetic or covered over by his armor. Further, one of Darth Vader’s most iconic attributes is the sound of his respirator. Given the automated nature of his respirator, one would think that merely turning it off or turning down its frequency would give the desired effects for erotic asphyxiation. Thus obviating Darth Vader’s motivation to strangulate himself using the force. But then there would not be a chance to make such a hilarious joke.
