Comic Transcripts

WINSTON: “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake.
“He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be GOOD FOR GOODNESS’ SAKE!”
“For goodness’ sake” is an expression of exasperation.

WINSTON: Is the narrator FED UP with the subject’s behavior? If so, the whole song’s an admission of IMPOTENCE.
“I can’t do anything to stop you, but for crying out loud, SANTA’S gonna getcha! So shape up!”
This is a sad plea! And it makes SANTA into a BOGEYMAN.

WINSTON: Or, are we meant to take “for goodness’ sake” LITERALLY? In that case, the song is a CONTRADICTION.
We are NOT urged to be good for GOODNESS’ OWN SAKE, but rather to escape JUDGMENT.
No mention of HONESTY or CHARITY. Morality is simply a TACTIC to AVOID SANTA’S WRATH!
SARAH: Well, maybe that’s an overriding concern for some reason.

CAPTION: ELSEWHERE
[[SANTA cocks a lever-action rifle.]]
<>

{{Header: do it for WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{Alt-text: Hunting season’s only open one night a year.}}

#474; In which you better Watch Out transcribed by in

WINSTON: “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake.
“He knows when you’ve been bad or good, so be GOOD FOR GOODNESS’ SAKE!”
“For goodness’ sake” is an expression of exasperation.

WINSTON: Is the narrator FED UP with the subject’s behavior? If so, the whole song’s an admission of IMPOTENCE.
“I can’t do anything to stop you, but for crying out loud, SANTA’S gonna getcha! So shape up!”
This is a sad plea! And it makes SANTA into a BOGEYMAN.

WINSTON: Or, are we meant to take “for goodness’ sake” LITERALLY? In that case, the song is a CONTRADICTION.
We are NOT urged to be good for GOODNESS’ OWN SAKE, but rather to escape JUDGMENT.
No mention of HONESTY or CHARITY. Morality is simply a TACTIC to AVOID SANTA’S WRATH!
SARAH: Well, maybe that’s an overriding concern for some reason.

CAPTION: ELSEWHERE
[[SANTA cocks a lever-action rifle.]]
<>

{{Header: do it for WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{Alt-text: Hunting season’s only open one night a year.}}

#474; In which you better Watch Out transcribed by in

WINSTON: "He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake.
"He knows when you've been bad or good, so be GOOD FOR GOODNESS' SAKE!"
"For goodness' sake" is an expression of exasperation.

WINSTON: Is the narrator FED UP with the subject's behavior? If so, the whole song's an admission of IMPOTENCE.
"I can't do anything to stop you, but for crying out loud, SANTA'S gonna getcha! So shape up!"
This is a sad plea! And it makes SANTA into a BOGEYMAN.

WINSTON: Or, are we meant to take "for goodness' sake" LITERALLY? In that case, the song is a CONTRADICTION.
We are NOT urged to be good for GOODNESS' OWN SAKE, but rather to escape JUDGMENT.
No mention of HONESTY or CHARITY. Morality is simply a TACTIC to AVOID SANTA'S WRATH!
SARAH: Well, maybe that's an overriding concern for some reason.

CAPTION: ELSEWHERE
[[SANTA cocks a lever-action rifle.]]
<>

{{Header: do it for WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{Alt-text: Hunting season's only open one night a year.}}

Hunting season's only open one night a year.

#474; In which you better Watch Out

  — December 23rd, 2008

[ Tags: , , , ]       Permalink: https://wondermark.com/c/474/

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Applications open for Genius Northwest – an IRL gaming competition

May 8, 2026 by David Malki !

Last year, I participated in Genius Northwest, a gaming competition inspired by the Korean gameshow The Genius and its ilk.

It’s a reality show without the cameras — a 3-day, all-inclusive weekend retreat structured around a series of challenges and puzzles, in which personalities and dealmaking matter as much as playing games.

It’s truly a remarkable thing. I came in dead last in the competition, but I still had a great time participating.

The event is held annually in the Pacific Northwest (hence the name) and applications are now open to participate in the 2026 competition!

Learn more — and apply — at GeniusNW.com.


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