Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #20 — page 32: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents a question-and-answer humor column where "Captain Billy" responds to reader queries with absurdist or pun-based jokes. The humor relies on deliberate misinterpretation and wordplay: - **"Old Salt"** plays on naval terminology (saltpeter used in explosives) - **"Peruvian Plump"** is a fabricated animal described as Arctic-dwelling with "two or more speeds"—nonsensical absurdity - **"Model woman" vs. "woman model"** contrasts a hypothetical ideal with reality through naked wordplay - **Napoleon crossing the Rockies in a canoe (1492)** combines historical impossibilities for comedic effect - **Growing macaroni** jokes about manufacturing pasta by making holes in dough The satire targets readers' credulity. These are intentionally foolish answers to earnest questions, reflecting the magazine's irreverent, anti-intellectual comedy style typical of 1920s American humor publications aimed at working-class audiences.