Flag Interpretation
Flag Interpretation
[8 panels in 2 rows, 4 panels per row - each panel shows a flagpole in a different state of flying flag(s) with a caption at the bottom of the panel below the flagpole.] [The US flag at half mast.] Caption: Someone important died [The same flag at three-quarter mast.] Caption: Someone died but we're not sure how we feel about them [The flag at the base of the mast.] Caption: Everyone important died [Two identical flags at full mast.] Caption: Someone important was successfully cloned [Two identical flags at half mast.] Caption: An important person died battling their evil clone [An upside-down flag at half mast.] Caption: Nobody has died for weeks and that seems good but statistically it's very alarming. [A normal-sized flag at half mast and five tiny flags at full mast.] Caption: Someone diverted a trolley to save five people by killing one important person [A flagpole with no flag.] Caption: The person who knows where the flag is stored at night died.

In many countries including the United States (whose flag is depicted in the comic), it is customary to lower the flag to half staff when important public figures die. This is normally done by raising the flag to full height, then immediately "lowering" it to half height. In the US, regulations regarding flying the flag at half staff specify the length of time for the flag to be flown at half staff, and are based on the importance of the person who has died. There are no regulations where the flag would be flown at any height other than full height or half staff, and there are no regulations where multiple flags would be flown.
The definition of half-staff, or half-mast, differs between countries and does not necessarily imply flying the flag at half the height of the pole or mast. For example, in the USA the flag is usually flown at half the height of the pole, whereas UK practice is to leave space for an 'invisible flag' above the flown flag, which may mean flying the flag near the top of the pole depending on its height. These differing practices contribute to confusion and ambiguity concerning the flag height, which is exploited in the comic.
Randall, as usual, makes a humorous list of fictional additional traditions.
The title text is a reference to The Persistence of Memory and other paintings and sculptures by Salvador Dalí which include watches and other objects that are melting.
[8 panels in 2 rows, 4 panels per row - each panel shows a flagpole in a different state of flying flag(s) with a caption at the bottom of the panel below the flagpole.] [The US flag at half mast.] Caption: Someone important died [The same flag at three-quarter mast.] Caption: Someone died but we're not sure how we feel about them [The flag at the base of the mast.] Caption: Everyone important died [Two identical flags at full mast.] Caption: Someone important was successfully cloned [Two identical flags at half mast.] Caption: An important person died battling their evil clone [An upside-down flag at half mast.] Caption: Nobody has died for weeks and that seems good but statistically it's very alarming. [A normal-sized flag at half mast and five tiny flags at full mast.] Caption: Someone diverted a trolley to save five people by killing one important person [A flagpole with no flag.] Caption: The person who knows where the flag is stored at night died.
