Comic #2540: 2012-04-30

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Description

Here is a detailed description of the comic, along with the transcribed text:

Panel 1:

• A grassy landscape is depicted with a large green grasshopper playing a violin, surrounded by musical notes.
• Text: "The grasshopper spent all summer fiddling and playing."

Panel 2:

• Several small red ants are shown working diligently, carrying food or supplies.
• Text: "The ants worked hard all the live long day."

Panel 3:

• A cicada in a suit holds a paper labeled "DEED" in front of a building that resembles a mill.
• Text: "The cicada invested some capital in a steel mill."

Panel 4:

• The scene shifts to a winter landscape with ants in a hive or burrow, showing them having enough food stored away.
• Text: "In the winter, the ants had enough to eat."

Panel 5:

• The cicada is depicted discussing finances with a beetle, while the grasshopper plays music at a piano. A chart indicates increased wealth.
• Text: "The cicada spent his surplus earnings paying a beetle for food and paying the grasshopper to compose music, their division of labor increased total wealth 64%."

Panel 6:

• Two characters, one with shoulder-length brown hair and one with red hair, have a debate. The red-haired character looks frustrated.
• Text:
  • Red-haired character: "That's not how the story goes!"
  • Brown-haired character: "Yeah, well, have fun acting like the ants in a modern economy."

This comic illustrates a modern take on the fable of the grasshopper and the ants, emphasizing themes of economic behavior and productivity.