Tips for Caption Contest 93
Even superheroes have their kryptonite. For some, it’s a glowing green rock. For others, it’s a shoebox full of receipts and a letter from the IRS that begins with “We noticed…”
Our caped crusader isn’t battling a supervillain today — he’s locked in mortal combat with Schedule C. His posture says “defeated,” the paperwork says “audited,” and the calculator blinking “ERROR” might as well be cackling.
There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing someone who can bench-press a bus completely undone by itemized deductions. Turns out you can leap tall buildings in a single bound and still have no idea what qualifies as a business expense.
Remember: comedy loves contrast. And nothing contrasts quite like cosmic power meeting administrative paperwork.
Getting Started: What’s in the Image?
Start with the literal inventory before you try to be clever.
You’ve got a full-costume superhero — cape, suit, probably still wearing the boots — sitting in a painfully ordinary office environment. The desk is cluttered with documents. Papers are stacked, scattered, possibly threatening to avalanche. This is not a hero’s lair; this is where dreams go to be hole-punched.
Notice the body language. He’s not triumphant. He’s hunched. Studying. Maybe sweating a little beneath the mask.
The details matter here because the humor lives in the mismatch:
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Extraordinary person
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Extremely ordinary problem
Look for objects you can leverage — calculators, forms, folders, sticky notes, coffee cups. Bureaucracy is inherently comedic when it traps someone who seems too powerful for it.
Also ask yourself: why is he still in costume? That question alone can unlock several strong angles.
Think Beneath the Surface
The obvious joke is “even superheroes hate taxes.” That’s fine — but it’s also where everyone will start. Your job is to take one more step.
Consider implications:
Maybe saving the city doesn’t qualify as charitable work.
Maybe the cape counts as a uniform deduction.
Maybe crime-fighting is technically gig work.
Think about superhero logistics we never question:
Who employs him?
Is vigilantism taxable income?
Does he invoice the city after stopping a meteor?
Comedy often emerges when fantasy collides with real-world systems. The IRS does not care that you stopped a robot invasion — they care whether you reported the reward.
Another useful angle: vulnerability. Superheroes are usually composed and fearless. Watching one quietly panic over paperwork humanizes them.
You can also explore identity:
Secret identities complicate W-2s.
Two names might mean two tax returns.
Dependents? Sidekicks aren’t free.
Push yourself toward specificity. “Taxes are hard” is broad. “Trying to deduct a jet as a commuter expense” is sharper.
Unexpected framing helps too. Instead of narrating the struggle, consider treating the moment as completely routine — as if this is the real battle.
General Tips on How to Be Funny
Choose one comedic engine.
Don’t stack five ideas into one caption. Pick a lane: wordplay, absurd logic, bureaucratic realism, or character-based humor.
Specific beats generic.
Example: “Denied: meteor defense system not considered a home improvement.”
Treat the ridiculous as serious — or the serious as ridiculous.
Example: “Saving humanity is rewarding, but the mileage tracking is brutal.”
Interrogate the world.
Ask practical questions fantasy usually ignores. The answer is often the joke.
Avoid explaining the humor.
Trust the reader to connect the dots.
Surprise beats volume.
A clean, sharp caption will outperform a crowded one every time.
Lean into authority voices.
Formal language paired with superhero chaos can be especially effective.
Example: “Please attach receipts for all thwarted catastrophes.”
Edit aggressively.
If a word doesn’t add punch, remove it. Tight captions land harder.
And finally: remember that relatability is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Almost everyone understands the quiet dread of forms and deadlines — even if they’ve never fought a lava monster.
Final Thought
Great caption writers don’t just look at what’s happening — they look at what shouldn’t be happening. Find the friction between power and paperwork, heroism and hassle, myth and mundanity, and you’ll be flying toward a strong joke faster than a tax refund disappears.
Now grab your metaphorical calculator and enter Caption Contest 93 — deductions optional.
