"Comedy is tragedy plus time." This formula has been attributed to Woody Allen, Tig Notaro and a handful of others, but this sleuth traces it back to a 1957 Steve Allen interview in Cosmopolitan. The phenomenon was perhaps most eloquently described by Michael Scott:
"There are certain topics that are off-limits to comedians: JFK, AIDS, the Holocaust. The Lincoln Assassination just recently became funny. I need to see this play like I need a hole in the head. And I hope to someday live in a world where a person could tell a hilarious AIDS joke. It's one of my dreams."
With time, even Prison Mike becomes funny. Poster available on Amazon.