I disagree. I think the single beat panel followed by a hard smash to the punchline makes it hit harder. Having a beat panel followed by an angry reaction would have telegraphed the punchline, sapping some of its energy.
I was like this with the word “segue.” I knew there was a word pronounced “segway,” and I knew what it meant, and I knew there was a word spelled “segue,” and I knew what it meant, but I mentally pronounced the latter as “seeg,” and didn’t connect the two until I was about 26.
Not always! Black Beauty doesn’t die, and the Black Stallion gets a whole series of 20 books (that eventually get kind of weird and involve aliens at one point.)
Gotta admit, she looks pretty apeeling.