Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

## The Joke This comic is somewhat unusual for SMBC in that it served a dual purpose — it was posted as part of a double update (alongside "Pruney") and was connected to a Kickstarter campaign promot

## The Joke In this comic, Weinersmith explores the concept of "respect" and how it can be weaponized or used in contradictory ways. The comic likely depicts a scenario where someone demands respect

## The Joke In this comic, tagged "Aliens," an extraterrestrial being presents a moral dilemma to a human. The alien announces that right before the human dies, they are also going to steal from the

## The Joke In this comic, Weinersmith presents a humorous take on the concept of a library — likely a "Library of Babel" or meta-library scenario where the contents are absurd, contradictory, or unc

## The Joke This comic, tagged "parenting," plays on the double meaning of the word "short." The alt text — "If you enjoyed this comic, I just slightly murdered you" — suggests the comic deals with t

## The Joke This comic, tagged "parenting," centers on the universal parental experience of telling a child to stop doing something — and the child's complete indifference to the request. The alt tex

## The Joke In this comic, a character has come up with a novel way to lie to their dentist (or other medical caregiver) about flossing. The alt text — "I'm amazed nobody else has come up with this w

## The Joke This comic parodies the classic fantasy trope where a young hero is presented with their father's legendary sword — a sacred heirloom passed down through generations, imbued with destiny

## The Joke This comic, tagged "science," appears to be a special collaboration or promotional comic related to Mary Roach and her book "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law." The image filename referenc

This comic satirizes the logical absurdity of historical witch trials by having the accusers walk through their own reasoning to its inevitable, self-defeating conclusion. In the first panel, a Purit

This comic plays on the tension between workplace dignity and economic reality. In the first panel, an employee is being addressed by his boss, who says something like "Dave, either improve your numb

This comic riffs on the Greek myth of the Sirens -- the creatures whose irresistible singing lured sailors to crash their ships on the rocks. In the first panel, a sailor warns the captain: "Captain,

This comic sets up an Indiana-Jones-style archaeological discovery scene and then delivers a product-placement punchline. In the first panel, two explorers are in what appears to be a cave or ancient

This comic is a chart-style joke about the various spellings of "whiskey" (or "whisky") and when each is used -- starting with real distinctions and escalating into absurdity. The first two rows are

This comic satirizes the overuse of "complexity" arguments to dismiss gender-detection AI and similar classification technologies, but then twists into a broader critique of AI hype culture. The setu

This comic imagines a conversation between God and Evolution about the design of animal bodies, highlighting the absurd anatomical compromises that resulted from evolutionary constraints. God opens b

This comic is a poignant meditation on memory, craft, and the objects we use to hold onto people we've lost. A woman shows another person a quilt, explaining that it is covered with applique patches

This comic examines how children's stories consistently portray "villains" who, upon closer examination, often have legitimate grievances or reasonable positions. The setup has a parent and child dis

This comic takes the well-known Sesame Street concept of "sometimes foods" and pushes it to a darkly existential conclusion. In the first panel, a parent tells a child the familiar lesson: "Cookies a

## The Joke A presenter explains that their software for criminal sentencing is "perfect" — except for a few bugs. The software metes out harsher punishments when a local sports team loses, changes i

## The Joke A student asks a scientist, "Dear Science, why did you reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet?" The scientist explains that Pluto is large like a planet, orbits the sun like a planet, but it

## The Joke A person thanks a demon for a pleasant visit. The demon, before leaving, says he didn't catch the person's "true name" — which in fantasy and folklore lore is the name that gives someone

## The Joke A volcano demands a sacrifice, threatening to erupt. When offered "a virgin sacrifice," the volcano protests: it's not into that. It explains that as a "young volcano god," it doesn't wan

## The Joke A modern person confronts Plato, saying: "Hey Plato, do you think numbers and sets really exist?" Plato replies "Yes." The person then argues that this means he can independently create s

## The Joke A robot tells its human partner that regression analysis of their relationship indicates the human would benefit if the robot expressed more emotional extremes — going from "fake to true,

## The Joke Two people are in bed having a debate about Star Wars. One argues that Star Wars doesn't make sense because of the "magical space wizards." The other responds: "No! The geopolitical theor

## The Joke A researcher at a podium announces that after a decade of research into the history of science, they have concluded that "all technology is double-edged." Someone from the audience asks:

## The Joke Someone complains to God: "Why is the universe made of such gutty math?" (difficult, unpleasant mathematics). God asks "What?" and the person explains: planning a route requires freaking

## The Joke A human (resembling a character in a Matrix-like scenario) asks an alien: "Is it okay to steal food to feed the hungry?" The alien says to "just consult your morality matrix." The alien t

This comic parodies the conventions of ancient prayer and religious sacrifice by transplanting them into a modern domestic context. In the first panel, a man recites an elaborate prayer to Zeus in th

This comic offers a darkly humorous take on the existential risk of artificial general intelligence (AGI). The top panel shows two people standing amid a burning, apocalyptic cityscape. One says "I j

This is a lengthy comic satirizing the experience of learning and playing a new, overly complicated board game -- a common frustration among tabletop gaming enthusiasts. The comic opens with someone

This comic satirizes how people disguise subjective personal preferences as objective criteria in relationships. A man approaches a woman (Sally) saying "we need to talk." She immediately panics: "Oh

This is a short, punchy comic that plays on the gap between scientific facts and childhood innocence. A parent is sitting with a small child and says: "Before I get into the details here, I want to r

This comic presents a theological argument about the afterlife that cleverly turns a believer's reasoning against itself. A woman asks another person if they believe in the afterlife. The person says

This comic is a quick, sharp parody of popular science communication, particularly the Carl Sagan tradition of describing humans in poetic cosmic terms. The header text reads: "Science Communication

This comic satirizes the format of TV financial news, imagining it as delivered by a surly, hostile teenager. The setup: "Welcome to financial news given by surly teenagers. Let's hear from Phil." A

This comic plays on the trope of motivational running advice and inner monologue during exercise. In the first panel, someone asks a runner how they keep going. The runner says something about new ea

This comic is a play on Francisco Goya's famous etching "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters" (El sueno de la razon produce monstruos), which depicted a sleeping figure surrounded by nightmarish cre

This comic explores the evolutionary origins of disgust and sexual arousal in the human brain. A scientist explains that sexual arousal involves shutting off the brain's disgust response, which handle

This comic is a beach scene where two couples are sunbathing. One couple complains that their backs are sunburned, with the woman saying "Mmm, our backs are on fire!" and the man replying "Didn't we u

This comic satirizes how America culturally appropriates and transforms foreign foods, drawing a parallel to how the English language borrows and transforms foreign words. A patriotic Uncle Sam-type f

This comic reimagines the myth of Sisyphus through modern technology. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to eternally push a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down each t

This comic subverts the classic fairy tale trope of kissing a frog to turn it into a prince/princess. A man encounters a frog wearing a crown who tells him that if he kisses the frog, a princess will

This comic is a short existential joke about decaf coffee. In the first panel, a man presents a box of decaf coffee. His friend responds, "That's pointless." In the third panel, the narration reads: "

This comic shows the gap between what makes a parent feel like they're doing well versus what actually earns them praise from their children. In the first panels, a father is venting to his partner ab

This comic imagines a future where currency inflation has made today's rap video tropes seem quaint and absurd. Two people in a futuristic setting are watching what appears to be a classic rap video.

This comic satirizes performative charitable behavior and the social dynamics around generosity. A person offers to buy their friend a burger, saying "Wanna get a burger?" The friend responds suspicio

This comic traces the absurd origins of humanity's obsession with counting and quantification. A prehistoric warrior declares he is "tending this grass" by collecting grass seeds, then explains his st

This comic satirizes gender stereotypes in how parents discuss violence and revenge with their children. In the first panel, a father tells his daughter: "I'm not sexist. I only want a son so there's