2010-07-26
Explanation
This comic presents a visual and conceptual joke about the overlap between pie charts and Venn diagrams. It shows two overlapping circles -- one pink and one blue -- arranged in the classic Venn diagram format. The legend identifies the shaded overlapping region as: "Portion of these pie charts that is also the middle of a Venn diagram." The joke works on multiple levels: the two circles could be interpreted as either pie charts or a Venn diagram, and the comic self-referentially labels the overlapping area, creating a delightful logical loop.
Below the diagram, the caption reads: "If you were a math nerd, you'd have had 3 orgasms by now." This is Weinersmith's way of acknowledging that the joke is deeply nerdy -- it plays on the formal definitions and visual conventions of data representation, and anyone who finds the recursive, self-referential nature of the diagram thrilling is firmly in math-nerd territory.
The votey panel shows a muscular, shirtless figure with red hair flying through the sky in a Superman-like pose, with a caption reading: "Comic-Con 2010 defeated, Zach returns to space." This is a meta joke about the cartoonist himself, referencing San Diego Comic-Con and humorously suggesting that Weinersmith is some kind of superhero who descends from space to attend conventions.