2010-12-10
Explanation
This comic references the famous ancient Greek historical account by Herodotus of the Battle of Thermopylae. In the original story, when a Persian messenger warned the Spartan soldier Dienekes that the Persian archers were so numerous their arrows would blot out the sun, Dienekes reportedly replied, "Then we shall fight in the shade." The comic reimagines this exchange in the context of modern office temp work.
Instead of warriors facing arrows, the comic depicts ancient Greek-looking men sitting in a cubicle-style office. One warns Dienekes that "Mr. Xerxes" (their boss, named after the Persian king) promises to send so many memoranda that they shall blot out the sun. Dienekes delivers the punchline: "Then we shall file in the shade!" The humor comes from the absurd anachronism of transplanting one of history's most famous displays of military bravery into the mundane drudgery of office paperwork, while the title "Herodotus Also Wrote a History of Temp Workers" plays on the double meaning of "temp" -- temporary workers and Thermopylae.