Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

This comic is an extended "Who's on First?"-style wordplay routine built entirely around chemical element abbreviations. A student desperately asks his friend for help with a chemistry test, and every answer devolves into confusion because the element symbols sound like common English words. "No" sounds like the answer "No" but is the symbol for Nobelium. "K" (Potassium) sounds like "okay." "Na" (Sodium) sounds like "nah." "O" (Oxygen) sounds like "oh." "U" (Uranium) sounds like "you."

The escalating miscommunication mirrors the classic Abbott and Costello routine, with each attempt to clarify only deepening the confusion. The finale comes when the student asks for Uranium, Argon, Nitrogen, and Arsenic -- whose symbols (U, Ar, N, As) spell out "you are an ass" -- turning the whole exchange into an elaborate setup for an insult. The friend storms off shouting "BAAAH!" (Barium, Ba), adding one last chemistry pun as a parting shot. The comic showcases Weinersmith's love of layered wordplay and his ability to sustain a single joke through many panels.