2012-01-04
Explanation
This long-form comic tells the story of an escalating technology arms race between two engineers in a relationship. A man introduces the "Balls-O-Tron," a device that emits pressure waves at the resonant frequency of another man''s testicles, causing them to wobble obscenely and strip him of his dignity. The victim protests that this is a violation of his right to privacy and vows resistance, but the device keeps working on him. He declares "This isn''t over."
Two weeks later, the victim has built a retaliatory device: the "Boobs-O-Tron," which does the same thing to his wife Sally''s breasts. He explains it will allow him to "reclaim his right" -- but she is equally unable to resist its effects. In frustration, she says "Dammit!" In the final panels, both devices apparently cause their house to explode ("BOOM!"), and a news headline reads "Engineer-Engineer Marriage Banned." The joke satirizes both the absurdity of engineering-minded people weaponizing technology in domestic disputes and the reactionary impulse to ban marriages between groups of people when things go wrong -- a commentary on how society responds to perceived threats by restricting civil rights.
The votey shows the comic''s author at his drawing desk thinking "Now, all I can visualize is wobbling balls..." -- a meta-joke about the unfortunate mental images that come with creating such a comic.