2013-06-13
Explanation
This comic is a multi-panel satire about economics, specifically the concept of the demand curve and what happens when a supervillain tries to exploit it. The comic opens with the premise that "as we all know, the demand curve always slopes downward" -- a fundamental principle in economics stating that as prices rise, demand falls. A "League of Economic Supervillains" sets out to break this rule.
The villain announces a plan: raise the price of a good to infinity, causing consumption to go to infinity as well (violating the normal demand curve). This is met with laughter from fellow villains who find it absurd, and a cry of "Wizzah!" The villain then confronts a woman, telling her that she will now consume until she explodes, along with everyone else. She responds dismissively, calling the plan deprecating and suggesting they consult a simple demand curve. But the villain says he has "conquered the pride of Marsicles" (likely a play on economic thinkers), and the woman suddenly finds herself unable to stop consuming, exclaiming "Oh my God" and "Can'''t stop consuming! HAHAHA!"
The joke plays on the idea of treating economic models as if they were laws of physics that could be weaponized. The humor comes from the absurdity of a supervillain whose power is literally forcing people to violate basic economic principles. The votey panel features the author saying "Enjoy your free comics!" -- a meta joke connecting to the comic'''s theme about economics and pricing, since SMBC comics are free online, which itself is a quirk of digital content economics.