2013-07-03
Explanation
This lengthy comic is a retelling of The Wizard of Oz, but with a darkly comedic twist. The comic follows the familiar story structure: Dorothy and her companions (the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion) arrive to meet the Wizard, who is revealed to be just a man behind a curtain. However, in this version, the Wizard'''s revelation is far more brutal and existential. He tells Dorothy that the Scarecrow already has a brain -- what he actually lacks is the ability to perform higher cognition. The Tin Man'''s desire for a heart is mocked because having emotions will not help him since the universe is indifferent. And the Lion'''s desire for courage is dismissed because courage is merely a chemical response.
The Wizard proceeds to give genuinely nihilistic assessments to each character. Rather than the uplifting "you had it all along" message of the original story, the Wizard essentially tells them that their desires are meaningless in a cold, indifferent universe. When asked about courage, the Wizard frames it in reductionist scientific terms, stripping away any romantic notion of bravery.
The comic satirizes the tendency to apply cold scientific reductionism to human experiences and emotions. While the original Wizard of Oz delivers a heartwarming message about self-belief, this version replaces it with the kind of bleak rationalism that strips meaning from everything. It is a classic SMBC move: taking a beloved cultural touchstone and running it through a filter of scientific literalism to produce something both funny and unsettling.
The votey panel shows the Wizard (or a similar character) declaring "I'''m gonna kill EVERYONE," which serves as a darkly humorous exclamation point on the nihilistic retelling -- suggesting the Wizard'''s reductionist philosophy has gone completely off the rails.