2013-07-16
Explanation
This comic is a parody of Sherlock Holmes stories, set in the classic Victorian detective genre with Holmes and Watson in period attire. The comic plays on the trope of Holmes making brilliant deductions from tiny observations. In the comic, Holmes appears to be making a series of increasingly elaborate and absurd deductions from minute details he observes, in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective. Watson reacts with his characteristic amazement at each deduction.
The joke escalates as Holmes's deductions become more and more ridiculous or unsettling, moving far beyond what any reasonable person could infer from simple observations. The final panel delivers the punchline, where the supposed brilliance of Holmes's method is undercut, revealing the absurdity of the entire deductive chain. This is a common SMBC format: taking an established fictional trope and pushing it past its logical breaking point.
The votey shows someone saying "You're horrible," which serves as a meta-commentary on the dark or uncomfortable place the deductions ended up. SMBC frequently parodies literary and pop culture figures, and Sherlock Holmes is a favorite target because the character's supposedly infallible deductive reasoning is ripe for satirical exaggeration.