2013-10-08
Explanation
This comic shows the Sphinx from Greek mythology, but instead of posing its famous philosophical riddle ("What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?"), it is using the classic schoolyard bully move of grabbing someone''s arm and hitting them with their own hand while taunting "Why you hittin'' yourself? Huh? Why you hittin'' yourself?!" The victim is a traveler or passerby who looks distressed. The caption beneath reads: "The Sphinx''s riddles got a lot better after middle school."
The joke operates on multiple levels. First, it reimagines the Sphinx -- one of mythology''s most iconic intellectual challengers -- as having started out as a juvenile bully rather than a sophisticated riddler. The "why are you hitting yourself" game is a universal childhood torment that requires no wit whatsoever, making it the perfect comedic contrast to the Sphinx''s legendary cleverness. The implication is that the famous riddle of the Sphinx was actually an improvement over its earlier material.
There is also a subtle irony in that "Why are you hitting yourself?" is technically a question the victim cannot satisfactorily answer, much like a true riddle. The victim is not actually hitting themselves -- the bully is forcing them to -- so any honest answer would be wrong. In that sense, the Sphinx was always trapping people with unanswerable questions; it just got more sophisticated about it.
The votey panel shows a thank-you message with hearts reading "Thank you to everyone who supported BAH! (videos soon)" -- this is a reference to Zach Weinersmith''s BAH! project (likely "Bea and Henry" or a similar creative venture), unrelated to the comic itself.