book-tour
Explanation
The Joke
This comic is a meta-announcement for Zach and Kelly Weinersmith's upcoming book tour for "Soonish," presented in comic strip form. The characters (resembling Zach and Kelly) excitedly announce both the book tour and then proceed to riff on various absurd promotional angles. They joke about how their blood type is rarer than the book, sarcastically suggest uses for blood ("Why don't I drink all this blood to use as ink?"), and generally behave in the over-the-top, darkly humorous way that is characteristic of SMBC's sensibility.
The comic gleefully blurs the line between a genuine announcement and an absurd comedy bit. The Weinersmiths use the format of the strip to simultaneously promote their real book tour while also poking fun at the very concept of book tour announcements and self-promotion.
The Humor
The humor comes from the escalating absurdity of what should be a straightforward book tour announcement. Instead of a simple "we're going on tour, here are the dates," the comic spirals into bizarre tangents about blood, gothic scenarios, and over-the-top enthusiasm that parodies the performative excitement of author promotions. The joke is self-aware: the Weinersmiths know that using their comic strip to advertise their book is inherently a bit awkward, so they lean into that awkwardness by making the announcement as unhinged as possible. The final panel encouraging readers to click for UK tour dates grounds it back in reality, reminding readers that yes, this is actually a real announcement buried inside the comedy.
References
"Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything" is a 2017 popular science book by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, exploring futuristic technologies. The book tour announcement was a recurring feature in SMBC comics during fall 2017.