covid-explainer
Explanation
The Joke
This comic is not a traditional SMBC joke strip. Instead, it is a single panel announcement informing readers that the day's comic is an explainer about how to interpret COVID-19 models, and that it was featured on FiveThirtyEight (538). The panel simply reads: "Hey! Today's comic is an explainer about how to interpret COVID-19 models. It's featured on 538. Click to see!"
This was published on April 13, 2020, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when understanding epidemiological models was a matter of urgent public interest. Zach Weinersmith (the creator of SMBC) collaborated with FiveThirtyEight to create an educational comic explaining how to read and interpret the various pandemic models that were being widely shared and often misunderstood by the public.
The Humor
There is no traditional joke here. This is a placeholder or redirect panel that SMBC used on its own site to direct readers to the full explainer comic hosted on FiveThirtyEight. It is notable as an example of Weinersmith using his platform for public science communication during a crisis, which is consistent with his broader body of work that frequently engages with scientific topics.
References
FiveThirtyEight (538) is a statistical analysis website founded by Nate Silver, known for data-driven journalism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous epidemiological models (such as those from the IHME, Imperial College London, and others) were published projecting case counts and deaths, and public understanding of these models was a significant challenge.