indie
Explanation
This comic is a parody of Indiana Jones, specifically riffing on the ethical tensions inherent in archaeology, particularly Western archaeology's complicated history with other cultures' artifacts.
In the first panel, a character resembling Indiana Jones (labeled "HARRY INDIE" on his hat, a play on "Indiana Jones") says he is "allowed to be involved in archaeology" but that artifacts "have to be displayed at an in situ museum" and he needs to "be sure there are no ownership disagreements that involve balance-of-power issues" and to make sure "he is not perceived as outsiders violating sacred spaces."
The second panel notes that "there are political science prerequisites around every corner" instead of adventure, and he carries "a grant proposal" instead of treasure. The joke is that a truly ethical archaeologist would spend all their time navigating bureaucracy, cultural sensitivity protocols, and academic red tape rather than having swashbuckling adventures.
The final panel delivers the punchline with "Modern Archaeology: You're not gonna make a hell of a movie out of this." A character tells Indie to "get permission from your IRB" (Institutional Review Board).
The humor lies in the contrast between the romanticized, adventure-movie version of archaeology (stealing artifacts, fighting Nazis, dodging booby traps) and the reality of modern ethical archaeological practice, which involves extensive paperwork, institutional oversight, community consultation, and cultural sensitivity. The comic suggests that doing archaeology correctly is deeply boring from an action-movie perspective — which is precisely the point.