Library
Explanation
The Joke
In this comic, Weinersmith presents a humorous take on the concept of a library — likely a "Library of Babel" or meta-library scenario where the contents are absurd, contradictory, or uncomfortably comprehensive. The alt text — "If you think this is bad you should see the library of literary references. Also the well-populated shelf about sasquatch and aliens." — suggests the comic depicts a library that contains embarrassing or ridiculous categories of human knowledge.
The joke likely revolves around a library that catalogues things humans would rather not have organized and displayed — perhaps a library that contains every argument ever made, every bad take, or every pseudoscientific claim, all given equal shelf space alongside legitimate knowledge. The alt text's reference to "sasquatch and aliens" having a "well-populated shelf" implies that the sheer volume of human nonsense rivals or exceeds the volume of genuine scholarship.
The Humor
The comedy works by taking the noble institution of the library — a symbol of human knowledge and intellectual achievement — and undermining it by showing what a truly comprehensive collection of human output would actually look like. If a library contained everything humans have ever written or believed, the ratio of nonsense to substance would be deeply unflattering. The alt text amplifies this by adding that literary references (themselves often pretentious) and cryptozoology/UFO content would fill enormous sections.
This is a classic Weinersmith move: taking an idealized concept (the library as temple of knowledge) and subjecting it to realistic scrutiny, revealing the uncomfortable truth underneath.
References
- The Library of Babel: A short story by Jorge Luis Borges about a library containing every possible combination of text, most of which is meaningless gibberish. Weinersmith frequently riffs on Borgesian themes.
- Pseudoscience and cryptozoology: The reference to sasquatch and aliens touches on the vast body of literature dedicated to unproven phenomena, which in a comprehensive library would indeed occupy significant shelf space.