mercator
Explanation
The Joke
This is a special BAHFest (Bad Ad Hoc Hypothesis Festival) edition comic, which presents an intentionally absurd pseudo-scientific hypothesis in an academic format. The comic features a lecturer presenting a theory about why the Mercator projection -- a map projection notorious for grossly distorting the sizes of landmasses near the poles (making Greenland look as large as Africa, for instance) -- is actually "correct."
The lecturer's absurd thesis appears to be that the Mercator projection is not a distortion at all, but that the Earth itself is shaped in a way that makes the Mercator projection an accurate representation. The presentation mimics the style of an academic talk, complete with diagrams, equations, and confident delivery, despite the thesis being obviously wrong. The final panels advertise BAHFest events, tying the comic to the real-world event.
The Humor
The humor works on several levels. First, the Mercator projection is a favorite punching bag among geography enthusiasts and map nerds -- it is the most widely recognized map projection and also the most frequently criticized for its size distortions. Building an elaborate pseudo-academic defense of it is inherently funny. Second, the BAHFest format itself is comedic: it parodies academic culture by demanding that participants present absurd hypotheses using rigorous-sounding methodology. The joke is in the contrast between the professional presentation style and the completely indefensible content. The comic satirizes how confident academic presentation can make even the most ridiculous ideas sound temporarily plausible.
References
The Mercator projection was created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 for navigation purposes. While it preserves angles (making it useful for maritime navigation), it dramatically inflates the size of regions far from the equator. BAHFest is a real event created by SMBC author Zach Weinersmith, where participants compete to present the best "bad ad hoc hypothesis" in a mock-academic setting. It is a celebration of creative pseudoscience and a parody of academic conferences.