pickup
Explanation
The Joke
The comic is a long-form strip about a guy who discovers that using the same pathetic pickup line on every woman he meets -- delivered with absolute sincerity and persistence -- eventually works, but not through charm. A woman excitedly tells her friend that a guy at work keeps using "the same pathetic pickup line" on everyone. The friend is appalled, but the first woman finds it hilarious. Through a series of panels, we see the guy continue his routine obsessively -- using the line at mirrors, at night, through windows. It escalates from "funny bad pickup artist" to "unsettling stalker behavior."
The woman who initially found it funny starts to become uncomfortable as the behavior continues and intensifies. He shows up at her apartment, lurks outside her window, and eventually the other characters become frightened. The final panels reveal that his persistence has crossed the line from amusing to genuinely creepy, with another woman declaring it "the most elaborate, patient, and terrifying harassment."
The Humor
The comic works as a slow-burn escalation joke. It starts with a relatable, lighthearted scenario -- everyone knows someone who uses terrible pickup lines -- and gradually ratchets up the intensity until the same behavior that was funny in panel one becomes horrifying by the end. The humor is dark and serves as social commentary: the comic illustrates how the line between "harmless persistence" (often romanticized in movies) and "stalking" is really just a matter of degree. By stretching the timeline and escalation out over many panels, Weinersmith forces the reader to notice the exact moment their laughter turns to discomfort, which is itself the point of the joke.
References
The comic satirizes the "romantic persistence" trope common in romantic comedies, where a man who won't take no for an answer is portrayed as endearingly determined rather than threatening. This trope has been increasingly criticized in cultural commentary for normalizing behavior that, in real life, constitutes harassment or stalking.