sirens-2
Explanation
This comic reinterprets the Sirens from Homer's Odyssey through the lens of age-appropriate temptation. Two characters discuss how, in the Iliad, the Sirens are not actually described as sexy -- they just know secrets and have nice voices. The key insight: Odysseus was probably in his 50s by the time he encountered them, having spent a decade at Troy and more years wandering.
This leads to the observation that the Sirens tailor their temptation to the target's age. One character maps it out: at 40, the Sirens would offer respect; at 30, money; at 20, sex; at 10, candy. For a baby, they would just be "a giant pair of milky boobs with a high-pitched voice." But for Odysseus, a middle-aged war veteran, the most irresistible lure is exactly what Homer describes: truth, wisdom, and context to make sense of his life path. The actual text from the Odyssey is quoted, where the Sirens promise knowledge of all that happened at Troy.
In the final panel, the Sirens offer to "listen appreciatively to thy rambling stories," and Odysseus frantically tells his crew, "Tie me! Tie me to the mast!" -- implying that having someone genuinely listen to an older person's stories is the most irresistible temptation of all.
The comic is both a genuine literary observation and a joke about aging. The reading of the Sirens is actually well-supported by the Homeric text, making this one of those SMBC strips where the humor comes from a real insight delivered in a funny way. The escalating list of age-appropriate temptations is the comedic engine, building to the punchline that what a 50-something-year-old man finds truly irresistible is not beauty or wealth but someone who will actually listen to his stories. It is a joke about middle-aged loneliness wrapped in classical scholarship.