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April 25, 2006 12:08 PM

Science web comics? (wishing for, not a discussion of)

Does anyone know of any web comics that have a scientific bent? Not "technology" as in computers or gadgets, but biology or physics or anything else you can think of.

Jokes like this and this or this are exactly what I'm looking for, but I want more!

Obviously if they're good, that's a bonus.

posted by o2b to Media & Arts (18 answers total)

The only thing off the top of my head would be PhD - but it's more of a comic about graduate students over what the grad students (some of which are not science types) do.

Keeping eye on this thread...
posted by PurplePorpoise at 12:13 PM on April 25, 2006

Sandals is a new web comic dealing with science.
posted by drobot at 12:20 PM on April 25, 2006

There's always Larry Gonick...
posted by interrobang at 12:29 PM on April 25, 2006

I too notice a dearth of these. Not a comic, but in the vein of science humor: Dylan Stiles is a synthetic organic student working for Barry Trost at Stanford, his blog usually makes me laugh. Tongue-in-cheek but not quite overtly humorous is Sexy Science. Sorry I can't think of any real comics, I second PhD Comics, I was hoping it hadn't been mentioned yet!
posted by oxonium at 12:35 PM on April 25, 2006

FoxTrot does science and math jokes quite often. Check out GIS for some examples.
posted by teleskiving at 12:39 PM on April 25, 2006

Check out xkcd "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language."
posted by Deltron3030 at 12:54 PM on April 25, 2006

I think Nukees generally has an engineering bit, but I suppose it is supposed to cover physics as well at some point.

It was (and possibly still is) published in the Daily Cal.
posted by fishfucker at 12:55 PM on April 25, 2006

oops, maybe I should read the orignal post. Imadouchebag. Sorry.
posted by Deltron3030 at 12:55 PM on April 25, 2006

Bob the Angry Flower has Schrödinger's Fridge and Goin' After the Creationists..., among others.
posted by chrismear at 1:03 PM on April 25, 2006

Fleep has a very analytical, scientific main character.

"About a quarter of the strips feature the main character working through various math problems. They are some of the most dramatic math problems you'll ever see in a comic strip. I believe that Fleep is my best strip to date. It is also a complete comercial disaster."
posted by martinrebas at 1:33 PM on April 25, 2006

Try searching Oh No Robot!, the webcomics search engine, for specific scientific terms.

Also, Nature has an online comic called Adventures in Synthetic Biology, but it may be lacking in the "ironic humour" department like your examples.
posted by Robot Johnny at 1:57 PM on April 25, 2006

Not a comic about science in any way, but your request did remind me of the Jaime the Science Friend storyline in Achewood. Also Harry Potter and the Difference Between AC and DC. And the best t-shirt ever.

Piled Higher and Deeper is about grad school, so it tends to be more about 'scientist types' than about science itself, but it may be worth a look.
posted by Hildago at 4:38 PM on April 25, 2006

There's this one dinosaur comic about HeLa cells.
posted by easternblot at 5:40 PM on April 25, 2006

Some of the All Real Numbers comics, done over the past several years by a premed student at Washington University in St. Louis, include math-oriented or scientific jokes.
posted by limeonaire at 6:25 PM on April 25, 2006

Specifically this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one.

Though the others are also good in an academic sort of way—lots of philosophy and gamer humor.
posted by limeonaire at 6:39 PM on April 25, 2006

Just wanted to say thank you to oxonium for the Dylan Stiles link! I'm only reading the current post and I'm laughing already.
posted by rio at 8:16 PM on April 25, 2006

Jay Hosler is an biologist/cartoonist. His work is showcased in his books "Clan Apis" and "The Sandwalk Adventures", but he has some online science cartoons. I think they're fantastic!
posted by JDC8 at 9:27 PM on April 25, 2006

Oops...I forgot Jim Ottaviani's GT Labs. They're more straight comics about scientists, but they are quite good.

Also, Scott Saavedra's Dr. Radium.
posted by JDC8 at 9:41 PM on April 25, 2006