Comic Transcripts

[[A lady sits in a chair, holding a fan.]]
Lady: Do you realize there are probably products in this world that have made no one happy at all, ever.
Lady: The person on the oil rig wasn’t happy. The people in the plastic refinery or whatever weren’t happy. The guy driving the truck and the kid stocking the store shelves were both unhappy.
Lady: Someone bought it for a birthday she didn’t want to attend, the recipient hated it, the dude at the Goodwill threw it away and the garbageman destroyed it.
Lady: And it’s incredibly unlikely that there exist ANY products in which every part of that supply chain WAS happy. Someone was having a bad day SOMEWHERE.
Lady: Which means that overall, the net happiness of all products in the world combined is negative.
Lady: We’re living in a wasteland of misery!

[[The gentleman he is talking to kisses her on the head.]]
Gentleman: Well, that’s why you’re here, sweetie. To balance things back out a bit with your joyfulness.
<>

[[“LATER”: The lady looks very anxious. Her friend talks to her.]]
Friend: Was he being sarcast-
Lady: I don’t KNOW if he was being sarcastic!

{{Header: cheer up at wondermark.com}}
{{Alt-text: “This is a serious issue!” she said, to which he responded, gravely and with full eye contact, “Yes. VERY serious.”}}

#762; Another Complaint Stymied transcribed by in

[[A lady sits in a chair, holding a fan.]]
Lady: Do you realize there are probably products in this world that have made no one happy at all, ever.
Lady: The person on the oil rig wasn’t happy. The people in the plastic refinery or whatever weren’t happy. The guy driving the truck and the kid stocking the store shelves were both unhappy.
Lady: Someone bought it for a birthday she didn’t want to attend, the recipient hated it, the dude at the Goodwill threw it away and the garbageman destroyed it.
Lady: And it’s incredibly unlikely that there exist ANY products in which every part of that supply chain WAS happy. Someone was having a bad day SOMEWHERE.
Lady: Which means that overall, the net happiness of all products in the world combined is negative.
Lady: We’re living in a wasteland of misery!

[[The gentleman he is talking to kisses her on the head.]]
Gentleman: Well, that’s why you’re here, sweetie. To balance things back out a bit with your joyfulness.
<>

[[“LATER”: The lady looks very anxious. Her friend talks to her.]]
Friend: Was he being sarcast-
Lady: I don’t KNOW if he was being sarcastic!

{{Header: cheer up at wondermark.com}}
{{Alt-text: “This is a serious issue!” she said, to which he responded, gravely and with full eye contact, “Yes. VERY serious.”}}

#762; Another Complaint Stymied transcribed by in

[[A lady sits in a chair, holding a fan.]]
Lady: Do you realize there are probably products in this world that have made no one happy at all, ever.
Lady: The person on the oil rig wasn't happy. The people in the plastic refinery or whatever weren't happy. The guy driving the truck and the kid stocking the store shelves were both unhappy.
Lady: Someone bought it for a birthday she didn't want to attend, the recipient hated it, the dude at the Goodwill threw it away and the garbageman destroyed it.
Lady: And it's incredibly unlikely that there exist ANY products in which every part of that supply chain WAS happy. Someone was having a bad day SOMEWHERE.
Lady: Which means that overall, the net happiness of all products in the world combined is negative.
Lady: We're living in a wasteland of misery!

[[The gentleman he is talking to kisses her on the head.]]
Gentleman: Well, that's why you're here, sweetie. To balance things back out a bit with your joyfulness.
<>

[["LATER": The lady looks very anxious. Her friend talks to her.]]
Friend: Was he being sarcast-
Lady: I don't KNOW if he was being sarcastic!

{{Header: cheer up at wondermark.com}}
{{Alt-text: "This is a serious issue!" she said, to which he responded, gravely and with full eye contact, "Yes. VERY serious."}}

''This is a serious issue!'' she said, to which he responded, gravely and with full eye contact, ''Yes. VERY serious.''

Applications open for Genius Northwest – an IRL gaming competition

Last year, I participated in Genius Northwest, a gaming competition inspired by the Korean gameshow The Genius and its ilk.

It’s a reality show without the cameras — a 3-day, all-inclusive weekend retreat structured around a series of challenges and puzzles, in which personalities and dealmaking matter as much as playing games.

It’s truly a remarkable thing. I came in dead last in the competition, but I still had a great time participating.

The event is held annually in the Pacific Northwest (hence the name) and applications are now open to participate in the 2026 competition!

Learn more — and apply — at GeniusNW.com.


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