Comic Transcripts

[[Wondermark presents: HOW TO LIE]]
[[Step 1: boldly assert a non-fact, implying it is new information.]]
Did you hear? Zebras are a hoax!
<>
It’s like crop circles! People just <> and call them zebras!

[[Step 2: Invent a mountain of evidence.]]
Harvard just published a huge study, surveying every zoo in the west <> the so-called “wild” zebras in africa.
Every zebra they looked at was just a weird horse with paint on it.

[[Step 3: Sympathize with incredulity to desarm it.]]
It blew my mind too! Apparantly it’s this tourist trap thing that’s gone on for centuries, like a snipe hunt.
There’s some unspoken rule among zookeepers that you just keep the horses painted. Nobody wants to be the whistleblower.

[[Step 4: Frame the truth as absurd.]]
In a way, though it makes sense. What’s more likely, that every zebra individually develops a perfect stripe pattern totally naturally?
Or that some dude just paints it on? Occam’s razor, you know?

[[Step 5: If proven wrong, refocus the discussion onto intangibles.]]
<> everybody knows about <> indicates that that is untrue.
You <> let me be right ever! Always have to nitpick <> I say. When did you get so <>?

{{header: tell me about WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{alt-text: Identifying this technique in politics is an exercise left to the reader.}}

#876; How to Lie transcribed by in

[[Wondermark presents: HOW TO LIE]]
[[Step 1: boldly assert a non-fact, implying it is new information.]]
Did you hear? Zebras are a hoax!
<>
It’s like crop circles! People just <> and call them zebras!

[[Step 2: Invent a mountain of evidence.]]
Harvard just published a huge study, surveying every zoo in the west <> the so-called “wild” zebras in africa.
Every zebra they looked at was just a weird horse with paint on it.

[[Step 3: Sympathize with incredulity to desarm it.]]
It blew my mind too! Apparantly it’s this tourist trap thing that’s gone on for centuries, like a snipe hunt.
There’s some unspoken rule among zookeepers that you just keep the horses painted. Nobody wants to be the whistleblower.

[[Step 4: Frame the truth as absurd.]]
In a way, though it makes sense. What’s more likely, that every zebra individually develops a perfect stripe pattern totally naturally?
Or that some dude just paints it on? Occam’s razor, you know?

[[Step 5: If proven wrong, refocus the discussion onto intangibles.]]
<> everybody knows about <> indicates that that is untrue.
You <> let me be right ever! Always have to nitpick <> I say. When did you get so <>?

{{header: tell me about WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{alt-text: Identifying this technique in politics is an exercise left to the reader.}}

#876; How to Lie transcribed by in

[[Wondermark presents: HOW TO LIE]]
[[Step 1: boldly assert a non-fact, implying it is new information.]]
Did you hear? Zebras are a hoax!
<>
It's like crop circles! People just <> and call them zebras!

[[Step 2: Invent a mountain of evidence.]]
Harvard just published a huge study, surveying every zoo in the west <> the so-called "wild" zebras in africa.
Every zebra they looked at was just a weird horse with paint on it.

[[Step 3: Sympathize with incredulity to desarm it.]]
It blew my mind too! Apparantly it's this tourist trap thing that's gone on for centuries, like a snipe hunt.
There's some unspoken rule among zookeepers that you just keep the horses painted. Nobody wants to be the whistleblower.

[[Step 4: Frame the truth as absurd.]]
In a way, though it makes sense. What's more likely, that every zebra individually develops a perfect stripe pattern totally naturally?
Or that some dude just paints it on? Occam's razor, you know?

[[Step 5: If proven wrong, refocus the discussion onto intangibles.]]
<> everybody knows about <> indicates that that is untrue.
You <> let me be right ever! Always have to nitpick <> I say. When did you get so <>?

{{header: tell me about WONDERMARK.COM}}
{{alt-text: Identifying this technique in politics is an exercise left to the reader.}}

Identifying this technique in politics is an exercise left to the reader.

#876; How to Lie

  — October 2nd, 2012

[ Tags: , , ]       Permalink: https://wondermark.com/c/876/

Buy a Print

Applications open for Genius Northwest – an IRL gaming competition

May 8, 2026 by David Malki !

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.


Recent blog posts