Brain Comics

Brain Comics #319

2026-04-02T14:15:00-07:00

Comic Transcript

Narrator: Meanwhile, in low earth orbit...

A familiar-looking dogbone-shaped satellite floats over the Earth against a colorful starry backdrop. Someone on board the satellite is communicating by radio with someone else out of frame. The second person's transmissions are a bit staticky.

Staticky transmission: And you're sure you're not plumbers?

Satellite: For the last time, it's a dogbone, not a crescent wrench.

Staticky transmission: I knew I shouldn't have had that second can of hamdingers...

"What do you mean the soonest you can get someone out to take a look at it is 'Next Sunday, A.D.'?"

Brain Comics #318

2026-03-17T00:00:00-07:00

Comic Transcript

Brainley is standing in front of a tall device with four inverted bear-shaped honey bottles gently spinning in a sort of carousel formation.

Brainley: Tired of honey stuck in the bottle?

Brainley: Me too! But I've got an easy fix.

The device spins so quickly that the bears become a blur. A bear blur.

Brainley: A CENTRIFUGE!

The entire lab, and Brainley, is covered in honey. The bears are missing; the wires they hung from lay still. Dobbsey pokes his head in unscathed.

Dobbsey: What happened to your little bears?

Brainley: They all failed astronaut training.

We're back

2025-02-24T15:01:00-08:00

After almost ten years, Brain Comics has returned!

What's changing? Probably not a lot.

The original comic ran for about five and a half years from 2006-2012, with regular updates for most of that time. To stave off the risk of RSI, and to free up my attention for other creative works, I ended the comic at that time.

Over the years since then, I added two additional bonus strips, commemorating the discovery of the Higgs boson and the first controlled landing of a rocket first stage after launch.

Flash forward to 2025. I no longer want a comic about SpaceX on the front page of my old webcomic.

Time to update!

I will be posting new strips on a whim. I'm not committing to a new schedule at this time. Maybe weekly. Maybe monthly. No matter what, I intend to have fun with it.

A disclaimer. This is an old webcomic. The kind with slightly embarrassing archives full of old drawings and aborted experiments. There's a lot of good stuff, but also a lot of bad stuff. If you go spelunking, temper your expectations.

Some of the comic has not aged as well as I would have liked. There are two things in particular I will call out here:

The aforementioned SpaceX comic is now under a content warning.
As pudding is a recurring humor element in the comic, there were a number of strips that made small side references to Bill Cosby's advertising work for JELL-O brand pudding products. Needless to say, this has not aged well, and I will not be making more of those references in the future. Since these references were never the full focus of the strip, I have left them intact for now, without content warnings. I am open to reconsidering this.

Okay, that's it. Have fun everyone, wear safety equipment, and don't feed the wildlife unless they ask nicely. Oh, the moose? He's faculty.

Brain Comics #317

2025-02-24T00:00:00-08:00

Comic Transcript

Brainley and Dobbsey are standing in the lab, which is represented, as it always has, as a single line over a plain white background.

Dobbsey: Incredible. The new lab looks exactly the same.

Brainley: Rebuilt to every last architectural detail!

They stare silently at the camera.

They turn back to each other.

Dobbsey: Fourth wall seems strangely intact though.

Brainley: Give it time. It's still missing all the scuffs and laser scorch marks.

The university was destroyed in Brain Comics #314.

Brain Comics #316

2015-12-21T00:00:00-08:00

⚠️ Comic about the first SpaceX Falcon 9 landing

Comic Transcript

An image of a starry sky, and against it, three bright, shining rocket trajectories. Brainley is standing at the bottom, near a projector.

Narrator: In these dark times, it's important to keep shining bright.

Narrator: We do not do it because we expect anything back.

Narrator: We shine for light's own sake.

Narrator: But it's nice to know that sometimes...

Narrator: If everything lines up just right...

Narrator: That light we sent out into the darkness...

Narrator: Might safely return to us.

Title: SpaceX Falcon 9: 1) Launch, 2) Reentry, and 3) Landing

Zoom out to a pillow fort with a sign hanging in front labeled "SCIENCE FORT".

Dobbsey: Are you sure you don't want to set up the projector out here?

Brainley (from inside the fort): I'm still having trouble with any setting other than "blanket."

Dobbsey: Okay, well, McMoosington is coming over to celebrate the solstice, so you either need to take down the pillow fort now or make it moose-proof.

Brainley: This is why we should have invested in carbon fiber upholstery.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled comic hiatus for an important ~~rocket landing~~ additional couch update.

The universe-inna-box was last seen in Brain Comics #260.

Brain Comics #315

2012-07-04T00:00:00-07:00

Comic Transcript

Outside a door. Over the name plaque “Apt-e^πi” there is a sign taped up that reads “Temporary Lab One.”

Brainley (from behind the door): I’ve found it! Ive found it!

Cut to room interior. There is a gray wall in the distance.

Dobbsey: The Higgs boson?

Brainley: What? No. My wallet. It was under the couch cushions.

Brainley: See, it was sitting *next* to the Higg-

Dobbsey: Wait, there’s a couch?

Brainley: Um, yes?

Dobbsey: There’s a COUCH?!?

Brainley: Yes, but, see, it...

Dobbsey: I’ve just been sitting on the floor.

Brainley: I have to admit this is not the punchline I had anticipated.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled comic hiatus for an important ~~Higgs Boson~~ couch update.

Brain Comics #314

2012-05-07T00:00:00-07:00

Comic Transcript

We see an exterior shot of one of the university buildings. There is a large name plaque standing in front of it, which reads "BRAIN UNIVERSITY", and above and below it, smaller and in Latin: "cum in dubium experiri malleus".

A large, bright mushroom cloud overtakes the university building.

Sound FX: FOOM

Brainley and Dobbsey are watching at a distance. There is a large cloud of dark smoke approaching them.

Brainley: Wow.

Dobbsey: I'm glad everyone got out okay.

The camera turns to face them in their normal poses. A chunk of debris flies over their heads. The smoke expands.

Dobbsey: Experiment gone awry, I take it?

Brainley: Nope. McMoosington tried to cook a potato in the microwave.

The smoke begins to wane.

Dobbsey: Ah.

Brainley: I'm a little jealous.

Brainley: I always wanted to be the one to blow up the university.

Dobbsey: Well, I'm sure they'll rebuild it eventually.

Brainley: True. I'll just have to try harder next time.

Dobbsey: So, what'll you do in the meantime?

Brainley: I'm thinking I'll hit the road. Vegas, Los Alamos....Tahiti.

The smoke has cleared.

Dobbsey: Tahiti isn't reachable by road.

Brainley: It will be when I'm done with it.

Cut to a shot of McMoosington hanging upside down in front of the cloud of smoke. His tie is charred and tattered.

McMoosington: It's been a blast, but the comic is going on hiatus! See you later!

Dobbsey (from offscreen): McMoosington, who are you talking to? Are you sure you don't have a concussion?

Brain Comics #313

2012-04-05T00:00:00-07:00

Comic Transcript

Dobbsey, Brainley, and McMoosington are in the lab. Brainley and Dobbsey are on the lab bench as usual, with McMoosington behind it.

Dobbsey: Hey guys, so I was thinking...

Brainley begins to fall over and is revealed to in fact be a flat cardboard cutout of Brainley.

Dobbsey: Um.

The Brainley cutout has completely fallen over flat and is still rolling slightly. McMoosington is also revealed to be a cardboard cutout, and is now tipping forward.

Brain Comics #312

2012-03-22T00:00:00-07:00

Comic Transcript

Dobbsey is on a narrow metal grating catwalk. Stencilled text on the wall behind him reads "LAB 2". There is water just under the catwalk, and a tiny snorkel is sticking out of it.

A crow wearing the tiny snorkel and goggles rises out of the water and looks at Dobbsey, who stares down at it.

A somewhat larger crow appears next to Dobbsey, wearing a tiny howdah carriage. Dobbsey turns slightly and stares at it. The crow in the water has turned its head in the same direction as Dobbsey's previous gaze.

Lab two was last seen underwater in Brain Comics #207.

Brain Comics #311

2012-03-08T00:00:00-08:00

Comic Transcript

Professor Brainley is standing facing the audience. There is a badger on his head.

Brainley: Hi, I'm Professor Brainley.

Brainley: You may be wondering, "Brainley, why is there a badger on your head?"

Brainley: Well, the answer is simple.

Brainley: It's a science badger.

Brainley: It's how you can tell I'm a scientist.