Dark humor by Argyle Sweater is an unpredictable ride through twisted punchlines, absurd setups, and hilarious morbidity. In this comic review, we highlight 10 killer panels (some literally) from Scott Hilburn’s legendary strip, The Argyle Sweater. If you enjoy cartoon gags that walk the line between “ha-ha” and “should I be laughing?”, you’re in the right place.
Artist Bio The Mind Behind Argyle Sweater
Scott Hilburn is the cartoonist behind The Argyle Sweater, a one-panel comic strip that lives where wit, weirdness, and warped sensibility intersect. Often compared to The Far Side, Hilburn’s work blends cultural references, science, animals, history, and everyday life — then distorts them with a surreal or macabre twist.
Launching in 2008, The Argyle Sweater gained syndication through Andrews McMeel and appears in major outlets like GoComics and national newspapers. Hilburn’s signature style leans heavily on wordplay, visual puns, and satirical commentary. His themes range from ancient civilizations to futuristic oddities, with a constant undercurrent of irony and mortality. Though he hasn’t won major awards, his strip enjoys cult-favorite status among fans of alt-humor and is a mainstay in the daily funny pages.
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1. The First Electric Guitar… Shockingly Premature
Scott Hilburn rewrites history with a zinger that’s both literal and lethal. Combining Ben Franklin’s kite experiment with the birth of the electric guitar, this panel delivers a jolt of musical irony. The fusion of scientific progress and untimely demise is what makes dark humor by Argyle Sweater such a charged experience — pun fully intended.
2. Carbon Dating Goes Online
Who knew fossils were swiping right? A skeleton browsing online dating profiles is a visual pun masterpiece. The line about a “sedimentary lifestyle” is so hilariously dry, it could fossilize on the spot. This comic is classic Argyle Sweater — smart, ridiculous, and layered with prehistoric puns and morbid charm.
3. The BBQ Beach Trap
In this twisted summer scene, a pig lounges innocently… until he realizes the sunscreen is barbecue sauce and the apple is a setup. It’s a deliciously grim gag — the pig’s fate sealed under the guise of beach vibes. Dark humor by Argyle Sweater often thrives in these sunny disguises that mask impending doom.
4. Hokey Pokey Homicide
The Etch A Sketch crime scene is pure genius. A witness recounts the hokey pokey gone wrong, as one of their own lies chalked out. The cartoon skewers childhood nostalgia with a detective twist — proving even retro toys can become tragic victims in the Argyle Sweater dark humor universe.
5. Lineup Logic & Guilty Rhythms
Police try to ID a suspect using dance moves and 80s lyrics. When one officer references “guilty feet having no rhythm,” the absurdity peaks. This strip blends procedural parody with musical dark humor in a way only Argyle Sweater can pull off — catchy, cringe, and criminally clever.
6. The Buns Dilemma
What do you do with old buns? Well, in this case, exercise them. It’s wordplay with a dark twist — implying the buns are far past edible. The husband’s deadpan fitness advice feels like a subtle jab at marriage, aging, and domestic life — and that’s exactly why it works.
7. Dire Straits: The Welfare Remix
Scott Hilburn turns a welfare office exchange into a lyrical nod to Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing.” Add in baby chickens being given away like mixtapes, and you’ve got a surreal punchline rooted in economic satire. Argyle Sweater blends pop culture with poverty for humor that’s sharp and uncomfortable — in the best way.
8. The Salvation Army Ants
When a pest control guy mistakes a bell-ringing donation troop for ants, we know we’re in Argyle Sweater territory. The deadpan delivery of “Salvation Army ants” is both absurd and brilliant. This panel playfully mocks how blind assumptions can turn benevolence into infestation.
9. Cement Shoes? Nah, Fruitcake
The mob ditches the classic cement shoes for… fruitcake. It’s so hilariously impractical, it almost feels crueler. The mafia setting meets holiday leftovers in this mashup of festive darkness and organized crime. It’s the kind of twisted setup where Argyle Sweater truly shines — and floats.
10. The Rain Gutter God
A modern salesman in ancient Egypt pitches pyramid gutters — and becomes a deity. That’s the blend of lowbrow and high concept that makes Scott Hilburn’s work so distinct. This cartoon nails dark humor through capitalist absurdity — suggesting that even in ancient times, a good pitch could become a religion.
Summary & Credit
Dark humor by Argyle Sweater takes the everyday and makes it absurd, sinister, and unexpectedly brilliant. From prehistoric pickup lines to mafia misunderstandings, Scott Hilburn’s humor punches hard and leaves you smiling through the discomfort. If you love your comedy with a side of “what did I just read?”, dive deeper into the madness at TheHumorSide.com — where the laughs are bold, bizarre, and beautifully wrong.
