45 Imaginative And Funny Comics That Put A Different Spin On Odd Situations

By Abigail T

Step into the world of Maria Scrivan, a bestselling author and cartoonist whose single-panel comics have taken over Instagram. If you spend enough time online, you probably came across one of Maria’s comics at some point. Maria’s comics don’t only appear on social media. She is currently working on comics that feature in national newspapers like the LA Times. These illustrations are impressive because not only are they hilarious, they also tell the joke in one panel. This is perfect for you if you tend to have a shorter attention span and a great eye for catching content as you scroll down Instagram. Keep reading to see some of Maria’s best jokes if you’re in need of a good laugh.

All dogs go to heaven

There is no question here. All dogs go to heaven. In fact, we would like to believe that it’s not just dogs. All pets go to heaven when they die. It’s the most reassuring thing to know that when we die, we’ll be reunited with our childhood dog.

Photo courtesy of Instagram/Maria Scrivan

There’s literally no reason why this shouldn’t be the case. Humanity doesn’t deserve animals and the sacrifices they make to make our lives better. Think of how much better your life is because you have your pets. You don’t need need to think hard about that one!

Yoga for dogs

Two of the most common yoga positions are the upward and downward-facing dog, and they’re aptly named because they resemble the movements of a stretching dog. But have you ever wondered how it would look if dogs did yoga?

For the most part, they would be pros at it. After all, they are the originators of these two classic yoga positions. But they would be hopeless once they see a squirrel. All peace and quiet will go out the window.

Waldo’s existential crisis

What happens when Waldo from Where’s Waldo realizes that he’s missing and people are trying to find him? Well, Maria Scrivan imagines a world where Waldo spirals into an existential crisis. This is what she thinks he would do.

Yup, he would go visit a solitary monk in a cave and try to find answers to life’s most profound questions. Like, “Who am I?” And, “How are people supposed to find me if I can’t even find myself?”

While sheep count you

Many have given out and received the advice of counting sheep to help try to fall asleep. Imagine them leaping over a fence one by one. But has it ever crossed your mind how sheep try to fall asleep?

What if sheep imagined humans jumping over fences in order to fall asleep quicker. We bet you never thought about that! And imagine if that works even when the roles are reversed! We’re willing to accept this as a scientific explanation now.

Cocooned

Don’t we all feel like this butterfly cocoon after almost three years of this pandemic? As we’re starting to get back to everyday life, working at an office again, and hanging out with people in person, many of us doubt whether or not they’re able to function the same way.

We’re sure there’s already some research out there studying the detrimental effects of isolation on people’s social cues during the pandemic. Whatever the results are, all we know is that we relate to how this fellow in the cacoon must feel.

Nine lives

How many photos do you have on your phone right now? And, how many do you have in physical photo albums or hanging in a frame on the wall? Those are just your photos in this one lifetime. Imagine if you had nine lives.

If humans were like cats and had nine lives, everyone would be spending an insane amount of money on cloud storage. We can’t imagine how many million photos we would accumulate over the course of nine lives! There is no cloud big enough for that!

Lonely cacti

Life as a cactus in the desert can be lonely. It’s dry, hot, and there is no life form around except for the occasional bird overhead or desert rat scurrying around. Even when human visitors come, they stay far away from the cacti.

Poor little cactus. Unfortunately, that “free hugs” sign isn’t going to do anything. You’re going to have to get rid of your prickly needles if you want any form of physical touch. If we could, we would give you a hug, though.

Autobiographical

This next cartoon seems to be autobiographical in order to commemorate National Cartoonists Day. Here, Maria Scrivan has drawn herself and her struggles as a cartoonist who often runs out of ideas. We have to say that many of us can relate to this work process.

We love that she’s drawn her dog into the comic as well because having pets around is part of the process. They can serve as inspiration for your art. But also, has anyone else ever stared out the window until they get an idea?

Summer reading tip

Speaking of reading, here’s Maria Scrivan’s summer reading tip. Don’t bring a horror novel about a cabin on your vacation at a log cabin. Instead of entertainment, it’s only going to bring you fear. Don’t expect to be able to sleep.

The Stephen King book Gerald’s Game takes place in a cabin in Maine, where a woman’s husband dies of a heart attack while she is handcuffed to a bed. The horrors in her mind begin to psych her out.

A vast litter box

Cat’s litter boxes are often filled with sand, and potty-trained felines know that they only go in the sand. So what happens when these cats are brought on a beach trip? Maria Scrivan imagines it would confuse the heck out of them.

The beach to cats is just a really spacious litter box with a breathtaking view of the horizon. This cat dad is just reminding his son not to go in the sand, probably because that would piss off the humans.

A cat’s to-do list

Oh, to be a cat with zero concerns whatsoever. Maria Scrivan hit the nail on the head with this next comic. Cats really do nothing but nap, find sunbeams to nap in, eat, harass the dog, and sleep again.

Even with these tasks that require no effort, it’s still too much for this cat. Yeah, it’s a complete to-do list, but we would swap out that cat’s to-do list for ours any day. Except maybe we wouldn’t harass the dog. We’d just cuddle with it.

Two-way relationship

Dogs have been emotional support animals for ages. Their presence alone can increase morale for a person and make them feel safe. Trained emotional support animals can also detect when their human is having a panic attack or another episode.

But it’s not just humans that benefit from dogs. Dogs also benefit from humans! It’s a two-way relationship, and emotional support does go both ways. There’s a reason why dogs are dubbed man’s best friends! If you give them love and attention, they’ll give it right back.

Slug job interview

When an interviewer asks you what your greatest weakness is, what do you say? If you’re too honest, they would think you a liability to the company. But, if you lie and say you have none, they would call your bluff.

This slug chose to be honest. Okay, maybe this wasn’t the answer that the interviewer was looking for. Maybe he was looking for something along the lines of, “I procrastinate sometimes.” But “salt” is not wrong, and we hope the honesty was appreciated.

A dog’s diet

If you have a dog, you’ll know the struggles of losing your socks and then finding them half-eaten in your dog’s bed. Somehow, these canines just have an affinity for socks and other knitted items that smell rather funky.

It’s not hard to believe that the contents of dogs’ stomachs are kibble, leftovers, pieces of socks, sweaters, and blankets. No matter how many times they’ve ended up sick, they will always have a taste for the same poison.

Dragon’s dentist trip

In this next comic, Maria Scrivan imagines what it would be like if a dragon went to the dentist. Maybe the dragon would have toasted his dentist everywhere because he’d have to keep his mouth open for so long.

The look of genuine horror mixed with shame and remorse on this dragon’s face is captured so well. Meanwhile, the dentist looks confused as to what just happened. We’re not sure he’s realized yet that he is badly burned.

Please hold

If you’ve ever had to dial customer service for anything, you’ll know that they put you on hold for decades before you can finally talk to someone. You’d be familiar with the words “Thank you for calling. Your call is important to us. Please hold.”

Following those words would be a snippet of a song on a loop, whether it’s a piano solo or some lousy rendition of an old song. You do feel a bit fooled when you realize you’ve waited for more than the promised 30 seconds to speak to a human on the other line.

Cat motivational speaker

Motivational speakers are meant to have you take a hard look at your life, realize what needs to change, and take steps towards that change. They do incredibly well to motivate people to lead better lives. So, what if a cat were a motivational speaker?

“When in doubt, nap.” This isn’t too bad of advice and can even work in some instances. After all, “Sleep on it,” is an expression that’s often passed around for people who aren’t sure what to do. But maybe don’t take as many naps in a day as cats do.

Pig in a blanket

Many people often use the word “blanket” to refer to the bedding they sleep under. But that’s not actually a blanket. Most of the time, what people mean is a “duvet.” This next Maria Scrivan illustration educates us on the difference using a pun.

A blanket isn’t as large as a duvet, and it usually won’t spread across the bed as thoroughly as a duvet would. Blankets are also thinner, while duvets are actually a thick lining covered in fabric. But pigs in a blanket are usually pretty snug (get it?).

Dog therapy

If you thought humans were the only ones that need therapy from time to time, you thought wrong. This comic shows that we might be inflicting trauma and trust issues on our pets by doing things that we find funny.

It can be funny during catch when we fool our dogs into thinking that we’ve thrown the ball, but we’ve actually just pretended. But that really wears a dog out! How can they trust you when you lie to them like that?

How The Grinch’s Plan Backfired

Have you ever wondered what The Grinch does with all those Christmas trees and Christmas presents he steals over Christmas? He may burn them all in his isolated cave in the mountains. But what if he wasn’t that destructive?

Maybe all The Grinch tries to do is return all the presents to the stores where they were bought. But you can’t make a return without a receipt, though! He’s just going to have to live with those things now.

Flying squirrels

It’s always fascinating to see a flying squirrel. They may look innocent, making you think they’re just normal squirrels. But then they leap in the air, and you’re like, “WHOA. I was not expecting that.” They’re limber little creatures.

This here is a reimagination of what a “flying squirrel” actually means. These squirrels probably aren’t the flying kind, but they’re certainly flying on this airplane! They’re really enjoying being pampered on this flight, and we can’t blame them at all.

Dog pool

Carpool moms usually do curbside pick-ups on the way to school. But a dog walker who has scheduled multiple walks in an hour will do curbside pick-ups on the way to the dog park, just like this one here.

Don’t the dogs look super happy that they’re going to the park together? At least now, it’s not a solo walk, and they actually have a friend to walk with together. We hope they have fun and play a lot of catch.

Throw away your plans

This comic was made in 2020, probably during the height of the pandemic. It captures the state of everyone’s lives and minds and the disappointments we all faced in having to throw out all our plans for the year.

2020 was a dark year for everyone. Whatever we were excited about, we had to put it on hold or throw it out the window. People canceled weddings, vacations, tours, and cruises. People didn’t get to graduate or experience prom. It sucked, and this illustration perfectly captures it.

Pandora’s boxes

Those who are familiar with Greek mythology will know that Pandora’s Box is said to be filled with the worst chaos and destruction the world has ever seen, and it should never be opened. In this Maria Scrivan illustration, Pandora has two boxes.

It’s probably not the best idea for her to open those boxes. We don’t need double the chaos and destruction. She should just return those to the sender and carry on. Whatever you do, Pandora, don’t open those boxes!

A Star Wars Valentine

Imagine if Yoda tried to confess his love to someone in the Star Wars universe. Let’s say he’s trying to ask R2-D2 to be his Valentine. With the way Yoda speaks, jumbling up the words in a sentence, chances are things may not work out.

Oh, Yoda. If only you spoke normally like everyone else. Maybe then R2-D2 will actually consider going out with you on Valentine’s Day. But alas, it has to be this way, or we wouldn’t love you as much. Perhaps it’s for the best.

The Little Engine That Could

It’s always encouraging reading The Little Engine That Could. He’s so persistent and optimistic that he can defeat whatever obstacle is at hand. But, we’re sure that sometimes, The Little Engine That Could just didn’t want to do anything.

Laziness gets the best of us, and sometimes, we’re just apathetic to what needs to be done and the tasks ahead of us. It’s okay to feel this way sometimes, as long as we get back on our feet. Or, in the Little Engine’s case, our wheels.

Cookbook club

We’re all familiar with the concept of a book club. Everyone reads the same amount of chapters from the same book and then gathers every week to discuss what they think. But what if the book they’re reading were a cookbook?

Instead of a cookbook club, it would become more like a weekly potluck, where members try out different recipes and bring the results in for the group to try out. This actually sounds like a fun activity. We might give it a shot!

Zoom background

Who here feels that working from home over Zoom has exposed their personal lives to their work colleagues? You can tell a lot about a person by what’s on their Zoom background. In the same way, you can tell what this witch’s diet looks like.

It’s probably not the best idea to have books about eating children on display as you’re interviewing for a position at an elementary school. This witch should have blurred her background or used a virtual background.

Dog Amazon

What happens when you give dogs control over what they buy on Amazon? What sorts of things do you think they’d buy? Kibble? Dog bones? A large dog crate? Slippers they can destroy without worrying about their owner getting mad?

This dog chose to buy a tennis ball, but thanks to the algorithm on Amazon, he’s being recommended all these other dog toys. You better be careful with your credit card info! The dog might end up spending millions.

Shedding the shell

We’re glad we’ve now left the days of working from home behind. We can’t imagine what it would be like if we were still working from home today. But this comic is reminding us of the early pandemic days.

Remember rolling out of bed and logging onto Zoom while still in your pajamas? No makeup, no effort to look presentable, just you in front of the webcam with a mug of coffee and your bedhead. Who needs the shell when you’re at home?

Couple’s therapy

What does it literally look like when two people sit in couple’s therapy and admit to the therapist that they’re not on the same page? Well, we imagine it would look a little like this next Maria Scrivan comic.

So, just imagine this. Two books walked into a therapy session. They’re currently dating. The therapist asks, “What brings you here today?” One of them says, “We’re not on the same page.” That’s it! That’s the funny joke!

Busy bee

Worker bees are always busy producing honey in their hives. Bees have always been praised for their work ethic and the way that they are on the grind almost non-stop. But, we have to imagine that they would take breaks sometimes.

A worker bee stops work to take a phone call for a quick second. He leaves the hive to be considerate of other worker bees that are churning out honey. And, of course, he tells the bee on the other line that he’s busy.

Who needs a partner?

Who needs a boyfriend or girlfriend when you have a dog? Here are just several reasons why dogs make the best Valentine’s. In fact, they’re practically perfect that there’s no need to even be sad about being single on Valentine’s Day.

Can you think of other reasons why dogs make the best Valentine’s? We have a few. They love to cuddle. They’re always happy to be around you. They’re willing to share food. Perhaps the only reason why they wouldn’t be a good date is that you’re always having to pay for them.

Gonna miss you

At the beginning of the pandemic, our pets were probably really confused about why their humans were at home all the time. But after three years, they’re now used to having us around 24/7. So when the humans start working from the office again, the pets get sad.

Poor dog. He’s probably going to be left alone more often now, which is something that he was used to. But that was before the pandemic. Now, he’s going to be so lonely without anyone to snuggle and play with during the day.

Data cloud

Remember when the word “cloud” used to mean those fluffy white things floating around in the sky? Nowadays, it has a whole different meaning to it. There’s a new type of cloud that was discovered and developed by tech engineers.

Everyone uses the cloud these days. It’s where we store all our documents, data, photos, and music. Many offices are now cloud-based. Imagine what the older generation thinks about people talking about clouds as if they own the natural formations in the sky.

Winter mode

Even when it’s freezing outside, dogs still need to be taken out for walks. It’s always healthy for them to be outside, moving their bodies and stimulating their brains. But some dogs can’t stand the cold and don’t want to go outside at all.

This human is dressed for warmth, but do they not realize that they need to bundle the dog up too? Of course, dogs don’t want to step out in sub-zero temperatures, especially if their own coat doesn’t insulate them enough!

Sled dogs in summer

What if you took sled dogs out of their natural habitat? If you take them out of their typical winter weather into a summer climate, those dogs would probably overheat, so they’d be constantly looking for bodies of water to jump into.

Here’s a way for sled dogs to cool down while also still performing their regular duties as animals that pull people and things on sleds. Except instead of sleds, it’s their human on a giant dinosaur floaty. Same thing, right?

Going overboard

These Easter bunnies are preparing for the Easter holiday. They’re painting all the Easter eggs for the children to hunt down in the garden. But one of the bunnies seems to have gone a little overboard with the paint.

Why stop with the eggs, right? The rest of the place could use a little bit more color and a bit more pizzazz. We actually like the look of the loveseat and the walls. It ties everything together really well.

Frozen thought

This is bringing all elements of a comic into the universe of the panel. It’s actually pretty ingenious and creative! Maria Scrivan is a truly talented artist. We’ll give you a second to appreciate this funny scenario she came up with.

We know of instances where we’ve lost our train of thought, more times than we can remember. But, we can’t say we’ve been through situations where our thoughts were frozen. But now that we think about it, we have been frozen in thought before, though.

Long distance relationship

The advancements in technology over the past two decades have alleviated the burden of long-distance relationships. No more writing letters, sending postcards, or paying insane amounts for a phone call. Now, everyone everywhere is literally a video call away.

Being able to video call makes for a more intimate experience, but nothing beats seeing each other in person. You can’t hug or kiss through a screen, which was what this dog was trying to do! He just got too excited.

Double masking

Double masking with a surgical mask and a cloth mask has been recommended to the public if you don’t own a KN95 mask. But what if you don’t have a cloth mask to go over the typical surgical mask?

This serial killer still wanted to be safe, even though he had planned to come in contact with another human. You would think that a murderer wouldn’t think twice about catching the virus, but apparently, this guy sure does.

Spelling bee

What words would you give to dogs who participated in a spelling bee? Would you give them big words, or would you limit the list to just words they’re familiar with? Walk, speak, food, bone, and kibble would be some of them.

You might have noticed that Maria Scrivan features this dog a lot in her comics. Canines have long been recurring characters in her panels, and they’re always up to the most darnedest things! But, we love the creativity and humor.

Yoga problems

Yoga is a very peaceful exercise. So much relaxation and serenity come from doing a yoga class. You are bending and stretching your body, listening to the yoga instructor, and the sound of your own breathing. But this setting makes it very easy to hear a pin drop.

It’s super embarrassing if you let out a fart during a yoga class because there’s no way you can disguise it. Everyone can hear it in the silent classroom. So, it’s nice to do yoga with this mallard who volunteered to take the blame for flatulence!

The height of humiliation

During the winter, dogs still need to get their walks in. They need to keep exercising their muscles and stimulating their minds. But to be safe in the cold, most owners wrap their dogs up in layers, so they feel cuddly.

While humans would be humiliated if they were caught naked in public, dogs are the opposite. They’re so not used to wearing clothes that it’s embarrassing to be seen in any sort of get-up, even if it is to keep them warm.