599: Apocalypse

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Apocalypse

Title text: I wonder if I still have time to go shoot a short film with Kevin Bacon.

Explanation

According to Wikipedia, Paul Erdős (26 March 1913 – 20 September 1996) was a Hungarian mathematician who published more papers than any other mathematician in history, working with hundreds of collaborators. In the strip, we see the characters frantically writing a mathematics paper and getting everyone to put their name on it as co-author, before also getting the resurrected Paul Erdős to put his name on the paper. The ALT text mentions Kevin Bacon, a reference to the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon meme, so this strip plays on the idea that all mathematicians are six degrees away from Erdős. The characters are securing low "Erdős numbers" for themselves by co-authoring a paper with him.

Transcript

[Scene of meteors showering the earth.]

Beret Guy: The apocalypse! The skies burn, the seas turn to blood, and the dead walk the earth!

[Cueball and Beret Guy.]

Cueball: The dead what?

Beret Guy: Walk the earth!

[Cueball running.]

Cueball: I have to go.

[Cueball scribbling at a table. Mathematical symbols and equations are above Cueball's head.]

Scribble scribble

[Cueball running, paper in hand.]

[Cueball opening door labelled "Math dept."]

Cueball: The dead return!

Cueball: Everyone, quick, get your names on here!

[People lining up.]

Woman: At last!

Mathematician: I hope there's still time!

[Cueball running.]

[Cueball at a cemetery.]

Rising dead: Hurrghhh

[Cueball finds a man rising from his grave.]

Cueball: Paul Erdős?

Erdős: Yes?

Cueball: We need you to sign this.

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