The point of 'The Oatmeal' isn't necessarily to be funny. The focus of the work of Matt Inman has always been to get pageviews, and he's notoriously good at it.

The point of 'The Oatmeal' isn't necessarily to be funny. The focus of the work of Matt Inman has always been to get pageviews, and he's notoriously good at it. Sometimes it's by being funny, sometimes it's by finding something that resonates, but most often it's by a certain type of pandering that IMO Inman has perfected. Tesla is the perfect subject for a comic whose point is pageviews through resonance and pandering. There has always been a mythos about Tesla the Geek Underdog in geek circles. Many act like it's a badge of honor to know more about Tesla or to revere him or contrast him with Edison. I've even seen t-shirts like this comic. The subject matter and the treatment of it fit perfectly with my idea of what The Oatmeal has always been about.