Some days you need deep philosophy. Other days you need a pastel-colored stick figure screaming into the void while a talking toaster explains capitalism.
That second category is exactly where Things in Squares lives – a wonderfully odd corner of the internet where everyday life, existential dread, and surreal jokes all share the same four panels.

Bored Panda’s feature “30 Absurd Comics By Things In Squares That Might Make You Smile” helped turn this offbeat webcomic into a viral favorite. The piece introduced millions of readers to comics that are sweet, disturbing, and strangely comforting all at once. Behind the simple drawings and soft color palette, there’s a surprising amount of emotional honesty – plus a punchline that often arrives from the weirdest possible angle.

In this guide, we’ll look at who’s behind Things in Squares, what makes these 30 absurd comics so addictive, how they tie into what we know about humor and mental health, and how to enjoy them without losing your entire afternoon to doom-scrolling. We’ll also talk about similar absurdist webcomics you might love, and share some experience-based reflections inspired by this very Bored Panda collection.

Meet Things in Squares: Sweet, Disturbing, and Totally Addictive

Things in Squares is an independent webcomic created by an artist who prefers to stay largely anonymous, letting the work speak for itself. On social platforms, the series has built a large, loyal following thanks to its distinct mix of minimal artwork and maximal awkwardness. The official site even describes the comics as “sweet and disturbing,” which is honestly the most accurate elevator pitch possible.

Visually, the comics are simple: round-headed characters, soft gradients, and pastel backgrounds. The style is clean and approachable – almost childlike at first glance. That visual softness makes the punchlines hit even harder, especially when they veer into dark humor, existential jokes, or uncomfortable truths about work, relationships, and our shared sense of confusion about… everything.

While the Bored Panda article curates 30 specific strips, it’s really showcasing the broader flavor of the series: comics that feel like someone gently poking fun at how weird being human actually is. You don’t have to know any recurring characters or lore. You just drop into a four-panel scenario, watch it veer off the rails, and suddenly find yourself laughing at something you absolutely relate to, even if you’re not sure you should.

What Makes These 30 Absurd Comics So Fun to Read?

A big part of the charm of Things in Squares is that the humor doesn’t sit in just one lane. Some comics are quick puns, some are morbidly funny, some are quietly emotional, and some are just bizarre – and yet, they all look like they belong in the same universe. That consistency is what keeps readers scrolling through Bored Panda’s gallery of 30 comics and then hunting for more.

Everyday Life Tilted 30 Degrees to the Left

Many of the featured comics start with something painfully familiar: a work meeting, a family announcement, a conversation about breakfast, or a mundane walk in the rain. Then the comic gently tilts the situation until it becomes absurd. A simple phrase is taken literally. A cliché gets smashed into a visual gag. A routine interaction spirals into surreal chaos.

That structure is a classic humor technique: set up, expectation, twist. But in Things in Squares, the twist is often both silly and surprisingly insightful. You might get a joke about being “concrete” in a sales meeting followed by actual concrete blocks as coworkers. On the surface that’s just wordplay; underneath, it’s a jab at how corporate language can feel empty or, well, stone-faced.

Soft Colors, Dark Jokes

The pastel style is a key part of why these comics feel unique. We’re used to dark humor being delivered in edgy, harsh visuals. Here, the colors are gentle and almost soothing. That contrast lets the artist sneak in heavier topics – anxiety, burnout, regret, generational pressure – without making the reader feel weighed down.

It’s a trick you see in other popular absurdist webcomics, too. Series like Poorly Drawn Lines or Strange Planet often combine simple character designs with jokes about loneliness, awkwardness, or feeling out of place in the world. The art style whispers “don’t worry, it’s just a comic” while the words say “hey, we’re all a little broken and that’s okay.”

Relatable… in a Slightly Uncomfortable Way

The 30 comics highlighted by Bored Panda lean heavily into that “Oh no, I feel seen” energy. There are strips about emotional exhaustion, social anxiety, unspoken expectations in families, and the weird rules that govern office life. Plenty of readers don’t just laugh – they comment about how a comic feels like a direct screenshot of their brain.

That’s the magic of absurd comics: they exaggerate reality just enough that you can laugh at it, but not so far that you stop recognizing yourself. It’s a safe way to process feelings that might otherwise be uncomfortable to sit with.

The Themes Behind “30 Absurd Comics By Things in Squares”

Without spoiling individual punchlines, you can roughly group many of the comics in this collection into recurring themes. Think of it as a tour of the Things in Squares emotional spectrum.

1. Work, Meetings, and the Myth of Productivity

Several comics poke fun at corporate life: vague meeting buzzwords, pointless presentations, and the feeling of being surrounded by people who look busy but aren’t actually saying anything. Absurdist exaggeration – like replacing coworkers with literal blocks or inanimate objects – turns those frustrations into something you can laugh at instead of just grumble about.

2. Family Moments That Aren’t Hallmark-Ready

Family-themed strips often start with something heartwarming – sharing big news, sitting on the couch together, passing along traditions – and then twist into something unexpected. It’s not cruel; it’s more like acknowledging that families are complicated and funny and sometimes accidentally weird.

3. Existential Crises in Four Panels

Other comics in the Bored Panda selection lean into full-on existential humor: life as a storm, the universe not making sense, or characters confronting the randomness of existence. It’s philosophy, but with doodles and punchlines instead of textbooks and footnotes.

4. The World Is Absurd, and That’s the Joke

Some of the most memorable comics are just pure surreal chaos – planets yawning, bizarre fantasy contraptions, or strange alternate rules of physics. They might not map cleanly onto your daily life, but they capture a feeling you know well: “Nothing about this situation makes sense, and yet here I am.”

Put together, these 30 comics form a kind of emotional buffet. You get quick puns, slow-burn jokes, little jabs at society, and soft punches to the feelings – and somehow it all fits into the same square panels.

Why Absurd Comics Actually Make You Feel Better

It’s not just your imagination: laughing at absurd comics really can make you feel lighter. Researchers who study comics and humor have found that reading funny material can reduce stress, improve mood, and offer a sense of emotional release. Some work even suggests that comics can support mental health by letting people explore difficult experiences in a less threatening way.

Studies on comic reading and cartoon media note that humor can lower stress hormones and boost endorphins – those “feel-good” chemicals that make you feel more relaxed and resilient. Comics are especially helpful because they combine words and images, giving your brain multiple ways to process a situation. Instead of just reading about a stressful idea, you see it turned into a harmless little character or gag, which can make it feel more manageable.

Other research on humor and mental health recovery highlights how laughter can improve mood, support coping, and even strengthen social bonds. When you share a comic that perfectly captures your work frustration, your partner’s parenting fatigue, or your own nervous brain, you’re not just sharing a joke – you’re quietly saying, “This is me. Do you get it?” When someone laughs and says, “Oh wow, same,” that connection itself is healing.

Absurd comics like Things in Squares are particularly good at this because they play with the mismatch between how life is “supposed” to look and how it actually feels. That little gap – between expectation and reality – is where the humor lives, and also where we often feel alone. Seeing it drawn out in a comic reassures you that you’re not the only one who finds life baffling.

How to Enjoy Things in Squares Without Losing Your Whole Day

Let’s be honest: it’s dangerously easy to open a Bored Panda gallery “for a quick break” and wake up 45 minutes later wondering what year it is. Here are a few simple ways to enjoy these absurd comics while still respecting your to-do list.

Set a Comic “Snack Time,” Not a Comic Feast

Treat the 30 comics as a mini collection. Decide you’ll read 5–10 at a time as a mental reset between tasks, instead of marathoning the whole set while your email backlog screams in the background. Short, intentional breaks line up better with what productivity research recommends anyway.

Create a “Feel-Better” Folder

Screenshot or save your favorite strips (respecting the artist’s and publisher’s guidelines, of course) and keep them in a folder on your phone or computer. When you feel stressed, open that folder instead of scrolling through random social media drama. A single well-timed absurd comic can interrupt a spiral faster than another angry comment thread ever will.

Use Comics as Conversation Starters

Share the panels that hit a little too close to home with friends, coworkers, or family. “This is how our Monday meetings feel” or “This is literally us at 3 a.m.” can open the door to more honest conversations about burnout, stress, or boundaries – wrapped in humor so it’s easier to talk about.

Other Absurd Webcomics Fans of Things in Squares Might Love

If the 30 absurd comics highlighted on Bored Panda leave you wanting more, you’re in good company. Readers who love Things in Squares often gravitate toward other webcomics that balance weirdness, heart, and a little philosophical edge.

• Poorly Drawn Lines – Known for absurd scenarios, talking animals, and quietly deep observations about modern life. Readers praise its combination of silly gags and unexpectedly meaningful lines.
• Cyanide & Happiness – Darker and more chaotic, but beloved for its unapologetically twisted humor and quick, punchy comics.
• xkcd – Stick-figure comics that mix science, tech, romance, and existential jokes. It’s like if your nerd friend learned to draw and then never stopped.
• Strange Planet – Aliens describe ordinary human behavior in overly literal, poetic language. It scratches the same “this is familiar but also deeply strange” itch.
• The Oatmeal – Longer comics and essays that dive into everything from cats and technology to social anxiety and running, often with an absurd, high-energy tone.

What these series share with Things in Squares is not just absurdity, but empathy. The jokes might be sharp, but they’re rarely mean-spirited. Instead, they feel like an inside joke with the entire internet: we’re all confused and tired, but at least we can laugh about it together.

Extra: Experiences Inspired by “30 Absurd Comics By Things in Squares”

Beyond the punchlines, collections like the Bored Panda feature end up shaping how people experience their day. Even if you never leave a comment, you’re part of an invisible crowd of readers who recognized something familiar in these 30 absurd comics. Here are a few experience-based scenarios that capture what this kind of humor can do in real life.

1. The Work Chat That Finally Got Honest

Imagine a team chat where everyone is politely reacting to yet another “urgent” meeting invite. Someone drops a Things in Squares panel about a painfully unproductive meeting, where characters are physically present but mentally checked out. At first, everyone reacts with emojis. Then someone says, “Okay but… this is us, right?”

That single comic becomes a safe way to admit that the team is burnt out on meetings that could’ve been emails. A few days later, the manager trims the standing calls, adds clear agendas, and gives people more focus time. No one prepared a five-slide deck on productivity. They just shared a comic that made the real problem impossible to ignore without sounding confrontational.

2. A Tiny Lifeline on a Rough Mental Health Day

Another reader might encounter the Bored Panda collection on a rough day – the kind where everything feels heavy and pointless. Scrolling through, they find a comic that turns existential dread into a pastel four-panel joke. It doesn’t fix everything, but it does something important: it breaks the emotional monotony.

The absurd twist at the end of the strip creates a tiny jolt of surprise and amusement. That little burst of humor is often enough to interrupt rumination and remind the brain that other feelings still exist. Over time, building a private stash of comics that “get it” can become a low-pressure coping tool alongside therapy, journaling, or other supports.

3. A Parenting Moment That Needed a Laugh

Parents often see themselves in the more chaotic family comics in this set – especially the ones where kids are loud, unpredictable, and absolutely determined to make a mess. One parent might show a Things in Squares panel to another and say, “This is exactly what breakfast looked like today.”

Instead of turning into a blame game about who’s doing more or who’s most exhausted, the conversation starts with shared laughter. The comic validates that yes, this phase is wild and draining. It also lightly suggests that the ridiculousness is part of the story they’ll tell later. Humor becomes a pressure valve instead of a way to minimize how hard things are.

4. A Creative Spark for Aspiring Artists

For some readers, the simple visual style of Things in Squares is an invitation. They realize you don’t need hyper-realistic art to make people feel seen. You just need a consistent style, a sharp idea, and the courage to lean into your own flavor of weird.

Someone who doesn’t consider themselves “good at drawing” might start sketching their own little four-panel comics about office life, dating apps, or their cat’s mysterious vendettas. Even if they never publish them, the process itself can be therapeutic. Research on drawing and comics suggests that putting your thoughts into visual stories can help you reflect on your experiences, reduce stress, and better understand your emotions. Turning your worries into characters can make them feel less overwhelming and more workable.

5. Remembering That We’re All in the Same Strange Boat

Finally, there’s the simple comfort of scrolling through the comments under a Bored Panda comic and seeing thousands of strangers from different countries all laughing at the same four panels. Some share their own stories; others tag friends; some just leave a single “too real” and move on.

That shared moment doesn’t solve global problems or personal crises. But it does something smaller and quieter: it reminds you that your weird, messy, absurd human experience isn’t happening in isolation. Somewhere out there, someone else is laughing at the same tiny joke about a storm, a meeting, or a bowl of cereal – and feeling a little less alone.

Wrapping Up: Why These 30 Absurd Comics Stick With You

“30 Absurd Comics By Things in Squares That Might Make You Smile” isn’t just a click-worthy headline. It’s a snapshot of everything this webcomic does best: turn ordinary situations sideways, wrap difficult feelings in pastel humor, and gently reassure you that confusion, awkwardness, and existential dread are a shared experience.

When you laugh at these comics, you’re not just enjoying a joke. You’re participating in a kind of low-key group therapy session with strangers around the world. The art is simple, the panels are small, but the effect is bigger than it looks: a lighter mood, a little more perspective, and the comforting realization that if life feels absurd… at least you’re in excellent company.

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