The reason these jokes are related, without getting heavy-handed over preference for either comic, does
not lie in the character design, the visual aesthetic. It's not about the look.
You guys are missing the
big "picture". (pun not intended)
What's related is that both comics seem to share a similar
framework in the joke:
the irony of something that someone
didn't choose, in an Option A/Option B scenario,
would have gotten the person where they wanted to be in the first place.
In Jeremy's comic:
The guy was faced with the choice of:
A) Studying for a test, or
B) relying on a cloak of wisdom to help him.
In Zach's comic:
The girl could've:
A) Had all-knowing wisdom, or
B) Happiness.
In both cases, the choice made did not produce a result as satisfying as one from picking the other option.
The girl should've gone with what gave her happiness, instead of trying to be "smart" and get happiness in a go-around way.
The guy should've gone with simply studying, instead of trying to be "smart" and gain wisdom from some high-falutin magic cloak that would "give all the answers".
They're similar indeed. Maybe not a blatant ripoff, but I would say a synchronicity.
The instant Jeremy Kaye starts getting some play on reddit Zach comes out with a clone of his greatest hit
>really? can you provide evidence of more than one case of similarity, with a
consistent case of Jeremy's comics always coming first?
...also, this is not a compliment, but still an analysis:
There seems to be a bit more moral value in Jeremy's comic.
(This is just what I derived:) ...it seems to say that
instead of relying on fancy tools or devices to reach something cheap-and-easy, the better choice is to just work hard to achieve a goal. (A good grade on a test).
The
device of the "cloak of wisdom" seems to indicate that trying to take a shortcut in a pursuit, such as wisdom, can't live up to one's tenacious pursuit of it.
...The Tortoise & the Hare, if you will.
In Zach's comic, the message I see is a different dilemma:
Wisdom vs.
Happiness.
By
thinking she was wise, and sticking with only wisdom
"...now I'll know how to be happy!"
...she lost the green pill, which represented happiness.
She "lost" happiness, by favoring only wisdom.
...perhaps, in life, there are times when it's better to be happy than to know everything.
Seeking only knowledge can sometimes be a pursuit that wears one out.
A lack of information, though not necessarily "ignorance", can be bliss.
...overall, both comics discuss philosophical stuff. I think both scenarios are good in their own right.
and you shouldn't blindly assume it was stolen or not; no matter which comic you favor. Pointing fingers without really knowing...
...just isn't
Wise. Maybe you should just be
Happy and not care that you'll never really know