* {{Anvilicious}}: [[http://www.explosm.net/comics/2169/ This strip]] manages to be that and the usual horrible C&H wrongness at the same time. Turns out the real monster is bad parenting.
** [[http://www.explosm.net/comics/2012/ This one]], taking advantage of the Depressing Comic Week to draw the readers' attention to whale hunting.
** [[http://www.explosm.net/comics/3224/ And this one]]. As mentioned above, homophobia is an acceptable target for the Explosm crew.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Even though this is a gag-a-day comic, the series of strips starting with [[http://explosm.net/comics/511/ here]] and ending [[http://explosm.net/comics/516/ here]] surely count. They're nonsensical even by the standards of the comic, the [[ArtShift art]] and [[DadaComics humor]] are very out of place, and they are never revisited afterwards.
* BrokenBase:
** The Depressing Comic Weeks. Are they a nice change of pace, or do they not belong in an otherwise humorous and goofy webcomic?
** Season Too requiring a paid subscription to Seeso hasn't sat well with some fans, while others see it as Explosm deserving to make money off the series.
** Joking Hazard, Explosm's attempt at making a card game. Some thought it was great. Others thought it was a cheap knockoff of Cards Against Humanity and that the requested Kickstarter amount was ludicrous for such a game.
* CrossesTheLineTwice: Almost the entire premise of the strip. [[http://explosm.net/comics/3682/ This]] is probably the finest example though.
%%* DiscreditedMeme: Did you hurt my dick?
* EnsembleDarkhorse: Two big ones: Zombie Jesus, and the Purple-Shirted Eye stabber. The Conga Man is a good contender too.
** And now the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPY6lAX9RvM Barbershop]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrsdD2LTWUE Quartet!]]
** El Reverso has become one in the show.
** Star-Spangled Bastard qualifies as well.
** Many fans want to see another return of Ted Bear.
* FridgeHorror: [[http://explosm.net/comics/3646/ This.]] [[http://explosm.net/comics/306/ And this.]]
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: [[http://www.explosm.net/comics/1341/ The strip]] is evidently quite popular in Japan.
* GrowingTheBeard: The Depressing Comic Week strips started out as rather weak, mostly ruined by {{Wangst}} or the simplistic artstyle. Around week 3 was where the characters started to show a wider variety of facial expressions and the writers improved with timing.
* HarsherInHindsight: They released [[http://www.explosm.net/comics/3010/ a comic]] featuring a school shooting about a week before the Sandy Hook, Connecticut shooting.
* HoYay: [[http://www.explosm.net/comics/1546/ here]].
* MemeticMutation:
** [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/conga CONGA]]!
** The clip of the king clapping in Episode 11 of the show has become fairly popular, to the point of him becoming Explosm's favicon. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1421914688&v=s2NQCzJuFH8&x-yt-cl=84503534 Someone even made a 1-hour version of it!]]
** "Fucking soul-sucking bitch" from "The Punishment" has been commented in every video thereafter.
** Nev [[labelnote:Context]] "Nev" is the first name of a Facebook user who, more often than not, appears in the comments of the posts and explains the joke of comic/why it's funny. When he doesn't do this on some comics, other commentators promptly ask where he is. [[/labelnote]].
** [[https://pics.me.me/cnh-election-coverage-2-tom-harrison-jimmy-williams-where-do-37378306.png ARM]] [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2DXTOKg6dFg/hqdefault.jpg THE]] [[http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0059/1872/products/53ca4a3cc893e1ad058096b4b4288edc_grande.jpg?v=1571262456 BEES!!!]]
* {{Narm}}: [[http://explosm.net/comics/2017/ This]] strip from a Depressing Comic Week would have been a lot more effective at being, well, depressing, had there been no dialogue in the last panel, which instead comes off as {{Wangst}}.
* NauseaFuel: The plate of [[spoiler:dicks]] in "Le Telepathé". The Website/YouTube version has it blurred out, but those watching it on Vessel aren't so lucky.
** Also, [[http://explosm.net/comics/3965/ this.]] WHAT THE FUCK?
** [[http://explosm.net/comics/4349/ Grafting taste buds onto your asshole so you can eat your own poo.]]
* TheScrappy: The protagonist of “Oh My Dick“ is quite despised thanks to only repeating one joke over and over again, having an obnoxious voice, and interrupting the anticipated Ted Bear 3 to show off his widely loathed short not once, but twice. And the second time is in slow motion. Many people genuinely believe the only reason his short was even made was just so the show would have an episode that was so hated they could use it as a prank later on for the Ted Bear video.
* {{Squick}}: Too many moments of this occur throughout the comics and animated shorts. It's probably best just to say that you don't want to be eating while reading[=/=]watching any of them.
* ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs: During the ''[[http://www.explosm.net/comics/1005/ Drug Experimentation Week]]'', where all the stickmen were under the influence of a different drug on each strip.
* TooBleakStoppedCaring:
** Being a SadistShow comic that relies very much on KafkaKomedy, many of the strips and shorts can come off as just a bit too bleak and mean-spirited to swallow. Case in point, the Sad Larry shorts; nothing ''ever'' goes right for the guy and is robbed of pretty much any happiness, so it can be difficult to care about what happens to him.
** This trope is also the primary reason why some people hated Depressing Comic Week. It took all the misery and suffering of the usual comics, but never attempts to be funny, just being sad to the point of making the reader uncomfortable.
* TheWoobie:
** Charles' girlfriend as well as everyone in the Depressing Comics series.
** Sad Larry. He so ''badly'' wants to die...
** Jim, who found out that his son is not his biological son.
-->'''Jim's (Ex)Wife:''' It's been days since we talked, and...I just need to know that you're alright...
-->'''Jim:''' Yeah. I'm all right...''because I have nothing LEFT!''
----