… Actually, the joke seems to be that petty whiny sarcasm is the zeitgeist of our times, and this guy would do it even if his life is in danger and on the verge of death…. I guess.
Two cliches – crawling through the desert an a desert island – have collided. That he’s a) crawling through what apparently used to be a vast ocean, and b) he’s just hit another cliche, mean that his chances of finding water are not good, to which he responds sarcastically.
But I’m pretty sure the cliche-collision is the joke, not the sarcasm.
Is that maybe supposed to be a mirage? The guy is taking it as a bad sign that his mirages are now featuring a lone palm tree, no water, and a corpse instead of the usual abundant oasis that would prompt him to gleefully jump into and attempt to drink sand.
I’m just spitballing…
I vote for KN’s explanation.
“crawling through the desert and a desert island ” Somehow I didn’t even notice that. Yeah, that’s it.
Comics I Don't Understand 
Sarcasm doesn’t show well in text.
It’s post-modern neo-marxism.
… Actually, the joke seems to be that petty whiny sarcasm is the zeitgeist of our times, and this guy would do it even if his life is in danger and on the verge of death…. I guess.
Two cliches – crawling through the desert an a desert island – have collided. That he’s a) crawling through what apparently used to be a vast ocean, and b) he’s just hit another cliche, mean that his chances of finding water are not good, to which he responds sarcastically.
But I’m pretty sure the cliche-collision is the joke, not the sarcasm.
Is that maybe supposed to be a mirage? The guy is taking it as a bad sign that his mirages are now featuring a lone palm tree, no water, and a corpse instead of the usual abundant oasis that would prompt him to gleefully jump into and attempt to drink sand.
I’m just spitballing…
I vote for KN’s explanation.
“crawling through the desert and a desert island ” Somehow I didn’t even notice that. Yeah, that’s it.
Yep, KN nailed it.