Oh you think I'm always so funny? Well BAM how's that for creepy and serious?

These are the comics which aren't comical at all. Don't even try. Some are creepy, some are stupid, some are just random but they all have the effect of basically smacking you in the face and saying "Huh? Huh? Weren't expecting THAT, huh?"

Note - I'm not going to count the very early ones that were just notebook sketches. Those weren't meant to be jokes when written.

46
48
52
82
98
102
104 my god this one pisses me off
All the red spiders
170
223
334
372
383
502

If there's anything else I need to add, tell me.

Did I say web"comic"? I meant web"reference to some stupid piece of programming language in place of any actual jokes"

Every once in a while, Mr. Munroe decides that rather than tell a "joke" in his "comic" he will just talk about how awesome computer programming is. Ok. Clearly he is attempting to follow T-Rex's advice here, wherein we are told that "The more obscure a joke is, the less people there are who'll get it, but the MORE they'll find it correspondingly HILARIOUS!" except that rather than tell a joke, he just makes a reference, which is not the same. Note that this is only a small subset of the "jokes about computer science" category, some which don't even suck that hard. These are only comics where the whole point is replaced by a reference, not a joke. Read them and see what I mean!

292
323
327 - this one really pisses me off for some reason
340
the whole fucking leet series
353
371

WE'RE QUIRKY...AND WE'RE IN A QUIRKY RELATIONSHIP!!! A HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

As you probably have noticed, xkcd is more and more just about how Randall Munroe is in a fun but quirky relationship. They are so quirky together! Just read a few of these comics, and I'm sure you'll agree with my friend when he says, "I just want to punch them both in the face."

83
150
159
201
289
316
333
335
352
355 (both of these are the matter of some debate, and now I can't make up my mind about either of them...decide for yourself.)
358
414
415
422
429
439*
441
511

Obviously this list will grow over time. Feel free to comment or e-mail additions.
And also just because I want to be honest: This post was started on May 27th, 2008, not march 27. But I didn't want it cluttering up my front page.

Guess What? I Am Imagining If Something Living Had Qualities Of Machines, or Vice Versa!

This theme gets old fast. So you can tell what it is. "What if I had to talk to a computer the way I talk to a person? Wouldn't that be CRAZY??" or "What if I could solve a human problem by dealing with it as though it were a computer problem? That would be HILARIOUS!"

175
185
188
189
205
215
218 (not that it's bad in this case - I like this one a lot)
224
233
I'm not going to count 237 because he might be talking to a person on the other end. If it were a computer, though, then it would be on the list.
234
251
285 (also pretty funny)
297
299
312
327 - as I've stated elsewhere, one of my least favorite of all time.
329, but any joke about the Turing test would be on this list so I can't hold it against him.
331
340
350
352
353
364
371 - textbook example of this category.
379
395
413
416
571
612
615
644

DAMN that's a long list. I had a fairly broad interpretation but still...damn.

Like all these collections of worst offenders, I actually wrote it way after the date it says, but I didn't want it on the main page.

guys I have learned about the most insane thing it is called 'sex'

This is long overdue. Randall Munroe is rapidly turning his comic into a sex obsessed weirdo oasis. You know the comics I mean. Just - lots of talk about sex. It would be ok if were only there a little bit, say, in approximate proportion to how often actual humans talk about sex. But it's not. It's like all the friggin time and it ends up just seeming really, really creepy.

Special subcategory: the comics where he has two or more people casually discussing sex as though that is the most normal thing in the world. Maybe he wants people to act like that but as long as they don't (read: forever), the characters end up looking really strange. Those comics get a "N" (for "Not awkward at all")

Another special subcategory: He has this crazy obsession with oral sex, particularly man-on-woman. Those get a a "C" (you figure out that one on your own). (If you can't figure it out on your own, remember that Randy is the genius who jumped on registering the cu.nniling.us domain to link to his comic)

765
751 (close enough for me)
746
744
717
714
713
708
696
682 (not technically sex but well, sex...ish)
674
672
671
658
649
631
613 N
604 C
600 N
598 C
596
595 N
594 N (not sex per se, but certainly a conversation about vaginas, right?)
592
584 C
583 N
575
563
550
540
539 (boderline - but because of "i'm casually dating a number of people" I'm counting it.)
532
514
507 N
487 C
474
457
443
414
403
400 C
355
328 N
316
289
276
275
230
136 C

Anything we left out?

"I am so very caring and loving"

these are the comics that might as well have been replaced with a photo of Randall looking earnest and saying "won't someone love me? I am such a wonderful person." They're preachy, they're annoying, and they really need to stop. This is what live journal is for, and everyone hates live journal.

322

438

471

Ok clearly this needs to be expanded. Like crazy.

Suggestions?

Also, do you guys think 385 should count?

Troubled Romance

It does seem like there have been a lot fewer "nice happy cute" romantic comics and an awful lot more "everything about relationships is saaaad" comics recently, no? The ones that don't even try to be meaningful? And they tend to feature people named Megan a lot, no?

Let's take a look...

698
685
642
636
615
601
592
584
572
561

539
523
513
511
489
486
473
464
458 (I say it's in the same spirit, even if there's no actual couple presented)
449 oh god how i hate this one
445
439 kinda
429
427
420
415
383 what the fuck is up with that one, seriously
379
366
334
240 though arguably there was a broader point there, with the time and date
223
215
128
112, sort of?
104 is creeeeepy
76
58
44

So what do we see? Like with the memes, these started out very rare but are now quite frequent. The first 250 comics saw 7 of this type, the next 250 saw 16, 13 of which were in the last 100. If anyone wants to do further quantifying here, I'd love to see a chart of sad-relationship comics over time (basically this list) compared to happy-relationship comics over time. I suspect they are about inversely proportional. In any case, I worry about Randy. His work seems so...sad.

So tell me - What should I add, what should I take off?

Actual date of posting not March 3rd, but December 3rd.

memes memes memes MEMES!

Oh my goodness did you know that Randall Munroe is aware of the internet? He is! He knows all the internet jokes and sometimes he even makes his own! Below, we have compiled those comics of his which demonstrate his immense knowledge of Internet Lore & Culture and you will see just what I mean.

The real annoying part about these is that long ago, randall even made a comic, #286, about how constantly referring to old memes is not cool, it's annoying.

In the meantime, you may suggest comics that are based around internet memes for me to include. They don't have to be lame - the point is just he does it a lot. Super-giant thanks to Jay, incidentally, for his comment below that got this whole list started.

609
606
550
524
512
the whole fucking secretary series
491
485
482
467
464
442
396
391 - decide for yourself on this one. It could go either way, I think.
351
345
318
305 - not about a specific meme, at least not a real one, but about the idea in general.
299
286, as mentioned above
262
261
256
166
124, times a bajillion
107 - Snakes on a plane was totally more meme than movie
91


SO - what should I add, what should I drop? the sooner you comment, the more likely I am to listen and not fight back! the list solidifies over time, because i am strange like that.

I can't help but notice the trends over time: the first 250 comics have only 4 meme comics; the last 100 alone have 12, as many as the first 350. It's clearly becoming more of a crutch.

Like all these category posts, this has been backdated a few months to keep it off the front page; I started this post on December 3rd, 2008.