I don't think there is a lot to say today. We have another one of Randall's patented "All relationships turn to total sadness and heartbreak" comics, which were pissing me off last summer and are pissing me off now. Some people think the analogy is funny anyway; I say, you can make any anology funny as long as you are dictating the terms of that analogy. In other words, if he had said love was like a T-Rex, full of angry energy, constant biting (sorry guys, i had to write that) and featured on a popular webcomic, that also would have worked, because the only thing we have to base their relationship on is the very analogy that he gave us. It's the same sort of reverse-engineered cheating I complained about in comic 575.
i'll give points to the alt-text for being funny despite that, though the humor of the alt-text only reinforces the mediocrity of the rest of it.
i'll give points to the alt-text for being funny despite that, though the humor of the alt-text only reinforces the mediocrity of the rest of it.
sucked. thats all there is to it.
ReplyDeleteThe alt-text made me laugh, which is pretty unusual. This review is really great- succinct and oh-so-correct, at the same time!
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's like "xkcd is so bad that even though this one is thoroughly mediocre it's good simply because of its context" but this one has absolutely nothing going for it at all.
ReplyDeleteHahaha, nice alt text on the comic link!
ReplyDeleteHell no. xkcd has sucked a lot lately, but a spade's a spade. This one is pretty great.
ReplyDeletenah, the title text isn't even good because it mentions raptors. even if there's a chance randall is making fun of himself, there's still raptors, which he's done to death. and weren't even funny in the first place.
ReplyDeleteEventually xkcd will deteriorate into a single frame comic of a stick man slitting his wrists and screaming "WHY HAVE YOU LEFT ME MEGAN! THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO LIVE FOR!!!", if it hasn't already....
ReplyDeleteAt least there wasn't text after the punchline.
ReplyDeleteword has it aloria got her ticket to the xkcd-a-thon
ReplyDeletealso seriously carl, look into another comment system
ReplyDeleteIS IT TRUE ALORIA
ReplyDeleteYOU HAVE TO TELL US. also, which one is it that word says she got it to?
ReplyDeleteCARL I HAVE ANSWERS
ReplyDeleteThis strip was good, but it let me down. It has a turtle analogy, and a picture of a turtle. I was looking forward to the picture of a brontosaurus in the last panel! There was no such picture. The strip ended with depression.
ReplyDeleteThe title-text was funny. Although I wish just once Randall could have been self-deprecating about his own sex life, instead of his readers'.
What, no mention of how the analogy makes no sense? How is a brontosaurus a "mistaken combination"? I need to know these facts, Carl!
ReplyDeleteanon 8:43, how can a stick man slit his wrists...
ReplyDeleteIF HE DOESN'T HAVE WRISTS?
FUCK YEAH!
ReplyDeleteAloria how much did it go for?
aloria, try to get near randall and ask him all the good question that got downvoted anyway.
ReplyDeleteAnd get a video of it.
ReplyDeleteAlso don't pull a Dr. Horrible and act all tough before asking him about some math problem so you can tell your teacher you got advice from the great Randall Munroe.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the matter, Carl? Too deep for you?
ReplyDeleteAdam: I presume it's referring to the way the name "brontosaurus" turned out to refer to a dinosaur that already had a name, and so officially it's no longer used in favour of the earlier name -- however, it is rather cemented in the public consciousness!
ReplyDeleteObviously we should start writing questions and then Aloria can pick the best 10 to ask Randall
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1: Why don't you stop?
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: How much do you hate Megan?
ReplyDeleteMy love for xkcd is like Patrick Swayze.
ReplyDelete...Too soon?
Question 3: Why are you such a douche?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I agree with the review today. I sure as hell didn't like that strip, but I'm wondering whether it's due to extreme animosity, or if it's because I think like Carl. I don't think *any* analogy can be funny -- that's sort of like that "any joke loses its humour given a convenient explanation" argument I used to use here all the time. What I *do* think, though, is that the comic is extremely dull and wangsty -- the kind of thing I've come to really hate.
ReplyDeleteSup sluts.
ReplyDeleteThe tickets ended up going for $50, and it looks like they may have more tickets available (they mentioned if you wanted to buy additonal ones to email them.) That combined with their extending the auction for a day makes me wonder if turnout wasn't so great.
Planning timmeeeee!
That does sound like turnout wasn't that great. Weird, because I was sure there were plenty of rabid fans willing to spend $100 to hang out with their god-king for five minutes.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, IF you get to talk to him, definitely ask him if he's willing to be interviewed by Carl for this blog.
aloria, get on the irc so we can be excited and plan with you
ReplyDeleteAdam: I presume it's referring to the way the name "brontosaurus" turned out to refer to a dinosaur that already had a name, and so officially it's no longer used in favour of the earlier name -- however, it is rather cemented in the public consciousness!
ReplyDeleteThat's what someone mentioned on the last thread and it still doesn't make sense to call a brontosaurus a mistaken combination. Or, put another way, try saying it this way:
A brontosaurus is a mistaken combination of _____ and _____.
I was almost sure that someone was willing to pay at least $250 but maybe I was overestimating the love for xkcd. Either that or all the people who are willing to pay that much are nowhere near nyc.
ReplyDeleteOr they're all cheapskates who don't care about little Laotian kids!
The alt text was cute, but that's it. I'm falling into the same trap that was mentioned a few reviews ago: I'm becoming happy that Randall has produced a mediocre comic.
ReplyDeleteGuys! If the tickets sell for way less than planned.. maybe there won't be a school named XKCD.
ReplyDeleteThat makes my day.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell, the way the auction works is that everyone bids the max they are willing to spend, and then the top 100 bids get tickets, but they pay the lowest bid in that top 100. So it's possible bunch of people bid something really high.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised, too, because the median income for the NYC area is pretty high (~$48K) and you'd think xkcd fans would all be working high-paying techie jobs.
Oh, and Anon, they said when the auction started that they were going to charge around $100 for tickets before they decided to go with an auction instead, so unless a lot of people decide to donate beyond the ticket price, they may only make enough to cover costs.
Gee, way to immediately ruin my joy.
ReplyDeleteNo, I am saying that they will only get enough money to cover the cost *of the party*-- meaning no or little money towards a school.
ReplyDeleteI've just had a look at the price of the book. $35 for one book? $15 for shipping to the UK?
ReplyDeleteI mean that seems a lot to me.
This is what it sounds like: "Yay! Those Laotian kids aren't getting a school!" ,
ReplyDeleteWhich makes me laugh. But I know it isn't what it sounds like.
...I expected mroe from this review. Such as how the punchline is all messed up, beyond begin one of such "reverse-engineering" cop-outs. Also, why the heck is that turtle there? Is Randall setting a pattern here, first that squirrel and now this turtle?
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'd be willing to donate money to that cause, but with the sole demand that the school will NOT be named after XKCD.
ReplyDeleteSomething like "Hmm, looks like you guys fell short X dollars. I'm willing to donate that amount and help you fulfill your goal, on one condition..."
And then maniacal cackling.
"You must name it xkcdsucks! Mwahahahaha!"
ReplyDeleteHEY ALORIA
ReplyDelete(06:23:37 PM) Super_Sam: all aloria has to do is introduce herself as 'Hi, I'm aloria from xkcd sucks'
(06:23:47 PM) Super_Sam: it can only get better from there
(06:23:59 PM) Justin: Yeah, I think she is going to take pictures
(06:24:28 PM) Justin: I can't imagine what's going to happen
(06:24:58 PM) Dasafrak: Randy will make her fell bad
(06:25:06 PM) R: Maybe she could give him "understanding comics" by Scott McCloud followered by a rude comment?
(06:25:13 PM) Super_Sam: aloria shall not succumb to emotional blackmail
(06:25:56 PM) Dasafrak: I think a polite comment would sting more
(06:25:56 PM) Justin: Like he did with Dr. Horrible
(06:26:01 PM) Justin: I don't think so.
(06:26:09 PM) Person1: actually I like that idea
(06:26:16 PM) Person1: like everyone gets an A4 page she will print out
(06:26:21 PM) Person1: and give it to randy as a book
(06:26:28 PM) Person1: with a letter, drawing or whatever
(06:26:30 PM) Justin: haha
(06:26:30 PM) Super_Sam: xkcd sucks: volume 0
(06:26:39 PM) Dasafrak: ha
(06:26:46 PM) Person1: i think it would be a charming idea, and randy would be happy if we aren't going to be assholes about it
(06:27:05 PM) Justin: What would we even put in it?
(06:27:08 PM) Person1: well
(06:27:11 PM) Person1: a letter
(06:27:16 PM) Person1: some tips
(06:27:19 PM) Person1: maybe a couldbebetter
(06:27:21 PM) Dasafrak: from each of us?
(06:27:22 PM) Person1: whatever you want basically
(06:27:23 PM) Person1: yeah
(06:27:24 PM) Justin: "Dear randy, you suck."
(06:27:42 PM) Dasafrak: More depth
(06:27:44 PM) Justin: I can't imagine what else it would be
(06:27:58 PM) Person1: a modified xkcd
(06:28:01 PM) Person1: a letter to him
(06:28:06 PM) Person1: some constructive criticism
(06:28:15 PM) Person1: maybe a drawing of mr. hat fucking
(06:28:17 PM) Justin: A letter from Willy Huge 224.
(06:28:21 PM) Person1: YESSS
(06:28:33 PM) Dasafrak: Yesyesyes
(06:28:42 PM) Person1: this is a great idea
(06:28:43 PM) Person1: let's do this
(06:28:48 PM) Person1: does anyone have alorias email?
Doesn't the blog kind of imply that it won't be named xkcd?
ReplyDelete"There’s a possibility we’ll get to name the school; I wanted to name it ‘the xkcd school’ because of how confused it would make the kids who are trying to learn English phonetics, but I think they’re vetoing that idea."
Alt text put a smile on my face, the comic was, as you said, mediocre. admittedly, it could have been a lot worse.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey Aloria I sent one to your gmail account re: the paypal.
ReplyDeletePerson #1:
ReplyDeleteUse
xkcdsucks AT altargirl.com
The first brontosaurus skeleton was just a large, incomplete apatosaurus skeleton, and some guy used bones from different dinosaurs to complete it. That's how the analogy makes sense. The alt-text made me laugh at an xkcd for the first time in so long.
ReplyDeletealoria GITCHO BUTT ON THE IRC
ReplyDeletealso yeah i found the alt text amusing.
stocker, thank you for the explanation, as it seems to make more sense. still doesn't quite fit with the way randy worded the joke, though
ass turds
ReplyDeleteGoogle Brontosaurus, and the latest xkcd is #2.
ReplyDelete*facepalms*
captcha is mulsic - almost music, like xkcd is almost bearable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apatosaurus&diff=314100689&oldid=314039876
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of crap we need to show the cuddlefish who say stuff like "If you don't like it, don't read it."
i dunno why they find it necessary to do that. i had hoped the fad would stop eventually; looks like i was wrong.
ReplyDeleteDid any of you notice how on the store page, in the book section, it said about the company Breadpig. "their portion of the profits will be going to help build a school in Laos" Their portion? So he still is going to take his cut, while getting credit for being a philanthropist from the fanboys. Douche.
ReplyDeletehey can I access the xkcdsucks chat through mIRC? Because that's what I have, or is there a link or something I can use to get to it, because I really want to talk on it
ReplyDeleteI have to captcha this, it's experst and that makes me think of this. Randall Munroe is almost an expert at a lot of things, but he falls short of communicating it through his errors that would be solved with an editor, thus he fails to spell "experts" properly and spells "experst"
cam go here
ReplyDeletethank you :)
ReplyDeleteJust like 636, the latest xkcd is a tiny detail from making its point clear. Just put a border between the last two instances of the girl's head and the joke works fine. Otherwise, it looks like she summoned herself.
ReplyDeleteIn other news: Scribblenauts is pretty great and everyone with a DS should buy it. :)
Wow. Today's comic was a really, really, really dead reference. It's just a convoluted way for convoluted people to make convoluted references for the sake of their stilted insults.
ReplyDeleteAlso god damn look at that freaky crouching shit going on in panel one. What the fuck is she doing?
Just like 636, the latest xkcd is a tiny detail from making its point clear. Just put a border between the last two instances of the girl's head and the joke works fine. Otherwise, it looks like she summoned herself.
ReplyDeleteI thought that was the joke...?
HEY CARL I'll write something for the book.
ReplyDeleteI demand that my name be added to the cover.
Nice to see you admitting that you're re-using criticism... Ironic.
ReplyDeleteHow is that ironic? If Randall posts the same comic, it deserves the same criticism, plus "He already posted this." That's what you'd expect. Carl is forced into repetitive postings because he is reacting to Randall.
ReplyDelete"MAN I LOVE SCRIBBLENAUTS. WAIT SOME FICTIONAL CHARACTER THAT LIVES IN MY HEAD IS INDIFFERENT TOWARDS SCRIBBLENAUTS? I'M GOING MAKE UP SOME STUFF THE GAME CAN DO TO INSULT YOU. TAKE THAT ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO ARE INDIFFERENT TOWARDS SCRIBBLENAUTS. THAT'S THE JOKE."
ReplyDeleteugh, randy, that is not how you show the progression of time in comics. you can do that occasionally as a stylistic choice, yes; bill watterson did it. but what you do NOT do is draw panel borders for the first two panels, and then arbitrarily stop at the end.
ReplyDeletemy theory is that he drew this 15 minutes before midnight, and realized "shit! i'll have to put in a bunch of white space for the joke to work if 'pretentious asshole' is going to fit in one panel! Ah, fuck it."
goddammit randy have some fucking respect for your work, you're turning into aaron diaz.
Dr. Horrible, Come out to play-ay!
ReplyDeleteFemaletoth: I thought so too, but the alt-text reinforces that Indifferent Guy is the pretentious one.
ReplyDeleteSide note: while I love that the developers crammed in internet memes along with the dictionary's worth of words, I'm tiring of reviews and impressions of this game boiling down to "Longcat and Rickrolling are in this? I can shoot God?! XD FIRST DAY PURCHASE" Yes, definitely have fun with the inside jokes, but also try out some IMAGINATION.
Yeah, so when I read 637 the first time, my immediate reaction was "So wait, she's the pretentious asshole? Shouldn't it be the guy?" But then I realized... The final panel is actually two different points in time, even though there's one GIANT header at the top of it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, because being lazy and showing two girls in one panel is TOTALLY a smart solution when the comic is about a device that creates things right in front of you. OH WAIT YOU'RE AN IDIOT. OH GOD.
I have no idea where the pretentious asshole fits into the scheme of things. Indifferent guy is bald. Pretentious guy looks like Scribblenaut girl. I just have no fucking clue how he thought this layout made sense.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to quote myself from the IRC and say "She should have summoned Randy's missing talent". That's all I have to say about that.
ReplyDeleteToday's comic doesn't make any fucking sense. At all. What the fuck, Randall?
ReplyDeleteI love Scribblenauts. I do not love this comic. Aside from the problems with the last panel, I believe to qualify as a pretentious asshole, you have to use words longer than "guess". This guy is not pretentious, he is just an asshole. But then, maybe the girl is, in fact, a pretentious asshole. It still makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shitty comic. For a long time, I thought that the girl summoned "Pretentious asshole" and a clone of herself appeared in real life.
ReplyDeleteThe joke would be decent (as a throwaway joke on a sitcom) but the execution is so shitty it's unbelievable.
I can only imagine that these aren't randy's original ideas because I don't believe that someone who can come up with these premises can't turn them into a decent comic.
the forums are too busy discussing the game itself to notice the gigantic flaw in the last frame :/
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they noticed; they tend to gloss over the errors that their god-king makes.
ReplyDeletedamn fred already used god-king
ReplyDeleteokay well i was thinking of xerxes, who has a slightly feminine air about him, but whose acolytes praise him for being a dolt
If it makes you feel better, I used God-King without thinking of anyone historical or something.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this is why I'm glad this blog exists: when I read today's comic, I was annoyed by the two panels crammed in one thing as well, but if I had only had the XKCD forums, nobody would acknowledge that mistake, and instead treat it like the greatest comic ever. I only have to come here though and find people noticing the exact same cock-ups.
Also: aloria, don't be douchebaggy at the Randallothon. You're like our ambassador, we have to show them that we're not angry assholes who want to ruin their party, but people with valid criticism. Also I want Randall to agree with an interview with Carl. DON'T BLOW THIS! No pressure though.
Also what's with the paypal thing? Is there some fundraiser thing to pay for her ticket?
you guys what if aloria is an xkcd fan in disguise
ReplyDeleteI am impressed that Randall managed to make an entire strip about analogies without mentioning sleeping with your daughter or teaching with a condom.
ReplyDelete"Nice to see you admitting that you're re-using criticism... Ironic."
ReplyDeleteIT'S LIKE RAAAAAAAAAIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN ON YOUR WEDDIIIIIIIIING DAY
IT'S A FREEEEEEE RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE WHEN YOU'VE ALREADY PAID
@ Adam September 15, 2009 7:55 AM
ReplyDeleteA brontosaurus is a mistaken combination of an apatosaurus and a camarosaurus.
It's a little oversimplified but it's not wrong. I got that on first read. It's not like you have to read between the lines.
+1 fernie
ReplyDeleteScribblenauts is even worse than xkcd. No wacky scenario you can think up is more interesting in the game than it already was in your imagination.
ReplyDelete@ Anon 7:55
ReplyDeleteI tried saying that in the previous post, but got shot down as it was trying and failing to be something more complicated involving a taxonomic combination.
Actually I just wanted to say, it would have been a greater combination if it was a apatosaurus and a mustangosaurus or transamosaurus. Probably a half-second-in-a-stock-quarter greater combination.
I meant Anon 4:50, oops.
ReplyDeleteOk, my two cents on the newest strip:
ReplyDeleteFirst: really, what's up with that last panel? The whole thing looks like it was put together in a hurry. It makes no sense, and not even as a "stylistic" choice it has much of a point. It's confusing and unnecessary.
Second: The ONLY joke is that people who don't care much about Scribblenauts are "pretentious assholes"? WHAT THE FUCK, Randall? What's WRONG with you?
Honestly? Fuck you, Randall.
Nah, he's a pretentious asshole for calling it a "kids game"
ReplyDeleteEverything else you said is valid, though
The XKCD Forums:
ReplyDelete1. "Is it a game?"
Yes. It is a fucking game. You do not know about it, because the only reason you consider yourself to be a geek is because you read XKCD.
2. "I didn't need to know what Scribblenauts is to find this funny"
That's because you will find any XKCD funny, regardless of wether you'll get it, simply because it's XKCD. You won't get most of them, because you know nothing about their subject matter, because the only reason you consider yourself to be a geek is because you read XKCD.
3. "Not sure if the part about the LHC and black holes in this game is true or not, but if it is, then shame on the makers of that game for inspiring fear in the general public when there already is too much. The LHC will not create a black hole, and as far as we know it is not dangerous in any conceivable way. How about you discover the Higgs Boson when you summon it instead of destroying our precious earth, huh?"
SHUT THE FUCK UP.
4. "So exactly what is this game then? Because if it works like this I might just have to go buy a DS just to play it."
See 1 and 2.
5. "OMFG i've been playing this for the past few days [yeah the rom] and they need to have xkcd in it. then i could spawn Randall and my head and he could get out of it."
SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!
6. "Ok. It sounds like something I could easily get hooked on... "
See 1 and 2.
7. "Also, trying to get people organised to do an epic xkcd order (so far doing 5 people's worth of orders). Yay xkcd book"
Holy shit! FIVE orders? I've never even HEARD of epicness of that magnitude.
8. "This game seems pretty cool. I'll have to add 'buy a DS' to my list of things to do."
9. "Man, I hadn't heard of this game before, so I didn't really get it... Thank you Wikipedia."
See 1 and 2.
10. "I have to say I feel shocked that so few people have heard of this game. I've been anticipating it for months! Come on people, we need to get some information flow in here!"
That's because 1 and 2 applies to the vast majority of the people in that forum.
11. "Whenever a website is referenced in an xkcd comic the server hosting that site often experiences trouble keeping up with the traffic. Will a reference to a video game cause game stores to have trouble keeping it in stock?
If anyone can cause this to single-handedly cause something like that to happen it would be Randall."
SHUT UP! FUCKING SHUT THE FUCK UP!
Fred, I sense anger... hate.
ReplyDeleteFred, I only skimmed (I actually wrote "smikked" there -- TOTALLY TRUE STORY) through the thread and I didn't notice those gems. You're reaching new levels of masochism there.
ReplyDeleteI kinda find it annoying that the guy here is being labeled a pretentious asshole for one line of dialog, which I don't think is enough. Unless the true message of the comic is "people who won't play kiddy DS games for that reason are assholes." which is kinda a lame point and has already been made before.
ReplyDeleteIt would be funnier if the girl summoned herself, cause she is being more of an asshole than the other guy.
1. No idea what the paypal thing. I did get a paypal donation so I could raise my bid, but that was refunded because the ticket price ended up being way less than even my original bid.
ReplyDelete2. I don't think I'm capable of being douchebaggy-- I don't want to set out to make Randall or anyone else feel bad, though it's my gut instinct that not being a gushing fangirl will not go over well.
3. What are the odds that Randall isn't even going to mingle? Like he'll be behind a table signing books and we'll get to bask in his presence for all of about 3 minutes.
Question for RanDULL via Aloria
ReplyDeleteWhile you work for NASA it was one big clusterfuck after another. Now that you're gone they've had a lot of success. Is that a coincidence?
aloria, just take a picture with him and the book, and make sure he reads it. It will make me so happy
ReplyDeleteTell him that a german put a lot of work into making the book happen
You know something? I think that if someone edits the latest xkcd then they should put Randall's picture on the clone girl for "pretentious asshole" and Fred, I feel your pain, I wish I had the nerve to do what you did (read the forum responses that is)
ReplyDeleteDidn't Randall once make a comic that unwittingly made one-line judgments look douchey?
ReplyDeletehttp://xkcd.com/603/
Yes, he did.
Fred: I'll bring the knives if you bring the guns.
I find myself consistently disagreeing with this blog, very much so, but for the next comic I believe I will agree with it.
ReplyDeleteI'm really tired of Randall's horribly drawn text and inability to draw straight lines.
ReplyDelete