"[a] vitriolic and bitter collection of unwarranted nastiness about a silly and harmless comic."
Welcome. This is a website called XKCD SUCKS which is about the webcomic xkcd and why we think it sucks. My name is Carl and I used to write about it all the time, then I stopped because I went insane, and now other people write about it all the time. I forget their names. The posts still seem to be coming regularly, but many of the structural elements - like all the stuff in this lefthand pane - are a bit outdated. What can I say? Insane, etc.
I started this site because it had been clear to me for a while that xkcd is no longer a great webcomic (though it once was). Alas, many of its fans are too caught up in the faux-nerd culture that xkcd is a part of, and can't bring themselves to admit that the comic, at this point, is terrible. While I still like a new comic on occasion, I feel that more and more of them need the Iron Finger of Mockery knowingly pointed at them. This used to be called "XKCD: Overrated", but then it fell from just being overrated to being just horrible. Thus, xkcd sucks.
Here is a comic about me that Ann made. It is my favorite thing in the world.
"THIS IS ALL I AM GOING TO WRITE ABOUT THIS."
ReplyDeleteI too thought it was awesome.
I can't tell whether the people on the xkcd forums are being sarcastic or not.
ReplyDelete"Clever connection, I must say."
"Anyways, I like all the random connections Randall's been making lately. Well, actually only the last 2 were like that, so I hope the next one is too!"
I dunno, this seems like the same kind of joke as the previous one. Of COURSE that's not what happened (or in the previous comic's case, of COURSE it'll never work), but the silliness is the joke. I guess I'm stupid.
ReplyDeleteGuys. both uses of rings indicate possession. He's making a joke about marriage. That's pretty clever. And well executed.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see that. Kudos, Giant Squid.
ReplyDeleteIt is a reference to something nerds enjoy, therefore it must be awesome!
ReplyDeleteTarget audience, though. And as GS pointed out, it's not JUST a reference. It's an onion.
ReplyDeleteWhen did this become a comic where Sauron can just show up and talk to one of the (poorly) established recurring chracters?
ReplyDeleteAlso, the art for Sauron is bad. Really bad. Which is saying a lot when you do stick figures.
I feel that you're missing the point of this. It's comparing marriage to what Sauron was doing.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was clever.
I don't hate the joke, though. I didn't laugh at it... but in this case it is due to me and not the comic. The alt text ruins it by explaining the joke though. It as if Randall is afraid that someone might not get it, might miss the chance to praise him for this insight of his.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, it's a step up.
Yeah, Giant Squid is right. Its not like he used "ring around the rosies."
ReplyDelete@Ken - I'm not sure I get it. I'm not sure how you read these comics, but I tend to look at the alt-text after I read the comic. So, if the comic is going to make me laugh, it will do so before the alt-text can ruin the comic but assuming the readers are complete idiots (as in this case).
I'll give a pass on the joke for this one (even if the execution is so bad that Randall feels the need to explain his joke in the alt-text),
ReplyDeletebut this art is fucking horrible.
i actually don't particularly care for lord of the rings. i can only assume that for those people who do like it, there was a tremendous rush of excitement when you realized that there's one more member of that tiny, struggling group of middle-earth aficionados; it must be a delight to receive confirmation that there are others who enjoy such an obscure and geeky corpus to the extent you do.
ReplyDeleteYou misunderstand. I read the comic first, and got it, but didn't laugh because I don't care about Sauron. Still, I gave Randall credit for expressing his idea well, and with sufficient subtlety.
ReplyDeleteAfter that, I read the alt text. It caused Randall to lose the credit he had gained.
JOEL
ReplyDeleteBACK UP
THAT IS TOO CLOSE.
REDO THAT PICTURE.
CARL.
Are you serious? You're being frig' lazy! I think I'm gonna call you Mr. Lazy Mclazison, you little turkey!
. . .
Okay seriously, something this bad deserves a review from you. COME ON CARL! COME ON!
ALSO - I think xkcd is in for another significant downshift in quality. This is based off of this comic, the seismograph one, and the R2D2 one.
That is all.
landon: sometimes terrible comics just don't deserve more.
ReplyDeleteFemaleloth: You are going to love how much worse this is than you think. It's not just some LotR joke for LotR fans, it's actually really fucking obscure references to stuff that happens waaaaaay before the books - ask anyone who only saw the movies or maybe 80% of the people who read the books why this comic is funny, and they will not be able to give you a cogent answer. Try it, for real. tell me what happens.
http://hijinksensue.com/2009/12/11/i-am-smeagol-fierce/
ReplyDeletewell ho-ly crap, anon. guess i will have to apend that post after all
ReplyDeleteNice going Randall, Eru didn't even create the Dwarves, that would be Aule. Someone did not do the research...
ReplyDelete@Ken - apologies for the misunderstanding.
ReplyDelete@Femalehoth - One thing to point out - just because there is a reference to something nerdy doesn't mean that its just fan service. Here's how you can tell the difference: If the reference could easily be replaced without ruining the "joke" its fan service. If the reference is vital to the joke, its more than fan service (though, admittedly, it may ALSO be fan service, but not nearly as bad).
In this case, the LOTR reference is *critical* to the joke.
I agree. Lame and overused joke here. But then, LotR is way overplayed, in general. It was a pedantic and poorly written set of books (by Tolkein's own admission) and has long outlived its value to the literary world.
ReplyDeleteAny joke which keeps that steaming pile in the forefront of public consciousness should be immediately censored and its author hung.
And on the next XKCD, the kids from the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe turned out to have gotten the whole idea from that R. Kelly song about closets.
ReplyDeleteThe alt-text is scary because Randall either is trying to say something humorous and completely missing its total relevance to him, or knows that that's exactly how he thinks and is just resigned to it. Either way, it took what make have almost been a funny comic and just sent it down the drain.
ReplyDelete@Eagle: Now that's an idea that's actually funny. I don't know if it would work in a closet, but I'd like to see Weird Al or someone put Narnia into a Trapped in the Closet-type music video (except Weird Al already did a Trapped in the Closet parody, oh well).
ReplyDelete@Giant Squid: That adds another layer to the joke, but unfortunately it seems to be an "emo relationships" layer. This is actually quite disturbing, as it suggests a convergence between all of the bad XKCD tropes. The next comic could involve gratuitous stick figure sex between two quirky people that ends in despair for a reason that only major Tolkien fans will understand.
Anyway, this comic was annoying because it starts out with all sorts of obscure references that would require a thorough study of the books to get and ends with a lame ring pun that anyone could make if they even half-paid attention to the first hour of The Fellowship of the Ring.
The joke was obvious from the first panel. I kept reading, hoping for some clever twist, but no. And the alt-text was the kicker in this shitfest of a comic.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least it makes for a decent goatkcd (the Ring! Geddit?)
711 and 712 are the lowest, saddest shit in webcomic history. I feel ashamed just by having read them.
ReplyDeletePlease, make it stop. Its gross awful.
So I opened xkcd today, and saw the title of the comic, Single Ladies. That was the first bad sign.
ReplyDeleteThen I noticed the...thing in the comic. That was the second bad sign.
Then I noticed Beret Guy in the first panel (along with realizing the thing was supposed to be Sauron) with his usual recurring character trait of having no defined character traits.
All that and the joke sucked too. Plus apparently it's supposed to be "Lindon" even though the comic CLEARLY says "Undon." But it's LotR, and the fans love LotR, so unsuprisingly it is "the best comic recently." Although at this point a blank panel would be a better comic than most of the recent ones.
On another note, someone on the forums says an episode of Big Bang Theory did this joke on Monday. I hate that show so I wouldn't know, but can anyone verify this? Because between this, the sex dice, and the seismograph comics it's like Randall isn't even trying to hide the fact that he just throws together a comic based on what he's seen on TV since the last time he did a comic.
What? How can you people not hate this comic? All there is, is that these two things two things both have the word "ring" in them. If he wanted to make a comment about marriage, he should have made that somehow. Instead it's just Sauron being inspired by the word "ring". Also, he didn't really "put a ring on it", he made a ring for himself, to control them.
ReplyDeleteThe setting for the comic takes place before LoTR, during events in The Silmarillion. If I remember correctly (and it's been like 7 or 8 years), Sauron would have been using his deceptively charming appearance, not his super death knight one.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm confused here. There's a fairly narrow niche of nerds like me who know the events described in the comic (seeing as they weren't in LoTR), so I can only imagine that he pulled the setting for the comic out of his ass as an excuse to make his ever hilaaaaarious "combining two unlike things" joke.
The best moment of the Big Bang Theory makes the worst moment of xkcd seem better than falling in love. It's one of the few things left that can actually corrupt xkcd and make it fall further. Please say it isn't so.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing worse than the Big Bang Theory is the Silmarillion. All the fun of a dry history textbook combined with all the wit of a dry history textbook.
Not gonna lie, I really liked this comic.
ReplyDeleteYes, ring is used in both. But the metaphor works for the entire phrase, "if you like it then you should have put a ring on it" so it's not just a stupid correlation.
Also these two things juxtaposed are funny! The big bad of the lotr epic taking advice from a pop song about single ladies. There is humor there - it's not just two random things.
The comic is overall MEH. I see the joke, it's not all that funny(mariage/One Ring joke, Randall? What's going on on your life, I wonder?), overlapping LotR and Beyonce is just... creepy.
ReplyDeleteJp: he did the One Ring to control the other rings. "One Ring to rule them all" and all that. I'm quite rusty on my Middle-Earth mythos, but I'm pretty sure the people he mentioned in the first panel had their rings on them.
I just don't understand why he'd bother to do the last two panels. Stop the lyrics on 'all the single ladies...' then have sauron saying something contrived like "I'll never have control over middle earth..."
ReplyDeleteEven if this was randomly individually made, he should now remove it as it's already been done by others. That would be really awesome of him.
Since the apologists haven't taken up the challenge yet, I'll try and explain how the Gollum version of this comic is not the same:
ReplyDeleteIt was a LOT better.
3:24 - Stuff like this is always shit. I've had it happen to me but taking it down really isn't an adequate solution as it's an implied admission of guilt for something that you didn't actively intend to do. My personal strategy would be acknowledging it, but keeping the comic up. I.e. having a note that you found out someone had done it. This assumes Randall by now knows about the joke being done before, and I don't think such a note is necessary if it's a coincidence rather than a subconscious thing (i.e. you've seen the episode, forgot about it and thought you had come up with it yourself).
ReplyDeleteThis is one particular thing I don't shun him for, though. It happens to everyone if they just keep doing comics long enough.
I've seen the LOTR movis.
ReplyDeleteI STILL DON'T GET THIS COMIC
WHY DOES HE STOP TALKING? WHAT IS HE THINKING?
RANDALL YOU CUNT.
I don't understand - why does Randal think people who read LOTR will also recognize a song by Beyonce?
ReplyDeleteI didn't even bother clicking on the link to the comic, since Randall, talentless hack that he is, simply ripped off the joke from someone else. Goddamn that man makes me want to stab a small child in the face. IN THE FACE. That's how angry I am.
ReplyDeleteComic unfunny. Comparison between rings of power binding people and engagement rings made me smirk.
ReplyDeleteI had to read the comments to figure out that this comic takes place BEFORE the LOTR, because the contemporary music makes me think it happened AFTER. Also, Sauron would be glum AFTER LOTR because his ring would have been destroyed, so I experienced dissonance in his reaction in the fourth panel.
ReplyDeleteAlso, #711 sucked because (a) it wasn’t funny, and (b) it made no Slurpie joke.
I'm not an apologist by any stretch (I found the God/R2D2 comic not at all funny and found the 11th grade chart comic almost as stupid as those on this blog do), but I will take a stab at why this comic is different from the Gollum comic.
ReplyDeleteTo Sauron the ring as a source of power, a way to manipulate and control the world. A woman (or man) in a certain type of relationship can also be trying to manipulate and gain power, especially if she's following a "The Rules" style playbook to try to "trick" a man into marriage. If you replace Sauron with Gollum this subtext disappears, or is at least changed to one about obsession rather than manipulation.
If one isn't careful, this kind of thing can come across as misogynistic. That would be my tentative complaint about this comic, being admittedly unfamiliar with half of the source material.
I saw the first panel and expected the joke to be "lol beyonce is evil"
ReplyDeleteAnd now I kinda wish it had been.
get it because evil cannot create, it can only deface and corrupt
ReplyDeletejust like beyonce lol
Don't say subtext. This comic doesn't deserve a smart word like subtext. Tolkien was drawing no parallels to marriage when he had Sauron create the rings in his convoluted pre-LOTR mythology. Sauron didn't covet anyone, he just wanted power. Beyonce wasn't thinking of her lover binding her into a dark and twisted world, she was saying don't expect single ladies to be exclusive for your cheap no commitment ass.
ReplyDeleteThe best xkcd is doing in the comic itself is implying that marriage is about control. Alt-tex != subtext.
"sometimes terrible comics just don't deserve more."
ReplyDeleteIt's terrible comics like this and 631 that deserve the most written about them, isn't it?
Oh, and FemaleThoth said, "i actually don't particularly care for lord of the rings. i can only assume that for those people who do like it, there was a tremendous rush of excitement when you realized that there's one more member of that tiny, struggling group of middle-earth aficionados; it must be a delight to receive confirmation that there are others who enjoy such an obscure and geeky corpus to the extent you do."
ReplyDeleteThere are legitimate arguments to be made for or against the Lord of the Rings trilogy from an artistic point of view, but to refer to it as "obscure and geeky" shows you to be willfully ignorant and name-calling for its own sake. The fact is that the Lord of the Rings books have sold tens of millions of copies, been widely translated, adapted into some commercially successful films, and have left broad footprints on the fantasy genre overall. Whatever one feels about the books, I find them very instructive to read for anyone with interest in the fantasy genre in the same way that the Sherlock Holmes books, for example, are interesting as forerunners of the modern mystery.
http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1670
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'm going to keep this up ever so much longer, but this one is just more weather talk. Maybe if you're not English, rambling about the weather is a new and exciting concept. Who knows. Dashed if I do.
Too much block caps in this one as well, almost as a substitute for having anything really to say. Ryan, you need to get back on Wikipedia and find another 17th century sailor to introduce us to.
Also: Maybe not the orange one, but T Rex and the bendy neck one definitely do talk the same, and so do God and Batman (not featured here).
two differences with the gollum comic: As pointed out earlier, the gollum comic isn't making a comment about marriage, this one is. As a corollary, gollum singing "if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it" makes no sense at all; what was it that gollum liked that he should have put a ring on? He liked the ring!
ReplyDeleteSecond, the joke with the gollum comic was somehow a joke about Beyonce translating to gollum in the minds of nerds, something which makes no sense at all. This was missing from xkcd.
In sum, the gollum comic had a completely different point than the xkcd and was so truly awful that it makes me weep with anger. If Randall actually ripped that off, I have no respect for him, not because of the dishonesty but because he reads that shit.
"I feel that you're missing the point of this. It's comparing marriage to what Sauron was doing."
ReplyDeleteSo, the joke is that marriage is oppressive and binding? Why, that is a fresh and original piece of humor! Perhaps Randall will favor us with a joke about airline peanuts next. I have often wondered what the deal with them is.
"T Rex and the bendy neck one definitely do talk the same,"
ReplyDeleteEh? If Dromiceiomimus talks more like Utahraptor than T-Rex.
Just as an aside, I find it amusing how the intellectual value of critisism is one of the rationale's for this blog, yet we end up with posts like this one, in which Carl simply states that he hates it.
ReplyDeletePerhaps someone needs to start an "XKCDSucksSucks" blog.
You must not have noticed, but most of the criticism occurs in the comments to the entries.
ReplyDeleteAlso, an 'XKCDSucksSucks' blog already exists. Naturally, it's a piece of junk - that's what happens when you try to take us on - your world gets fucked up. Or, at least nobody visits your site. Either way.
ReplyDeleteNumber of xkcdsuckssucks blogs: 11
ReplyDeleteNumber of xkcd fans expressing the idea to start an xkcdsuckssucks blog, believing it to be an original idea: 4,421
So let me get this straight guys: this comic is trying to be extra nerdy by dealing with the pre-LotR mythology, but then it gets its facts wrong (good eyes, Jacob, Nate, King Neckbeard)?
ReplyDeleteThat's very funny.
But Randy really needs to do more research when he's looking for material, not just a quick "how can I make this nerdier than just straight-up LotR?". Because look at what he's used for material recently: Beyonce; Earthquakes (considering what's been in the news?); Star Wars; DnD; Die Hard...that's pretty weak.
It's very glib.
Here, Randy, this is how you could do it ok?: First right, fine, you got your LotR joke. Ok, step one done. Now do some proper research, maybe check out the roots of the 'ring' idea. Oh it comes from Norse mythology. Oh Wagner wrote an opera based on stories from Norse mythology, involving elements of that ring story. Oh Wagner had a troubled marriage.
OH!
Now instead of a tired 'nerd' joke, you've got the material for something different, interesting, funny.
Awesome, and not that hard.
There are legitimate arguments to be made for or against the Lord of the Rings trilogy from an artistic point of view, but to refer to it as "obscure and geeky" shows you to be willfully ignorant and name-calling for its own sake. The fact is that the Lord of the Rings books have sold tens of millions of copies, been widely translated, adapted into some commercially successful films, and have left broad footprints on the fantasy genre overall.
ReplyDeleteGOSH I HAD NO IDEA
I could totally forgive the attempt to contrast Lord of the Rings with this pop song that no one will even remember in a few years. I think it has potential for humor even if it has been done before. However, there doesn't appear to be any joke in 712. There's a joke in the alt-text but it's not very funny or original and it's horribly delivered.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a perfect example of how you can have an idea that seems to have potential for humor but you shouldn't actually publish it until you find a way to deliver it.
Randay - WHY IS BARRET GUY IN THIS COMIC!? What is his character supposed to be?! You use FUCKING STICK FIGURES for characters randal. Why did you use one of your extremely few recognizable characters in a way that doesn't build the character up at all and actually screws him up more? How old is this guy supposed to be? Have you even picked an age? Why is he in a bar? He acts like he's a kid most of the time. Stop screwing up your own characters! Just use a damn generic stick figure when you just need a generic character. Unlike some other comic strips you have infinity generic characters available to say generic things without ever having to worry about character integrity and you don't even have to draw them yet you STILL screw it up. Jesus Fucking Christ what is wrong with you???
HEY CARL CAN YOU DO A GUEST POST ON MY BLOG I WILL DO ONE ON YOURS
ReplyDeleteI don't know who these losers are saying that Randall was making an observation or comment or joke about marriage. I wouldn't give Randall credit for being that clever.
ReplyDeleteI think he simply realised that LotR and Single Ladies both have references to a ring. End of story.
hey guys I just checked, and the last time xkcd fans vandalized wikipedia was for the collatz conjecture comic. LoTR, seismograph, polygraph, lie detector test and sauron
ReplyDeleteremain unaltered
ReplyDeleteMy head hurts. Is Czhorat incredibly clueless, or is it just a parody of an incredibly clueless person (in which case, I'm kind of clueless myself for not immediately being sure that it's a parody).
ReplyDeleteLoTR is actually popular? Somebody should start a XKCDsuckssucks blog? Profound.
Sepia,
ReplyDeleteSorry if my points were lost on you. I'll need to remember to use smaller words and simpler sentence structure for this audience. The comment about LoTR's popularity was a direct response to FemaleThoth, who said the following:
"i can only assume that for those people who do like it, there was a tremendous rush of excitement when you realized that there's one more member of that tiny, struggling group of middle-earth aficionados; it must be a delight to receive confirmation that there are others who enjoy such an obscure and geeky corpus to the extent you do."
The comment about LoTR's popularity was an admittedly clumsilly faux-pedantic tongue-in-cheek way of pointing out the difference between legitimate critique and making insulting noises without really understanding or caring what they mean. To work an actual critique of LoTR into ones response would be clever; to make fun of its fans for being part of a super-obscure subculture is just silly and a bit juvenile.
For the record, I wasn't literally advocating an "XKCDSucksSucks" blog; just pointing out that, for someone SO critical of what he sees as Randall Munroe's laziness and sloppy writing, Carl can be a remarkably lazy and sloppy thinker.
"I'll need to remember to use smaller words and simpler sentence structure for this audience."
ReplyDeleteDo you know what 'sarcasm' means?
They got to the page about the song: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Single_Ladies_(Put_a_Ring_on_It)&diff=348946892&oldid=347841665
ReplyDeleteIt only took them 4 hours 21 minutes after the comic was posted to start vandalizing this time.
I'll need to remember to use smaller words and simpler sentence structure for Czhorat, because he's remarkably oblivious.
ReplyDeleteR: I can't resist responding despite assuming that you're being sarcastic:
ReplyDeleteOf course he knows what sarcasm means. He's BEING sarcastic. He's DRIPPING with it. But he responded in defense of his point, which was the target of an actual attack, not a sarcastic one. Not that he did it more nicely or with more justification than Sepia did.
@Czhorat:
ReplyDelete"just pointing out that, for someone SO critical of what he sees as Randall Munroe's laziness and sloppy writing, Carl can be a remarkably lazy and sloppy thinker."
You're saying that in order for carl to call someone lazy... he himself can't be lazy? I don't think I follow here. It seems to me that someone who is himself lazy would be more familiar with it, and more adequately be able to point it out to others.
Additionally... Carl doesn't make a living off this blog. Example: When I go to work, it is my job to not be lazy, and to put in hard work. That is what I am paid for. When I go home and post comments on blogs... I am being lazy and not doing more productive things, like cleaning my damn kitchen. When Randall goes to write a comic, he is going to work, in the sense that it is his comic that puts food on his table. Being lazy there is BAD. When carl writes his blog, he is doing so instead of doing things like cleaning his damn kitchen. Being lazy here is EXPECTED. See the difference?
@Carl: "if you are an xkcd apologist: go! explain how this is not the same!"
As someone who has been called an XKCD apologist... I feel obligated to respond to this.
In two words: I agree. Pretty much the same comic. I see 3 possibilities here.
1. He never read that comic, and it's a coicedence.
2. He read the comic, and he plagerized it out and out.
3. He read the comic when it was released, forgot that he read it and when he had the idea, couldn't recall if it was his or if he had seen it somewhere, so he went with it. (Not unlike the Google Maps thing where PA did it first)
I subscribe to the 3rd theory. I highly doubt anything malicious was going on here. But it would certainly support your argument that Randall is out of original ideas of his own... which I now agree with. I also agree that your idea of a Picto Blog is probably the best way for Randall to go.
I don't share everyone on here's opinion that Randall is a talentless hack. I think he CAN be funny, and that he DOES have some pretty clever ideas... just that they have become few and far between, and that his stupid 3 comics a week schedule doesn't give him the time he needs to flesh out said ideas, meaning even his good ideas are lost in a sea of mediocrity. I have officially been convinced (brainwashed) by this blog. And will begin spreading the word of Carl to all my XKCD loving friends.
Anon 11:47 AM:
ReplyDeleteHave you not heard of the concept "Death of the Author"? (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeathOfTheAuthor) Basically, it says that the author's interpretation of his or her own work is no more valid than anyone else's interpretation. It doesn't matter whether Randall INTENDED to comment about marriage; his comic DID make such a comment.
I didn't think the comic was too bad.
ReplyDeletebetter than usual
Czhorat:
ReplyDeletePretty high-and-mighty for someone who can't spell clumsily correctly.
Guys, I think XKCD explained showed it pretty well: http://xkcdexplained.com/post/438514427/single-ladies
ReplyDelete@Anon142:
ReplyDelete"Thus, the Author humorously reveals the image he holds of himself as a lonely, mask wearing embodiment of evil plotting the enslavement of the beautiful creatures of the world who he views as his betters"
Oh shit, Randall is coming HERE?
Randall plagiarizes most of his comics!
ReplyDeleteAnthony Clark from Nedroid did a side by side comparison of the worst rip offs here:
http://www.randomimage.us/29873.html
i've kind of become desensitised to shock images
ReplyDeletenice try though
Next comic: a crazy, wild-eyed old man who claims to be a scientist sits at his local 1950's bar in Hill Valley, depressed about how his work isn't going anywhere. Then suddenly, somebody walks up to the jukebox and plays R. Kelly's If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time.
ReplyDelete-Hilarity-
1) I've already said, I think it's funny
ReplyDelete2) I don't think the joke is marriage. The joke is that the lyrics of the song, which are meant to be a lighthearted girl-power message, are taken literally by Sauron and lead to his first(?) coming to power.
3) I'm not familiar with the mythology pre-movies. But didn't Sauron GIVE the rings to the races he wish he had made, in an effort to control them? It's not just about the ONE RING, it's about the 9 rings that corrupted the nazgul, etc, etc.
"If you like it" (it being the beautiful races of elves, dwarfs, whatevers) "then you should have put a ring on it" (Sauron interprets the lyrics as creating rings of power through which he can control the leaders of each race).
3) the joke in the last panel is that he comes up with the idea to use the rings (there is a little poppy bubble thing over his head).
Again, I like the joke. Although if it's plagiarized, I would be unsurprised because I think it's better than his usual work.
Meh, this blog post sucked.
ReplyDeleteCarl's trolling is weak, it's time for him to be replaced.
mmmmm, orange juice!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe he'd use such blatant rip-offs!
ReplyDeleteI signed.
I always found the Lord of the Rings to be a poorly-written mess. The writing doesn't evoke any sense other than a kind of detached, measured plod through the story. I have not read any of his non LOTR works, but judging by those, Tolkien was just... not that good a writer (beatings will ensue after I make this post, I know it). I will give him credit for one thing; the man was a hell of a world-builder. The entire history of middle-earth is actually really interesting in theory (and the films I think translated that as well while actually giving the story some pacing and emotion), it's just a shame it wasn't brought to the reader by a better medium than Tolkien.
ReplyDelete"I'm not familiar with the mythology pre-movies"
ReplyDeletePlease tell me you're joking. Or made a typo.
Veslfen: The Hobbit was a much easier and enjoyable read I find. Maybe give that a try if you're in the mood.
ReplyDeleteLOTR was a definitely a difficult read for anyone lacking English skills.
ReplyDeleteIt was more challenging that many of the mainstream books written at the level of 5th graders so it certainly isn't for everyone.
Rinnon: I've read the Hobbit (and enjoyed it), but AFAIK it's not considered part of the Trilogy, correct? I also read one of the many history books (I know it wasn't the Silmarillion, but I can't remember the title offhand) and found it so incredibly boring I quit halfway through.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Anon 3:17- nice job failing at reading what I said. My bone to pick isn't the *clarity* of his writing, it's the *spirit* of it. Everything is presented in the same dull, plodding fashion- from Pippin staring into the crystal ball when he shouldn't (the name of those things escapes me) to the Ents destroying Isengard to Gandalf standing against the Balrog, there's no change in tempo or style or anything. Scenes that could (and SHOULD) be vibrant and colorful and memorable and exciting get the same spirited treatment one would use to describe a half-melted stick of butter.
Dinosaur Comics Sucks: Wow. That really was out of character.
ReplyDeleteI had no problem seeing vivid images of the descriptions in LOTR and picking up on the changes in pacing.
ReplyDeleteVeslfen reading LOTR is like trying to play Modern Warfare 2 on a 386. Brain upgrade needed.
Everyone, Carl is really Randall!!! He just set up this site to stir up controversy and get more readers!
ReplyDeleteYou're all being trolled!
except there is UNDENIABLE PROOF that carl is not randall
ReplyDeletehttp://www.isowantone.com/heisnotrandall.jpg
See? Case closed
( from http://xkcdsucks.blogspot.com/2009/07/comic-610-independence.html )
Beyonce is much better than Tolkein, FACT. The comic offends me by comparing the two.
ReplyDeletelol goatse.cx
ReplyDeleteWell, Beyonce's boobs are better
ReplyDeleteWhy do people say that image is proof? That would be easy as hell to fake.
ReplyDeleteThat kind of lame attempt at proof makes me think that Carl might actually be Randall.
@Veslfen: That's correct. Hobbit is not a part of the trilogy. I wasn't suggesting you read it in defense of LOTR, more in defense of Tolkien as a writer. Fact is, Hobbit was written after LOTR, which I think shows that Tolkien did improve as a writer. I find Hobbit, while a little bit less heavy, was a more entertaining and more complete story. Pacing wasn't as rough, and the language wasn't as boring in some parts.
ReplyDeletehobbit came first dude
ReplyDeleteGUYS what we are forgetting is that LOTR is a decent-to-good CHILDRENS STORY.
ReplyDeleteEven though we aren't really because children deserve good things too.
ReplyDeleteYou win this round Rob. But I'll be back! To provide FURTHER misinformation to unsuspecting readers!
ReplyDeleteYou are of course correct. I had been living my life under the misconception that the Hobbit was written as a prequel to LOTR. I just looked it up, and you're right. Thank you for pointing that out to me.
I suppose that completely invalidates my point as well.
I don't know if I buy the argument that LOTR is a kids book. I mean, the reading level is around grade 7 to 9 isn't it? I don't know if I call that a kids book personally, but that's just me.
+10 points to Randall for semi-decent dialogue
ReplyDelete+5 for no PPD
-50 points for spelling out the joke in the alt text
Carl's been sucking lately
ReplyDeleteI disagree. I think today's dinosaur comics somewhat redeems yesterdays. This comic thread wasn't really about bike rides and ice cream rocking our socks off. It is about the perennial debate over whether nice weather needs to be tempered with bad weather to maximize the hedonistic integral.
ReplyDeleteI, having moved to the coast to escape the bitter cold of winter, would tend to agree with T-Rex that a requirement for cyclical seasons is just a way for those who deal with extreme weather to justify their miserable choice of residence. Regardless of your view, however, we can all agree that bike and ice cream rock!
I haven't read a posthumously published LoTR prequel.
ReplyDeleteI don't recognize songs by Beyonce.
This must mean that I am not in xkcd's target audience, but in this case I am pretty sure that is a good thing.
BUT WHO WILL WATCH THE WATCHMEN THEMSELVES?
ReplyDeleteme
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the comic, but my response to your alleged joke thievery is this:
ReplyDeleteB^U
@FemaleHoth - You made one comment, and have received a few criticisms. So far your response to these criticisms has been horrendous. Care to actually respond to them?
ReplyDeletehaha. ha
ReplyDeleteHoly shit. This comic occurs BEFORE LotR.
ReplyDeleteI JUST got that.
I really don't see what that screenshot is trying to prove - any monkey could sit at a computer and count numbers while signed in as Carl. Not that I think Carl and Randall are the same person, mind you. I just think that's a really crap attempt at proving it.
ReplyDeleteI've spoken to randall. I said "Hey Carl" and he said "Hi". What more proof do you need?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1671
ReplyDeleteAaargh. Ooh. The alt text admits that the starting premise for this comic doesn't even work, so the whole thing makes no sense from the get-go. Does that matter? Well, I imagine it would matter to Carl if XKCD did it.
"How is this even close to a good idea?" asks the orange dino. Good question my smart-alec friend, and the answer is: it isn't one. However, instead of coming up with another, better idea, Dinosaur Comics presses on with the rubbish idea and tries to make the fact that it's rubbish be the point of the comic. This is the same strategy used 100% of the time by all T4 presenters and presenteresses (shame they have no presenterkapows) and it has become very tired.
Maybe they don't get T4 in Canada. I know Canada is a utopia but I find it hard to believe that the smug-presenter-with-knowingly-bad-link-wink-wink-ho-ho is a completely unknown phenomenon over there.
geeze guys if it pisses you off so much than JUST DON'T READ IT!
ReplyDeleteOkay. Stop quoting it all over the Internet and ruining my culture, you fuck.
ReplyDelete@Anon 6:05: You know, you're actually the first person to come to this site and suggest that. You.... you are right, I'm going to just stop reading xkcd and live a satisfying, long life.
ReplyDelete@FemaleHoth - You made one comment, and have received a few criticisms. So far your response to these criticisms has been horrendous. Care to actually respond to them
ReplyDeleteEveryone's response to my comment has been equally horrendous. I have no desire to respond to retards.
New chainsawsuit made me smile
So today's chainsawsuit - pretty much a direct jab at XKCD.
ReplyDeleteOh, and to the anon who keeps posting the Tubgirl - what are you, 13 years old (don't answer that, it's rhetorical)? This ain't Youtube, we're not retarded.
Goddamnit Fem, ya beat be to the punch!
ReplyDeleteHey guys, is the irc channel still alive?
ReplyDeleteWow, the Sauron art in this comic is hideous.
ReplyDeleteyou mean #xkcd-sucks ? yeah
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha, this entire site revolves around a comic aimed at nerds. What level of loser do you have to be to make something like that?
ReplyDeleteDry those tears, man
ReplyDeleteDRY THOSE TEARS
@Ian
ReplyDeleteYou're a liar. You SHOULD just stop reading something you don't like and go live your life like a normal person but INSTEAD you're going to endlessly obsess about it like all the other losers here.
kinda like how you didn't read this blog
ReplyDeleteanon, i know you're probably bawwing your eyes out right now because someone insulted your god, but think before you post
ReplyDeletewhat the fuck is T4?
ReplyDeleteOooh, R sounds SENSITIVE. You must be mad that someone's laughing at you right now.
ReplyDeleteI like reading this blog. I don't get to laugh at so many dorks at once in the real world. Normally, gatherings like this only happen at comic book conventions.
What's so funny is that xkcd is totally nerdy but you guys are even worse! Ha ha ha
I like reading XKCD. I don't get to laugh at such a terrible writer anywhere in the real world. Normally, you can only find such terrible writing in an intro-level creative writing course.
ReplyDeleteWhat's so funny is that xkcd is totally clueless but you cuddlefish are even worse! Ha ha ha
People like Rob and Carl are the funniest. What level of loser do you have to be to actually obsess about a stupid webcomic and have your own blog about it?
ReplyDeleteThe same kind that goes to bad movie nights and writes a blog about bad movies, I guess?
ReplyDeleteWhat is so hard about owning a blog? It's a fucking blogspot. It's not like it requires effort or even commitment.
"Oooh, R sounds SENSITIVE. You must be mad that someone's laughing at you right now."
ReplyDeleteI just find idiots amusing :)
Like yappy chiuauas
So the reason your blog sucks is that you don't put any commitment into it? I don't believe you.
ReplyDeleteIt's something creative and people put work into creative stuff because when they look back at what they've created they see a part of them on the screen.
It's interesting that your creative works are obsessive and weird.
"anyway, “code of hammurabi” shirts, $48"
ReplyDeletethis was the best part
No, the reason you think it sucks is you're a slavering XKCD fanboy who can't comprehend the notion that people are capable of disagreeing with them and writing about that disagreement without being obsessive or moronic.
ReplyDeleteit is like arguing with a teenager
ReplyDeleteplease continue
No, R. You like this blog and get offended when people insult it.
ReplyDeleteThin-skinned troll is sad.
Project, much?
ReplyDeleteMe = Not you
ReplyDeleteFortunately
No, a lot of xkcd comics suck. That's not the point.
ReplyDeleteThe point is setting up a blog that revolves around that comic is sad. It's as sad as those people who go on about how much they love xkcd. There's no difference between you and them, you're both obsessing over a stupid, pointless little comic.
No normal person would do what you've done.
am i really getting given advice by a 13 year old
ReplyDeletedelicious
And commenting anonymously on the blog concern trolling is perfectly healthy, not weird and obsessive at all, and indicative of a well-adjusted individual?
ReplyDeleteSo what do you think of bad movie nights?
(You might want a better word than "normal." Normal implies that there's a virtue in being like the teeming masses of stupidity that make up the world.)
While I generally imagine Carl as sitting in a house full of vandalized pictures of Randall and XKCD prints with darts in them and "XKCD SUCKS" written on the walls in his own bodily fluids, if Rob obsesses about anything that we can all be aware of, it's obviously that semi-creepy micro-fiction.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Blood struck me the same sort of way that that xkcd about rules for walking on floor tiles struck me so, um, thanks for making me scared of myself a little.
ehehehehe do you want to taste fluids now
ReplyDeleteI live in my mom's basement, have a 3 inch dick, a face that scares children and worst of all, post in the comments section of xkcdsucks.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a weirdo for posting on this blog. What's so fun is fucking with all of you who don't realize how stupid this all is.
Except it just makes you come off as dumb. Like, I'm not trying to be mean here, but I really couldn't possibly care less what some anonymous troll thinks of my life based on the fact that I write for XKCD Sucks. Acting like your (incredibly tired and played-out) attacks are somehow clever or efficacious really just makes you seem like a moron.
ReplyDeleteBut you never answered my question.
C'mon, you can't be upset. There's a reason us hate-filled assholes are over here and not posting with the sheep on xkcd forums. All that mushy, 'Randal you're so great' shit makes me sick.
ReplyDeleteThis is a troll blog for trolls. The loserness makes it perfect.
Hate in, hate out. It's the circle of life. Hakuna matata. Can you feel the love tonight?
Oh, Rob. Lets stop this fighting. It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you. And can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are. It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer that we got this far. And can you feel the love tonight; how it's laid to rest? It's enough to make kings and vagabonds believe the very best.
ReplyDeletePLEASE DON'T FEEL MY FLAAAAAB TONIGHT
ReplyDeleteIt's enough for this one-eyed monster
ReplyDeleteThat I got it in this far
Everybody here is a douche bag, because my penis is small.
ReplyDeleteGuys did you know that Randall Munroe is going to start a cult that will try to bring about the end of the world and fail miserably? I should know it came to me in a dream.
ReplyDelete@Rob: I will be taking over for FluidAnon, as he shall now be known, and answer your question.
ReplyDelete*falsetto*
Bad movie nights are different! The point of those is to get together with your FRIENDS (something you might not be familiar with) so that you can have a fun night! The movie isn't central to the night, it's the gathering! It could have been about anything at all! Where as HERE, everyone is obsessively talking about how much something sucks to the exclusion of anything else, with a bunch of people they've never met! It's like a big circle jerk via the internet!
It's true, Randall/Carl is starting a cult; he is the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard. We must fight him!
ReplyDeleteLol talk about wacky comments
ReplyDeleteI think we should all just hug and go for pints
ReplyDeleteHow the hell did the thread for this comic on the xkcd forums devolve into an argument about common law marriage and a philosophical debate about marriage and marriage law?
ReplyDeleteCapta: moomenis. that is all.
Wow, those nondescript stick figures sure showed those advertisers. By getting the ads that they are looking at to read something slightly different. Or something.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone tries to say that the art in the first panel is good, or impressive, I will be very testy. It's a tolerable drawing of the ISS, overwhelmed by a shitty blue gradient that's probably supposed to represent the Earth.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell if there's a joke in there or not; I suspect there is, and I just can't suss it out because I don't know well enough how banner ads tell where you live.
I think Randall's new angle is to draw better-than-average-Randall artwork in order to calm the haters who think he has no joke.
ReplyDelete'Cause seriously, everyone keeps saying that "Man, this joke was terrible, at least the art is alright."
Listen up, artwork never saves the comic. If Randall drew picture-perfect caricatures of humans in what he calls his latest comics, it would still suck. Artwork, no matter the detail, isn't a saving grace, it's a given.
goatkcd 713 is gonna be excellent
ReplyDeletebiblequizzingwebsite.com had 713 on it about half an hour before xkcd did, just like with the R2D2 cartoon. I think it's just an alternate domain Randall uses to make sure stuff isn't broken before he updates.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget about "XKCD Could Be Better" :(
ReplyDeletethanks to the people of xkcdsucks i really came to appreciate the work of randall again. thank you for that!
ReplyDeletenow you may go on with your pathetic little blog.
see you never again! :)
man anon @11:00 sure showed us. we should stop this immediately, guys.
ReplyDeleteI don't really get the new one. They say they're doing this to mess with the advertisers but...I mean it's not like the ad stores the location and uses it in other places. The only ones seeing that ad are those guys in the comic so...how are they messing with the advertisers?
ReplyDeleteI assume the joke is "Ha ha those girls can't possibly be in space so therefore they're not local!" which isn't really a good joke and still doesn't qualify as messing with the advertisers that I can see.
@FemaleHoth - Seriously? You don't think there's anything in the points brought up that the LOTR reference is not *pure* fan service? There's been two points:
ReplyDelete1) LOTR is critical to this joke.
2) Since LOTR is popular, nerds won't be happy that finally their particular obsession is getting recognition in XKCD.
Note: I did see Carl's point about how there are obscure references here. I'm of two minds on this. Again, it is necessary to have at least some of these references to set the context within the LOTR universe. You could argue that there are too many references which brings it into the fan service category, but I'd say that the way Sauron was ranting in a depressed way is what sets up the joke.
Also, I'm not defending the joke itself, but attacking your point.
Something about tricking your fellow astronaut into watching a shock site tickles my funny bone. That's all I want to say about today's goatkcd.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, its cheap rip-off "xkcd" wasn't as witty. I think it's not the first time he used "hot singles in your area" ads as a source of humor. Or "your mom's basement" for that matter. Also, I'm not sure that the Earth-based computer that is used to connect ISS to the Internet has unique IP. That would unnecessarily expose it to external attacks. Most likely it is hidden deep within NASA's local network.
Although the reference to Lindon is obscure, you don't need to actually remember it. It's still so easy to figure out from context the important thing - that we're far enough back in the timeline that this joke can be about Sauron getting the ring idea for the first time. And even if you don't figure that out, it's easy to just go "oh, he says that's Sauron, so it's got something to do with LOTR... oh, RING on it! Ha ha, I get it!"
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind Randall's "fanservice" jokes so much if they actually DID take some work to get! So here's what would have made this really nerdy and thus possibly more worth the effort of remembering this Beyonce earworm:
Instead of awful stick Sauron, have a "pretty" stick figure with wavy hair or something. Then have Beret Guy address him as Annatar instead of Sauron, so it's not all so bloody obvious.
Now, even though the "put a ring on it" line is broadcast from panel 1, unless you remember off the top of your head who Annatar is, it's going to take you a minute of thought through your Silmarillion knowledge to get what precisely is going on here even if you are a bit of a Tolkien nerd.
captcha: trugs. This is your Ent on trugs.
"Instead of awful stick Sauron, have a "pretty" stick figure with wavy hair or something. Then have Beret Guy address him as Annatar instead of Sauron, so it's not all so bloody obvious."
ReplyDeleteWhy is making XKCD even MORE obscure and geeky going to help? The problem is that the comic isn't funny, not that it's not obscure enough. I 'got' it and I've never read the Silmarillion. Everything you need to know to get the joke is in LOTR, the rest is just Randall trying to be clever.
Oh, and the new comic is AWFUL.
ReplyDeleteI never have any idea what is going on here anymore.
ReplyDeleteBut I didn't think 712 was too bad, until I saw the copied comic. Not that he necessarily stole it, but it is similar enough that he should say "woops." Also the title somehow gave away what was already an obvious joke. I don't know how that happened.
713 blows.
713 is a lame attempt at a rule 34 joke. There's only one thing worse than /b/tards, and that's wannabe tryhard /b/tards.
ReplyDeleteSauron is *supposed* to look hideous so I don't see how you can all complain about that.
ReplyDeleteThe linked comic is fucking terrible.
ReplyDeletecouldn't this blog just be replaced with "whine whine bitch whine" in big bold letters?
ReplyDeleteyou don't like a comic, whoop de doo
couldn't you post just be replaced with "whine whine bitch whine"?
ReplyDeletewhine whine bitch whine
ReplyDeleteSauron is *supposed* to look hideous so I don't see how you can all complain about that.
ReplyDeleteIt's not hideous in the way a horrifying creature, well-drawn, would be... it's hideous in a badly-drawn way. It looks like turd and should never have been committed to stick figure form. It has a terribly-drawn Zoidberg mouth, and the semi-detailed head doesn't look good with the standard stick figure body. It's uggo. It is something that should not exist.
Even if Randall is comparing marriage to Sauron (which I don't believe he's doing, anyway) it's still a crappy joke. Comic strips and sitcoms have been joking about how marriage sucks for decades.
ReplyDeleteCarl why are you trying to make our country communist behind our backs? Isn't it a big enough slap in the face that you're a dirty ni-muslim foreigner? Why do you have to go and ruin everything else that makes our country great along with that?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1672
ReplyDeleteI don't get the joke, if there even is one. I suppose the bit about solving the problem of being too handsome by raising your own standards is all right. But the pants? Perhaps pants are a running joke, but no way am I reading 1671 (!) other more-or-less-identical comics to find out.
Anyway, I'm tired of this now so I'm not going to do any more reviews. I don't have Carl's mighty, bile-dripping stamina.
Any others that get posted are just imitations. Though why anyone would want to imitate this I don't know. I barely even want to post this myself.
R U SRS CARL?!
ReplyDeletePOST SOMETHING ALREADY!
713 is fucking TERRIBLE. The guy's comment in the second panel doesn't even make sense. "To mess with advertisers?" You really think they give a shit. "How the hell is this one IP address, out of millions, in Low Earth Orbit? God, now our ad TOTALLY doesn't work!" No, they don't give a shit, because its a goddamn script. The dialog maeks no sense, it's fucking FILLER. You wanted to do this joke that badly, huh? It coulda been done in one panel. That way, I wouldn't have to waste my time reading two extraneous panels to get to the lame joke. Jesus H. Maxwell Christ on a crutch this pisses me OFFFFFF ARRRRGGGGRABBLEFRAGGLE!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, the advertisers algorithms aren't that good. Isn't that funny.
ReplyDeleteThey don't need to add Low Earth Orbit into their database. They've already got plenty of locations where it's obvious that the girls in the ads are bogus. I was in Peru recently, and it was amazing how many of the "hot local girls" were blondes with names like Ashley or Brittany.
The comic would have been better if panel 1 and panel 2 had no dialog. Or maybe if panel 1 had no dialog and panel 2 was moved to the end and showed 2 dudes getting excited, with some dialog about how they didn't know there were girls in LOE.
ReplyDeleteI agree one panel, or two (different) silent panels then the punchline. And it works better if the guy hasn't done any hacking at all.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it would have been better as a 2001 themed joke. Two silent establishing frames, the ship, then the interior with Dave. then HAL says,"Dave, meet hot young singles in orbit around Saturn."
...And that's why I don't write a webcomic.
How about if there was no hacking?
ReplyDeleteAlso, 713 reminds me of what I cannot, thanks to Carl, unsee in 672.
way, much better
ReplyDeleteI think a better comic would have involved a business traveler who is surprised to see that, whichever, area he is in, the same set of local singles follows him around. Maybe a joke about Axe could be incorporated too.
ReplyDeleteI know that everyone else has probably noticed this, but it's possible to infer Randall's love life from the comics. He was dumped shortly before Valentine's Day, hooked up with someone (possibly a D&D partner) a few days before 708, and is now single, looking for women in both bars and the internet (possibly nursing a feeling of regret for not proposing to his ex while he had the chance). Also, Randall may be attracted to a blonde friend of his (notice how the female astronaut is blonde, a departure from the default "generic brunette" female character that Randall usually uses).
I wouldn't have noticed this pattern, but really, two "single ladies" comics in a row? Randall must be feeling really lonely.
Mal, worry not, I won't do any praising for art in this comic. For a reason quite simple: it's not praisable!
ReplyDeleteLook at that first panel. The most praisable thing there is the space station and it's... mediocre. The background? It really bothers me, for a reason as simple as the Earth abruptly ends on the blackness of space. I can almost see the pixels! Seriously, those white blurry things? Should be clouds, they shouldn't look like that!
Now, in regards to the joke... it's... ugh. First of all, would advertisers really care if their ads are detecting IPs from Earth's low orbit? For all I know, they care as much as to create ads that suddenly change from "chat with these girls which we swear are from your town, but have names no girl in your coutry would have!" to "you are the REAL 1,000,000th visitor" while I was looking. Which means no, they don't care.
The alt-text is another variant, with the oddness factor being that your mom's basement has its own IP prefix. Also, another weak jab at the nerd stereotype.
Now, a way this comic could be a bit funnier with that same text: put those "girls" in spacesuits. Imagine: the expectation is that those phony ads will be unchanged, but it turns out the advertisers are smarter and changed the ads just to mess back with the stickman. Subversion: it's not that good as humor, but I think it'd be better than this.
That's all, for now. Mole out.
Just noticed one thing about the Sauron comic: It can't make sense unless you really want it to. I am considering the Single Ladies ref is useless beyond fan service.
ReplyDeleteSituation 1 - Don't know anything about LoTR: So, Sauron know some people and should get a ring what?
Situation 2 - Know just enought about LoTR (movies, maybe original book trilogy): Why would they even be TALKING to Sauron on the first place? He has the ring already, what is he getting from the music!?
Situation 3 - Know Silmarillion, maybe even other Tolkien works (whom this comic should target): Why the hell would he get the idea from the music? He had already made the rings before being cast out by the elves! What he is getting from the music!?
So, in the end, this comic uniformly fails to all possible target audiences. Unless stupid people happen to be Randall's target.
Way Walker: kudos, that edit is much funnier (as in, it's actually funny now) than Randy's.
ReplyDeleteConstructive criticism about xkcd:
1) Randy should move it to a picto-blog format.
2) Randy needs an editor.
3) That editor should be Way Walker.
Agree ^
ReplyDeleteThirded. Great job again, Way.
ReplyDeleteAs others have said, the Gollum joke isn't quite the same thing. However, it does come from the same place of "OMG, I was just listening to Beyonce and her song totally reminded me of LOTR because they both have RINGS, AMIRITE?"
ReplyDeleteIt's such an obvious joke that I'm surprised it hasn't been made a hundred times by now.
As for the singles website one, that'd be more effective as "my hobby: Changing my IP address to fool advertisers", then having the ad feature blonde porn stars from an unlikely location. A bonus would be some self-awareness about how lame the trick really is, but I don't think Randall actually is that aware.
After all, he thought of the "girlfriend" comic.
- Dr. Dugong.
No anon, to that one sentence you made, no, it's not an obvious joke, at all. It isn't an obvious joke because how many people in this world do you suppose would consider making note of everything that isn't LOTR that mentions rings being a joke?
ReplyDeleteOf course, the Hijinks Ensue joke is better (and actually rather subpar for Joel). It actually has a reason to link LotR and the song, uses a current pop culture reference rather than a year old song, has a moderately amusing setup and some decent artwork. And I think it's the artwork in the final frame hat actually saves it.
ReplyDelete