tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post134224873396991517..comments2024-03-17T05:03:46.056-07:00Comments on xkcd sucks: Comic 696: All The Cleverness Stripped AwayCarlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01074589998141327538noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-23817551729310265682010-03-09T17:39:57.392-08:002010-03-09T17:39:57.392-08:00Ok, I liked this xkcd. I had a giggle, looked up i...Ok, I liked this xkcd. I had a giggle, looked up iterated prisoner's dilemma, and had another giggle.<br /><br />But you're right right about russian roulette carl. It's way more funny. Although if randal did it I bet you'd complain that he was just being weird and gross and trying to pass that off as a joke and then claim to be incensed at the lack of humor... but yeah, strip russian roulette. I'm so using that now. Because necrophilia is funny (so says carl). Oh, but n=1.3% (apparently lots of people on the internets talk about strip russian roulette already). This makes it a relatively common internet topic which would have screwed up the whole joke, which would make carls criticism pretty lame, but randall could have used it as the alt-text which pretty much vindicates carl's superb taste in humor (even when contradicting himself) and ability to provide good critique of the same.Lexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03481351493492530191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-36455050898872943932010-02-05T00:09:48.536-08:002010-02-05T00:09:48.536-08:00"698: Oh only the woman gets to use profanity..."698: Oh only the woman gets to use profanity. Keep on empowering those womenfolk, Randall."<br /><br />Surely you are kidding.R.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-7497792502382551042010-02-04T23:12:07.506-08:002010-02-04T23:12:07.506-08:00I was expecting the newest one to head in the dire...I was expecting the newest one to head in the direction of trying to force the other to hang up in a contrived manner. <br /><br />Then I saw the last panel and anticipated xkcdsucks to rise up in anger.Ensnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-3035773792018089102010-02-04T22:49:10.705-08:002010-02-04T22:49:10.705-08:00at least the alt text would be good if the comic w...at least the alt text would be good if the comic was.rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-4777207057996933972010-02-04T22:45:11.558-08:002010-02-04T22:45:11.558-08:00Oh hey, 698 has a punchline. Oh hey, 698 is a recy...Oh hey, 698 has a punchline. Oh hey, 698 is a recycled version of an old joke.Chamalenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-11137102463830916902010-02-04T21:38:46.194-08:002010-02-04T21:38:46.194-08:00698: Oh only the woman gets to use profanity. Keep...698: Oh only the woman gets to use profanity. Keep on empowering those womenfolk, Randall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-10591017815840024332010-02-04T21:34:44.804-08:002010-02-04T21:34:44.804-08:00Leonard: yeah, Randy is really bad at capturing th...Leonard: yeah, Randy is really bad at capturing the "funny because it's depressing" mood. He tries though!rshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15828938843801425383noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-83509339698427384992010-02-04T21:31:49.806-08:002010-02-04T21:31:49.806-08:00Good news. No more girlfriend comics!
Bad news. ...Good news. No more girlfriend comics! <br /><br />Bad news. More emo-ness!Rupertnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-92062771522409862142010-02-04T21:08:31.007-08:002010-02-04T21:08:31.007-08:00The last few comics have been halfway decent (OK, ...The last few comics have been halfway decent (OK, the strip games one was a bit lazy, but at least Randall made the effort to compose a poem for the space elevator one). But 698 is just horrible. It's trying to be funny but just ends up being depressing. Total fail.Leonardhttp://overratedfilms.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-73411515269788440642010-02-04T21:05:31.707-08:002010-02-04T21:05:31.707-08:00i don't even give a shit about 698 i can't...i don't even give a shit about 698 i can't imagine anyone who doesJohn Magnumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04416392917805723793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-56508845656476567142010-02-04T16:08:02.380-08:002010-02-04T16:08:02.380-08:00Okay so Jules Rivera is an idiot, but at least he&...Okay so Jules Rivera is an idiot, but at least he's less of an idiot than the xkcd fanboys at the bottom. I stopped reading the comments when I got to this gem:<br /><br />"I promise you this. the writers of XKCD put as many hours into their content as other comics put into their art."<br /><br />I could comment on that. But I think it speaks for itself.<br /><br />And God damn Surviving the World is fucking awful. I read that linked comic. I use the word "comic" there loosely (VERY loosely). At least I tried to read it until it turned into a giant wall of text.<br /><br />I have nothing against photo comics as long as they're well, COMICS (hello A Softer World). Surviving the World is just a blog in photograph form which makes it hard to read and stupid as hell.Natenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-24955234249202333672010-02-04T15:52:50.737-08:002010-02-04T15:52:50.737-08:00Yeah, see, most things are tolerable if you active...Yeah, see, <i>most</i> things are tolerable if you <i>actively turn your brain off</i> before trying to read it. If you deliberately refuse to think about what you're reading, why even bother coming to a site explicitly for critical analysis of the text?John Magnumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04416392917805723793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-60302071428939601802010-02-04T14:15:12.759-08:002010-02-04T14:15:12.759-08:00Shear mediocrity would be good.
Mal... No need to ...Shear mediocrity would be good.<br />Mal... No need to be aggressive. You don't agree with me, fine, and I understand your complaints about the comic. I was just saying why I liked it. And yeah, I am biased, because I get more pleasure from finding the (sometimes few) good things in the comic than ripping it apart. This doesn't mean I don't see the faults, it means they don't generally ruin the comic for me.<br />What I meant when I said "they're only faults if you're looking for them" is that the casual reader is either going to go, "space elevator? wtf" or "hah, fucking things up." They're probably not going to wonder whether or not space elevators are anchored to the earth, what would ACTUALLY happen if the cable was cut, etc. Are these reasonable complaints? Sure. But only for someone who's not just casually reading the comic for mild giggles.<br />And of course, if you're a rabid fan of XKCD you'll go "OMG SPACE ELEVATOR + BHG = EPICWIN. Only a reference to [internet meme] could make this better!"<br />Which, can I point out, I didn't. So, you know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-75517508751334434402010-02-04T13:41:14.012-08:002010-02-04T13:41:14.012-08:00The comic: I enjoyed it. I agree that it has some...The comic: I enjoyed it. I agree that it has something of a Shel Silverstein quality to it. The only part I didn't like was the f*** in the last line. I don't mind the vulgarity (even with my own self-censoring), I just don't like how the --ck br-- ruins the flow of the line. It's a minor point, could be artistic choice (associated with the breaking of the elevator), and I'm not sure if there's a simple substitute that doesn't ruin the meter.<br /><br />I also think it's fitting with Black Hat's character given the title. As David took down Goliath with a stone, Black Hat took down the tower, in all its (tensile) strength, with some pruning shears. The flair is in doing something big to achieve something small (modifying the death rate to send a message) or in doing something small to achieve something big (a little snip to take down a space elevator).<br /><br />As for Jules Rivera, I'd like to know what he thinks about a softer world. No regular cast and the photos aren't painted over, but I still like it.<br /><br />Overall, I didn't like his criticisms, but the defense of xkcd was worse. xkcd was at its best when it was the good parts version of Munroe's doodles. It's ironic that its first defender said, "there is indeed a difference between a randomly scrawled stick and a quality posed stick". It was good at first because it wasn't trying to be anything more than "randomly scrawled stick[s]". Minimalism has its place, but xkcd is more about rawness than minimalism (the early sketches, more recent posters, and unnecessary panels and dialog are not minimalist). Now it's trying to be well done and raw, which is just as contradictory for art as it is for steak. Maybe xkcd could be better if it really were to try for minimalism?Way Walkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-54143427093893894232010-02-04T12:29:34.259-08:002010-02-04T12:29:34.259-08:00How about "Randall has a butt for a face"...How about "Randall has a butt for a face"David Poorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10173847419796847573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-78115683920834850522010-02-04T11:56:33.487-08:002010-02-04T11:56:33.487-08:00How about "Shear mediocrity"?How about "Shear mediocrity"?Timofeihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06478844501804517520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-79022285449177679482010-02-04T11:37:03.741-08:002010-02-04T11:37:03.741-08:00Is the next post's title going to contain a pl...Is the next post's title going to contain a play on the phrase "Sheared away"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-66255141997802264982010-02-04T10:58:03.730-08:002010-02-04T10:58:03.730-08:00@Mal: Agreed.
"and wow surviving the world i...@Mal: Agreed.<br /><br />"and wow surviving the world is awful i could've done without ever being introduced to that."<br /><br />Sorry, I don't really like it either.R.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-69930569324807673562010-02-04T10:47:29.461-08:002010-02-04T10:47:29.461-08:00Subnormality is so fucking awful >:CSubnormality is so fucking awful >:CJohn Magnumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04416392917805723793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-57268314163215676442010-02-04T10:21:11.342-08:002010-02-04T10:21:11.342-08:00Keep: yup, thanks.Keep: yup, thanks.washerdreyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11063265002809197400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-59411924814525231832010-02-04T10:07:48.155-08:002010-02-04T10:07:48.155-08:00@washerdreyer: subnormality?
and wow surviving t...@washerdreyer: subnormality?<br /><br /><br />and wow surviving the world is awful i could've done without ever being introduced to that.Keepnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-31233999831373514512010-02-04T09:53:36.071-08:002010-02-04T09:53:36.071-08:00Randall's full-time job ISN'T making a fun...Randall's full-time job ISN'T making a funny comic. It's generating safe content to appeal to a particular demographic in order to sell t-shirts. He's in marketing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-22680390619100566592010-02-04T09:38:59.784-08:002010-02-04T09:38:59.784-08:00Putting requests at the bottom of comment threads ...Putting requests at the bottom of comment threads on blogs I don't spend much time on probably won't work, but I've spent the last hour or so trying to remember the name of a web comic that I'm 95% sure I first read about in a post on this site, wherein the highly detailed art work of that web comic was held out as an example of what xkcd could do given that xkcd is Randall's full time job. The only other thing I remember about this comic is that there was one which takes place on Christmas wherein a space marine returns from an extraordinarily convoluted mission, which he relates in panel after panel (after panel) of giant speech balloons, to a prostitute. Don't think other comics in the series were sci-fi at all, so don't let that throw you off.washerdreyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11063265002809197400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-6592054611704417922010-02-04T08:38:11.415-08:002010-02-04T08:38:11.415-08:00That article is pretty dumb - she's decided th...That article is pretty dumb - she's decided that her personal interpretation of what constitutes valid art in webcomics should apply to everyone else.<br /><br />If I chastised "comic art" for being lazy because it isn't photorealistic, who cares? Anyone can define the goals of their "webcomic", and it isn't always going to be, "look at me, I'm a fancy comic artist".<br /><br />That said, if those intended goals aren't met because the art is just that terrible, then it is a failure - someone posted a link to their hourly comic above and I didn't view beyond the first panel because the drawing style was painfully bad.uncivlengrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12478536393980395128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6714810984552499396.post-90288529401614346132010-02-04T08:37:49.934-08:002010-02-04T08:37:49.934-08:00Surviving the World guy clearly deserved this, bec...Surviving the World guy clearly deserved this, because in response to that article he created this piece of crap: <a href="http://www.survivingtheworld.net/Lesson558.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.survivingtheworld.net/Lesson558.html</a>. It's not a comic, it's just a blog that is very hard to read.<br /><br />Anyway, here are <a href="http://gassend.net/spaceelevator/breaks/index.html" rel="nofollow">some simulations of space elevator breaking at various points</a>.Timofeihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06478844501804517520noreply@blogger.com