SO, as you know, Dr. Horrible has been guest posting here. But then a funny thing happened. Apparently, he decided he would send Randall Munroe some thoughts on xkcd, and ended up chatting with him on IRC, and then Randy made him feel so bad about this blog that he decided he couldn't keep posting on it. So that's....weird.He did have something he wanted to share with you though, which was his proof that I am not Randall! Can you believe it? Finally! See what happened was that he was IMing both of us at the same time. And then to prove that we weren't just the same person switching between computers or accounts or something, I just started typing numbers in increasing order, just so he knew I couldn't be typing anything else at the time. Anyway, he took a screenshot of both of our conversations, here it is: FINAL PROOF. Hope that's good enough for you, you skeptical bitches.
Dr. Horrible did also send me his IRC chat log with Randy, but I don't really want to post it. Eventually I will (so don't let me forget I have it) but not right now.
-----------------------------
OH HEY WHAT there's a new comic! I guess as long as I am here I should talk about it.
For some reason this comic seems to give off major Ron Paul vibes. Well, I guess I know the reason, it's that all the people have that same awful condescending way of thinking and existing. Of course, this comic is making fun of that, I suppose, so that's good. It still makes me feel irritated the way anyone who talks about "sheeple" does.
I guess the problem is that they are all just sitting on a subway (speaking of which - recognize it?). That's not the place I usually think of this sort of thinking happening. I tend to sit on subways and think about the other people there as being actual people with actual lives. Sure, they might be just sitting there doing nothing for a while but that's because they are on a freaking subway, what they hell are they supposed to do? Start shouting "9/11 was an inside job" right on the train?
So what I'm saying is, this comic would be better if there was there was this idea that that's what people on trains were thinking, and then this would be a clever comment on that. I suppose that you could say "well, he just chose a train because it's a simple example of everyday life" but I think it's a pretty bad one, because again, there's not much to do if you are alone on a train but sit there, and perhaps read or listen to music or something.
The alt-text does, however, help a lot.
This comic is better than some. That's good to see.
-------------------
And, with Dr. Horrible retiring after one post, who else wants to write for this blog? Anyone? I just assume people are super sick of hearing me all the time. It's super easy to do and it's pretty hard to fuck up Send me an e-mail - czwheeler@gmail.com.
post that irc log
ReplyDeleteoh ok WHATEVER YOU SAY, ANONYMOUS POSTER.
ReplyDeleteI knew that you were weak; I am an exceptional judge of character, after all.
ReplyDeleteEvidence leading to my self-evaluation:
An extract from by blag ("'Xkcd' is a paragon of hilarity) concerning Dr. Hórrible, written several days before Carl Wheeler's post:
"You are a much weaker man than Wheeler, it would be so very easy to break you..."
Am I a genius OR a blagger? Both?
Yes. Definitely.
I believe this victor over Hórrible is not solely Randall Munroe's. I believe I have also played a large role in Hórrible's eventual redemption. My brilliant blag intimidated him, as it has done to so many. I intimidated him. I won. We won.
Good- 01
Evil- 00
You are next, Wheeler. Do not think I am your equal, I have been sparing you from my full, tremendous, awe-inspiring power. My mercy is finite and once it depletes... Well, farewell Mr. Wheeler.
-William Monty Hughes
IQ 224
"Cogito Ergo Sum"
Carl Wheeler, I wish to converse with you in "Internet Relay Chat".
ReplyDeleteTELL ME HOW.
-William Monty Hughes
IQ 224
"Cogito Ergo Sum"
Reading that small portion of the chat made me feel kind of bad too.
ReplyDeleteI'm so fucking thin-skinned. :(
Me me I so want to do it
ReplyDeleteI am just uncertain if I would be good at it. Also I don't really want to... be the guy who does that in his free time. It's bad enough that some people I know know I read this, but WRITING for it? It feels like just a step down on the ladder of doing things that are not creepy and weird
I felt bad for a minute, but then I realized that that's just the life of an artist - good and bad reviews.
ReplyDeleteIf people wish to hear more of my baseless, alcohol-fueled, incredibly vulgar rants, I suppose I could do some more posts, but be assured - I will not pussy out like Dr. horrible (sorry Doc, but I guess, unlike me, you possess a heart).
ReplyDeleteAlso, this comic was...okay? The art didn't seem terribly lazy, there weren't too many words (a little verbose, but not annoyingly so), and the structure was kind of interesting (the multiple connections to a single thought bubble is actually a pretty decent technique).
That being said, it wasn't funny, and the alt-text was a pretty weak punchline. No one takes Objectivists seriously and they're easy to make fun of (as is Ayn Rand), so it's kind of like shooting fish in a barrel. All in all, I give it a C-. Still above average for xkcd as of late, though.
Oh and I fucking love that you actually posted proof that you're not randall, that's so great.
ReplyDeleteIs it me, or does that conversation make randall look like kind of a dick still?
I dunno, that print-screen looks its like been edited. You will not trick me, Crandarl.
ReplyDelete@Person #1:
ReplyDeleteNo, but it makes him look like an emo bitch:
"Boo-hoo-hoo, someone made a blog telling me I suck, it hurts my feelings so BAD!!!"
Then he follows it up with the classic "I'm not complaining (even though I really I am and I'm just saying I'm not complaining because it makes me look like a douche to whine about people criticizing me)" response.
What a fucker.
Agreed on the Randall looking like an emo bitch.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would totally guest blog if you didn't mind it totally sucking ass.
Sorry Randy, this comic doesn't cut it. Because by posting this, you're effectively saying that you're so much BETTER and SMARTER than all the people who go around railing against Teh Sheeple.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I wouldn't mind guest blogging. I like vitriol and anger though. Forewarning.
ReplyDeleteAt first, the lil portion of chat there just made me feel bad.
ReplyDeleteThen I realized that a) It's hella creepy that Dr. Horrible contacted Randall Munroe and was like, "I'm from that blog that hates you!" Mr. Munroe pretty much says as much during the chat. Hella creepy. b) Most of the time this blog engages in honest criticism. My favorite parts are when Carl or whoever suggest ways to make each strip funnier. If Randall wants to spin that negatively, that's his prerogative as the artist. But that doesn't make us the bad guys or anything.
Let me reiterate: Dr. Horrible is a little creepy.
Time to update your Frequently Asked Awesome Questions, Carl.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of this subnormality comic: http://www.viruscomix.com/page471.html
ReplyDeleteR. said:
ReplyDelete"I dunno, that print-screen looks its like been edited. You will not trick me, Crandarl."
Alternate theory: who's to say that's really Randy posting there?
OMG CARL HAS OTHERS WORKING FOR HIM PRETENDING TO BE HIM/RANDALL ON CHAT CAN YOU NOT SEE THIS OBVIOUS TRUTH
Well... as an artist, it's important to know what to do with negative feedback, as long as it's not personal. Usually the main posts here have been focused on the comic and making some effort at constructivity. A few posts and some of the comments tend to be a bit nastier. There's not much you can really do with that, but in the end it's the price of fame.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible that Randall has, based on the "xkcdsucks" URL and some of the less constructive posts, gotten the impression this place is more uniformly hostile than is accurate.
It is a bit weird that Dr. Horrible approached him that way. Not really sure what I would do in Randall's shoes, there.
Is it that hard to fake being someone else? Have a friend do it.
ReplyDeleteThis whole situation is messed up. So Dr. went and tracked down Randall and had a heart to heart?
ReplyDeleteThe worst part of all is the sycophantic deferring to Randall he does at the end of the log. Yes, brag to all your friends that you got advice from the great and powerful Randall Munroe, webcomic artist.
little do we all know that Dr. Horrible, Randall, Crandall and William Hughes are all of the same hive mind!
ReplyDelete90% of all xkcd gripes. [link]
ReplyDeleteDr. Horrible, be careful not to suck Randall's dick too hard, it might fall off.
I wish, Asher. I wish I was Randall. If only...
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, a notice to adoring fans of my blag: An interesting fellow and fan of the blag has electronically mailed me a letter. His name is Dr. Wonderful (He did not tell me his Christian name, unfortunately, but I can vouch that he is indeed a real doctor) and he wishes to assist me.
Hopefully, he shall write a decent review and send it to me and I will use it for Wednesday's update. I can NOT vouch for his skills as a critic but I'm afraid he'll have to do. I am very busy today, tomorrow and Friday. Apologies.
Farewell.
-William Monty Hughes
IQ 224
"Cogito Ergo Sum"
CAPTCHA: Orights!
Sheeple has no connections to objectivists or 9/11, nubs. It's just pointing out that everybody (especially nerds) likes to feel superior, and like they are the only one truly thinking.
ReplyDeleteAgain it's pretty much pure GOOMH but it's a better kind of GOOMH than usual and the shared thought bubble is neat visually.
This one's pretty good imo.
Zis whole situation is... quite bizarre.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... guest posting would be fun, but then I'd have to reveal my super-secret Blogger identity... that's no fun.
ReplyDeleteAh Rehoboam, your name reveals enough. It's obviously an anagram for "a mob hero" - vhich uncovers your connections to organized crime.
ReplyDeletehey morons
ReplyDeletename's Bruce
Bruce Bash
remember it
soon it will be legendary
-Bruce Bash-
Hello there Bruce Bash. I commend you on your ability to completely embarrass me, you giant whale penis.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am NOT a "tard". Quite the contrary, actually.
But you already know this. Don't you?
PS. Return to work, that review WON'T write itself
-William Monty Hughes
IQ 224
"Cogito Ergo Sum"
I might do a guest post, once I actually have an opinion on a comic other than "Wow. This is, like, three levels of recursive smug."
ReplyDeleteThis website has ruined XKCD for me. But it's so fun and addictive to read.
ReplyDelete@William Monty Hughes:
ReplyDelete"Giant whale penis" made me laugh so hard.
Most excellent.
Doctor Horrible is a sucker for xkcd.
ReplyDeleteHaha, getit? Doctor Horrible SUCKS Randy's dick, and Randy SUCKS for making xkcd, which SUCKS, and also Doctor Horrible SUCKS, AND he's a SUCKER for xkcd...
I'll shut up now.
I can understand hating on the comic, I mean I find it to be lackluster lately, but I don't understand why you guys have to personally hate the guy that writes it. :/ You can act all high and mighty making fun of Randall and his fans, but you're pretty much turning into the same thing, with Carl being you're Randall.
ReplyDeleteAs for the comic, pretty good. Looks like the background got traced, but since when do we have witch-burnings for bad art in a stickman comic.
I suppose you could look "inquisitive" on a bus but that'd probably be boring after about 2 seconds.
"I can understand hating on the comic, I mean I find it to be lackluster lately, but I don't understand why you guys have to personally hate the guy that writes it."
ReplyDeleteDude, why are you saying that? You want to take away the LAST thing those people have in their lives?
(ha ha. ha)
In the previous post, I already thanked Randall for this comic. Condescending? Insulting? Well, you wouldn't really think so much so if you had to put up with people who act like those guys in the comic. Or more: if you ONCE ACTED like those guys in the comic. I've been there, and I'm honestly ashamed. As for the subway comment, I do think it's an appropriate place for that since you're basically standing still, surrounded by people who're also standing still and *supposedly* thinking about nothing at all and being "robots". I think it's harder to associate that kind thought with something that involved motion and things happening. If you don't think like that when you're on a subway, it's probably because you're not an asshole. Well, maybe you ARE, but just a little bit.
Overall, this comic has a very straightforward and effective style, but the message might not be quite as clear. I mean, it's the kind of thing that some of the more "geek pride" types would go "hmm, it would be funnier if like ONLY ONE guy was thinking like that and all the others were going 'duuhhh' or something". Yeah, that's a pretty absurd scenario and nobody would actually do that... ... OH, SHIT, THEY ACTUALLY DID IT:
http://echochamber.me/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=42498&start=80#p1682117
oh, so it's good if you've felt like that and OH MY GOD HE'S IN MY HEAD
ReplyDeletei can't even figure out what the hell your second paragraph means
OK, seriously, what the fuck? Dr. Horrible, there is no way you can drop a bombshell like that on us and then not come back to talk about it.
ReplyDeleteI completely do not understand that reaction. Every time I post, I am painfully aware that there is an actual person behind the comic I'm criticizing. That's why I try to keep myself in check and not be too harsh. I think I, and hell, most of us here, do a pretty good job in that regard. This is xkcdsucks, not randallmunroesucks.
This blog is not that mean. John Solomon's blog is mean, and I don't read it because of that (and also because Solomon is an unfunny egotistical prick.) Sure, we could be nicer and abstain from the word 'fuck', or change the title back to "xkcd: overrated" again. But why should we? We'd have about five readers if we did. There's a reason Roger Ebert writes like he does ("hated hated hated hated hated this movie", "your movie sucks"), and not "I didn't like this movie, but that's just my opinion."
What, exactly, would we have to do to this blog to not be "callous assholes"? Retitle it to xkcdneedsimprovement.blogspot.com? That's ridiculous. And we're not kids here - we all know that "needs improvement" actually means "sucks." I do think sometimes people go overboard with slamming Randall, but there's plenty of good along with the bad. If Randall actually read this blog, maybe the mood would shift and we'd be more "constructive." Right now, what fucking incentive do we have? It's too bad if we offended you, Randall, but we're not your friends. The price of success is criticism. You're a writer. You can deal with it.
Or, you know, you can keep ignoring it. Write another Firefly series, it went over well last time.
PS. Horrible, you sure sucked up to him at the end.
PPS. 5:59 anon, this attitude is something I want to address too, because you're wrong. Carl's posts are entertaining, but I don't think they're the core of the site. I disagree with him half the time.
ReplyDeleteCarl is not our Randall.
@Anon 5:59
ReplyDeleteWhy do we hate anyone? Why can't we all just hug, and get along, and be friends?
Fuck you, hippie. If I don't like someone, I let them know. From what I know of Randall - interactions I've had with him and his fans, the work he produces (comic, blog, writings, etc.) - he seems like a douche. So I say, "Hey, Randall Munroe's a douche." When I have people at work (I'm a software developer) or at school (I go to Georgia Tech) tell me how awesome xkcd is, and I think it's not, I tell them, "I fucking hate xkcd, here's the reasons why: [insert long-ass list of reasons why I am sick and tired of hearing how good this comic is when it is simply mediocre]".
I don't hide behind some PC, peace-loving, don't-offend-people curtain of bullshit and dishonesty. A lack of honest discourse breeds stagnancy in all artists, and leads to a depreciation in the creativity and value of their work. Once again - your attitude (and the attitude of those like you) has turned xkcd and Randall Munroe into what they are today. If more people had been criticizing or offering suggestions for improvement in the beginning, he probably would have had a better attitude toward improving/challenging himself as a webcomic artist. Instead, we now have a thin-skinned, shitty artist who can't write believable dialog and believes he can do no wrong.
Fuck off, Anon, or at least have the balls to post under a fucking recognizable name. If you're too afraid to publicly express unpopular opinions, or even popular opinions to a hostile audience, you are a cowardly piece of shit who can light himself on fire and die.
TL;DR My dick is huge, and you're all fuckers.
(except Amanda)
God fucking dammit poore just upstaged me.
ReplyDeleteAlright, guys. Lemme clear up some shit. I said that and WENT ON TO SAY IT WAS BECAUSE PROFESSOR SCHWARTZ IS A BIG XKCD FAN. So shut the fuck up; I wasn't sucking his dick.
ReplyDeleteI left because I saw a lot of validity in what Randall was saying. I'm also asking Carl not to post the whole log; I don't need you criticizing me for what you think is dicksucking.
Now look. Randall reminded me of...me, sort of. I wouldn't want to be a celebrity, and I wouldn't want my job and art to be hated so much that a blog is named "X sucks". So fuck you.
Or not. Some of you are great. See you around.
RANDALL, GET OUT OF DR HORRIBLE'S HEAD
ReplyDeletebut really, randy puts his shit up online, does speaking tours. he's embraced his life as a public figure. but he doesn't want the criticism that comes with it. boo fucking hoo.
also carl post the whole log. without it, drhorriblesucks.blogspot.com will have very little material.
Asher: That's a point. But I feel like Randall is more real than anonymous online people. I've got real connections to him, to. We each are friends with the same guy, so 2 degrees max. Anyway. I feel I know him well enough to somehow care. And if I care, I don't want to piss him off, okay? I'm not being a pussy, and this happens very seldom, but I don't want to make this guy sad. I dunno if you can identify or not. I don't think xkcd is insanely good, but I really, really like Randall Munroe the person. And I don't want to make him feel bad.
ReplyDeleteFucking assholes, jeez. It's always somebody's fault but your own. You're just vicious forumites with no forum. The other extreme. Please don't be dicks.
"I wouldn't want to be a celebrity, and I wouldn't want my job and art to be hated so much that a blog is named "X sucks". So fuck you."
ReplyDeleteIf he really feels that way, why doesn't he come and tell us? Instead of having it come to us secondhand. This makes me like him even less, if that's possible.
Also, complaining about things you can't change, or not doing anything to actively discourage activities you dislike. Otherwise, you're an apathetic, self-pitying, worthless piece of shit. I satnd by that.
Dr. Horrible - you're free to feel that way. Hell, Randy is free to feel that way. However, you've expressed your opinion to me honestly, something Randall has yet to do (for any of us, or anyone at all, not just me personally). If he does, I'll pack up shop and never grace this blog again (well, I might, but I'll be less directly insulting and angry).
@Doctor Horrible:
ReplyDeleteAlso - if I find Randall to be a likable person, I probably won't insult him personally anymore (unless it's in a joking fashion, as I do with all of my friends), but I'll still tell him his comic is shit if I think so. Again, criticism and honesty are good; stagnation is bad.
The_P: I agree. However, I am also kind of respecting the fact that Randall is a little more sensitive by nature. I think he is at fault for not dealing with it better, and I think we are at fault for being so confrontational and demanding of him. I think the way I handled it (go to talk to him being REPRESENTATIVE of the community) was not creepy, but progressive. But now I know he doesn't like being approached by us. Maybe we should write a post, a REASONABLE post, detailing our views and telling him we understand his views. Hell, I promised him I'd try. I want us to get along. I think xkcd sucks should be renamed, kinda, but I think it's fine, if a bit confrontational.
ReplyDeletetl;dr Let's be more sensitive while Randall toughens up.
"...having a group like xkcd sucks writ[cut off] something you care about will make you feel like absolute shit..."
ReplyDeleteYeah... no.
One thing any serious artist learns fairly quickly is to emotionally separate him/herself from his/her work. If this does not happen, any and all criticism comes across as personal attacks, and the artist comes away from the experience insulted and discouraged.
Successful artists are willing to see their works get torn to shreds, because otherwise they will never learn what they are doing wrong and they will never get any better. It might sting a little, sure, but it's ultimately beneficial.
By admitting that criticism makes him feel like "absolute shit," he's essentially admitting that he has failed to make this distinction: he and his work are one and the same. Any harsh words towards his comics are harsh words towards him. Considering that this comic is his job, he essentially is a professional artist, and I find his attitude somewhat unacceptable for someone of his level of success.
http://www.xkcd.com/383/
ReplyDeleteDude. Dr. Horrible. If you know Randall Munroe personally, and claim to like him so much, then WHY IN THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE WOULD YOU GUEST-POST ON A SITE CALLED XKCD SUCKS?!
ReplyDeleteOh looky there, i got an account.
ReplyDeleteAlso - and i'm sorry for the multiple posts - I thought i posted this already, but it isn't showing up. Carl! Space out your e-mail or you'll get spam bots :O
ReplyDeleteRamsey: I don't know him directly. He's just good friends with one of my good friends. So I FEEL closer to him. Minds are irrational like that.
ReplyDeleteI posted here before I really realized he was a real person. I didn't until I read his emails to Carl and IMed him. Then I felt kind of bad about it.
XKCD Sucks jumps the shark?
ReplyDeleteThis blog isn't, ostensibly, about Randall but about xkcd. Personal stuff does sort of cross the line, in that it's mean. So tone it down, I guess? Whatever.
ReplyDeleteBesides, he said "y'alls" which I find offensive.
No. We are not at fault. At all.
ReplyDeleteThere is one surefire way to avoid criticism. You never fucking do anything. Never publish art. Never take a stand for anything.
People have a RIGHT to criticize you for anything you do, say, or make. They have a right to criticize you for submitting your guest post, and right to criticize you for not submitting another. They have a right to criticize Randall for his comic. And they have no obligation to be nice about it.
As it happens you WERE nice about it. Go back and read your guest post. You were never disrespectful. You never lashed out.
You don't have to feel bad about that.
If you do, and it makes you not want to write any more guest posts, then that's fine. No skin off my nose. But you don't have to feel bad and neither do we. It is Randall's problem.
Pandering to him will never make him "toughen up." Actually, from all I've heard, he will never toughen up. He is never going to take anything on this blog seriously. No matter how nice we are. Because that is the sort of person he is.
His loss.
And in the end I don't care. I don't write about xkcd to make it better, though that would be a wonderful side effect. I write about it because it's entertaining. It fills the void that reading xkcd used to occupy. I don't even look at the comics anymore until Carl links to them.
We don't owe Randall anything. That is why we're not at fault.
But you know what, if you want to one-up me and be the better person, go right ahead. You can start your own blog, market it as "xkcdsucks, only nicer", and I'll read it. A lot of people would. But I bet you Randall's not one of them.
Wouldn't it be great if you could prove me wrong?
Jay: You're right. I'm not claiming to be the better person. This is a fault of mine. I quit posting because I felt bad. I wish I didn't feel bad, so I could keep posting, because I really liked posting for you guys. And I'll continue to read. My mind was totally irrational and I started to care about someone I didn't even know and stopping made me feel a bit better, so I'm not trying to one-up you; this is something I'll work on, to be MORE LIKE you.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, of course. Now that I'm looking back, he is mostly at fault. I'm clearing my mind now, and I'm going to stay in this community, reading and (occasionally) commenting. I apologize to Carl and to you guys for leaving so abruptly, and maybe, if it's okay with me and Carl and you all, I might post again in the future. But not until I get a little less emotional in my online thinking.
^Wow. I did NOT expect that.
ReplyDeleteman what the hell I ignore you guys for like a day and suddenly it's all people talking about feelings and shit
ReplyDelete*cry*
ReplyDeleteIT'S JUST SO HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!
^ I loled
ReplyDeleteRob: haha you said what we were all thinking
ReplyDeletecarl showed you his emails with randall? this is piquing my curiosity.
ReplyDeleteAsher: No, he just pasted a little bit. The parts he said made him feel guilty. Stuff like "you make my life less happy".
ReplyDelete"This comic is better than some. That's good to see."
ReplyDeletePositivity is possible here! Shade of grey achieved, everyone take note. It's a dry, semi-poisonous shade, but still.
Wait, Carl is also bummed about this now? My god, this is weird. I mean, not that I didn't notice the obvious decrease in today's vitriol content, but... Carl? Feeling bad for Randall?
ReplyDeleteAlso, Horrible, what on earth actually happened in that conversation? I mean, I can respect him for not being an ass to the guy who writes for the HATE HATE HATE HATE RANDALL ARGH! blog, but the screenshots hardly reveal a heartfelt reconciliatory speech.
I can understand that he's a friend of a friend, but that doesn't change the fact that he gradually transmuted all of his humility into pretentious, entitled holier-than-thouness with a little creepy thrown in the mix, at least as far as the comic is concerned. This is still the guy who posted this. This is still the guy who shouldn't have. And I don't know about anyone else, but for me if he didn't post the crappy un-humor anymore, and dropped the so much smarter than everyone attitude, I'd go back to thinking he's the awesomest person on the internet again. I'd also be at least a little baffled if anyone on this blog didn't. Did you ask him, by the way? Ask him what's with all the raping your daughter over number formats and the Megan stalking and the /b/-tard tendencies? I would love to know what he's been thinking.
Speaking of which, this guy goes to 4chan, and yet he guilt trips you over you not liking the fact that his comic started, well, sucking a little? I'm not gonna say the h-word but sheesh. Weird.
Oh and, what awesome job is he talking about? I thought he quit NASA to live off the webcomic. It's still better than most out there, including mine, but "webcomic artist" is hardly so awesome it justifies everything he does. Why the hell did he quit in the first place, anyway? It's not like he updates every day or something. I don't see why drawing xkcd would take so much time as to be impossible with a job.
we walk a fine line between hating everything Randy does and just hating almost everything Randy does. we must not falter, lest blah blah etc.
ReplyDeletealso THOMAS I didn't get your IMs earlier because my computer's sound is made of brokenness and sad I WAS NOT IGNORING YOU etc
Hey, if I could make a living drawing stick figures and convincing people to buy t-shirts based on it, I'd quit just about any 9-to-5 job and do that instead.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least I would if I lacked any self-respect.
That IRC log sure does make Randall look like a whiney emo kid.
ReplyDeleteBut not nearly as whiney as THIS WHOLE FUCKING AFFAIR makes Dr. Horrible look. I mean, man. Saying that you're going to post a whole week for the awesome XKCD Sucks blog and that you'll stick it to the Mandall and then quitting after ONE post is lame enough, but doing so because you suddenly realised it might hurt the author's feelings? Please.
But hey, I hope Doctor Horrible's professor finds him totally awesome for getting advice from an internet celebrity.
Also, anybody here who mentioned that the chat log made them 'feel bad': please tell me you're acting all cuddlefishy for comedic purposes. PLEASE.
"Hey, if I could make a living drawing stick figures and convincing people to buy t-shirts based on it, I'd quit just about any 9-to-5 job and do that instead.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least I would if I lacked any self-respect."
I would do it regardless, self-respect be damned. But I sure wouldn't email critics that they "made my life less happy." I'd be too busy rolling around naked in huge piles of money to care about critics.
Also: I'm thinking about guest posting. It'll probably consist primarily of "hey this is really condescending and annoying and also a copy of this comic I can't find in his fucking archive so you'll have to link to it in the comics."
But with my luck it'll probably be an entire week of Car Talk comics, which means all my comments would be "It could be worse."
woah guys: i just realized -
ReplyDeletepeople are complicated
HA HA. ok seriously though, this certainly turned more interesting than I was expecting! perhaps this is just the sort of introspective conversation that this blog needed. By the way, the part of the chat that you see there is basically what the whole thing is like, there's much more in terms of length but not much more in terms of ideas.
In Dr. Horrible's defense, I think he got in a bit deeper into this whole world than he expected. I remember the self-doubt and confusion I felt when Randy e-mailed me and thinking "oh god I've been a jerk, what have i DONE" for a few days. So I think maybe i know what he was going through. Still, the whole thing ended up a little weird. But so interesting!
@Dr.Horrible:
ReplyDeleteYou asked him for advice just so you could brag. Don't lie and say you didn't engage in a bit of sycophancy (cock-sucking in internet parlance), because we can all see that claim is bullshit.
To the point at hand, XKCD rose to fame because Randall wanted it to.
He did by-the-numbers pandering to the nerd community and in the early days would attack larger comics with unusual vitriol likely to generate irate response traffic (also he ripped of Black hated man).
Now his comic sucks, and people are calling him on it. That's fame. He knew it signing up. He is no more worthy of sympathy then Joe The Plumber or HipHop Artist 124..uhhh....Roots, The.
3:39 Anon, that is amazing
ReplyDeletelol @ rob
I think randy is just kind of being a pussy here. Maybe I should talk to him "HEY MAN WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM"
Yes, that would go great.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteJust... wow.
Carl said: "I think maybe i know what [Doctor Horrible] was going through."
Holy shit, guys! CARL IS DOCTOR HORRIBLE!!!
(coming up with bullshit theories about Carl being other people just keeps getting easier)
aa97464: Sycophancy would be sucking up to Randall for personal gain. The only thing that might be counted as personal gain would be my professor understanding that hash tables are better for giant datasets with a lot of changes made to them.
ReplyDeleteIf I was trying to suck Randall's dick, I WOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM MY REAL NAME. But I didn't because I felt I was kind of a dick for some of the conversation.
Look. I can understand this. But why do you guys hate me? Because I accidentally cared about someone's feelings? That's kind of a stupid reason.
I'm fully aware that it's Randall's fault. He should care less about criticism. But the fact is, he isn't going to, and this will continue to make him feel bad. And I don't want to do that.
Now please stop calling me a sycophant without even looking up the definition.
@Doc:
ReplyDeleteI'm confused as to why people keep attacking you, as well (but I'll die defending their right to do so :P).
What kind of name is randall anyway
ReplyDeletesounds like the kind of name someone would make up while drunk, ISN'T THAT RIGHT CARL?
Oh and Dr. Horrible, randy shouldn't care less about critique. He should just stop being a little bitch and whining about it, and take it for what it's supposed to be: Help.
ReplyDeleteI can understand forgiving a 3-year old for going on a crying rage when you tell him that his painting could be better because real people are not, in fact, blue. But randall is a grown man and going soft on him because he's a little bitch is doing the opposite of helping him. It's supporting that behaviour.
This entire situation is very ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteDoc Horrible: I fully understand where you're coming from, and I respect your choice to stop writing, but critics can't stop being critics just because they know the man behind his work.
Poore: i'd like to read your guest posts though you're pretty fucking crazy.
I think we need to get back on track with what this site is. It's not hating Randy (even tho I feel some/a lot of us might) its hating the abomination of a cartoon that is xkcd.
Carl, if you're looking for guest posts I'd love to do one. Although, I can guarantee it will be rather lengthy and probably focusing more on the web comic in the sense of the web comic, and less on the black & white humor in that days panel.
The personal gain I'm guessing you could get out of this would be you *telling* your professor that you got advice from Randall. (On a side note, are you kidding me? You think Randall Munroe knows better than anybody else whether hash tables vs. binary searches are better?)
ReplyDelete"Sycophancy would be sucking up to Randall for personal gain. The only thing that might be counted as personal gain would be my professor understanding that hash tables are better for giant datasets with a lot of changes made to them."
ReplyDeleteYou didn't do it because you wanted your professor to understand that hash tables are better for giant datasets with a lot of changes made to them, though. You did it because you wanted your professor to know that Randall himself advised you.
But maybe that's just my understanding of the words "I want to tell my professor I got advice from you."
oh my god i just looked at the picture of jeff rowland's spider bite wound again, why do i keep doing this to myself
ReplyDeleteAdam: Randall Munroe is a noted NASA worker and my professor is a fan of him. I figured a combination of both would be advantageous.
ReplyDeleteFred: Well, I did want him to understand that. But also I just thought it was really cool I talked to Randall and wanted him, an xkcd fan, to know as well.
I was sucking up to nobody. I admit it was cool that I talked to him; he's kind of an internet celebrity. And I wanted my professor to know it because it's cool. But I also figured a grad who worked for NASA would have some credibility.
tl;dr Go suck your own damn cocks.
Well Dr Horrible, to be honest mate in my opinion you seem a little silly right now. No matter what your personal feelings may be, you volunteered yourself to guest post and backing out after just one suggests a lack of commitment. The fact you feel bad for criticising Munroe only when you feel "a connection" seems a tad immature... Distinctly amateur performance, mate.
ReplyDeleteIf Randall loves his job so much he might want to start putting some effort into it because at the moment more and more people seem to be getting bored of his webcomic.
ReplyDeleteWow, Doctor Horrible is quite the little bitch. To say he folded like a deck of cards would be an insult to the deck of cards.
ReplyDeleteCarl,
Your fucking critique is pathetic. It's not the place you think people would be thinking this? What exactly do you do if you're on a train and don't have a book or something else to occupy your time. But, even if you were right, it doesn't change anything. It would be as if you criticized a joke thusly:
This is completely unrealistic. First off, the Pope would have, like, a million bodyguards. And why is he with just some rabbi? Will any rabbi do? Why not have the papal equivalent of a rabbi? Oh, and I'm sure they would walk into a bar, yeah right. They would have a meeting in a temple or a Catholic church, come on! And they would never switch hats. Those are scared(sic) symbols for both of these men, they wouldn't just switch on a whim...
And so on and so forth, all the while forgetting that it's a fucking joke and sometimes the absurdity is part of it. Seriously, you do this often when you're not just out and out misunderstanding something in the comic.
But, mainly, Doctor Horrible is a little bitch.
@Dr.Horrible.
ReplyDeleteYou want to say you have a "relationship" with a celebrity. Pure and simple.
As for the ire, I'd imagine it comes from the fact that you went from critical to begger-level submissive in like 1 conversation. It makes you appear either cowardly or stupid.
Carl sent me the chat log. Eventually, Randy gets randy and cybers with Dr. Horrible.
ReplyDeleteaa97464:
ReplyDeleteWhy the "either"? I'd say both. However, you did forget dickless.
tl;dr I know I caved emotionally too quickly, and I'm working on it, okay?
ReplyDeleteI told you it was a flaw of mine. I concede that point. It's not okay that I started to feel bad after one short chat with Randall. I get that.
And I'm working on it. The most you can ask of someone is to do their best to change, and I am. Please lay off; I am trying to be more callous, alright?
As for the "cock-sucking"...straight from my mouth: I did want to tell my professor I talked to Randall, mostly. I thought he would think it was cool. But since Randall doesn't know my identity, I couldn't have been sucking up to him, and having talked to Randall Munroe isn't enough to suck up to a professor. So please, PLEASE stop telling me I'm a sycophantic cock-sucker. I may have emotionally caved too quickly and that's on me, but I'm sucking up to NOBODY.
You always do this. Like that time I moved your chair
ReplyDelete(I will stop repeating this reference over and over again now)
"I admit it was cool that I talked to him; he's kind of an internet celebrity. And I wanted my professor to know it because it's cool"
ReplyDeleteWhich is fine, but that rhymes an awful lot with "rycophant" in my book.
THIS IS BEGINNING TO READ LIKE A SOAP OPERA
ReplyDeleteok, just thought id get that off my chest. please continue, by all means
"You want to say you have a "relationship" with a celebrity. Pure and simple. "
ReplyDeleteIn fact he's managed to say that several times in this blog post alone. But he's not a sycophant!
Anyway, I think this was all very amusing. I can't wait to see what magic tomorrow's comic brings.
It's more name-dropping than anything. It's "whoops, I just dropped a name. Does anyone see that name I just dropped? I just dropped it, and I am not sure where it went. Let me know if you see it, all right? It's, uh, it's a name. One that I dropped."
ReplyDeleteI do it all the time.
Like, I would ask Randall Munroe to do shit just so I could have it for xkcd sucks. It's not that I like the dude, I just want to name-drop etc.
tl;dr I'm probably right about your misuse of the word "sycophant", but I might not be.
ReplyDelete"A sycophant is a servile person who, acting in his or her own self interest, attempts to win favor by flattering one or more influential persons...."
How can I win favor if Randall doesn't know my name?
And I thought it would be a cool thing to share with my professor. I don't think there is anything there for me, self-interest wise, but if I am misunderstanding the defintion (I won't rule that out, actually), then maybe I am being a tad bit sycophantic. Just not to Randall.
But if something as minor as what I'm doing (sharing a cool thing with my professor) is sycophantic, who ISN'T a little bit sycophantic? If you met some cool actor and told him you admired his work, then told a friend of yours about it, would you be a sycophant? No. You're misusing the word.
Haha, xkcd sucks got hijacked by a sissy who single-handedly undermined the whole mission. Jesus Carl, who's gonna guest post next? Randy's mother? Megan?
ReplyDeleteI'm getting very lonely. My little Randy doesn't visit me any more... Ever since he started his dreadful "web-comic". I know it may be a teensy bit selfish of me but I just want him to quit the comic and pay some attention to me for once.
ReplyDeleteCarl, I would be honoured to guest-post.
I didn't mean to ruin the fun. I promised Carl I wouldn't troll. I don't think I really did much; the people to start this whole argument really ruined the comic thread. I liked the comic anyhow, though.
ReplyDeleteCan someone please explain all this drama to me? Preferably you, Horrible, cuz I just don't get it! This blog makes his life a bit sadder? What the fuck? He doesn't like it, then all he has to do is stop joking about stalking people and raping their daughters, for fuck's sake! I mean, really, is that so hard? What, what's his excuse now? He was so terrified of facing yet another wave of "OMG Randy's illustroblog is missing the funnay again" critique, so he just went with a joke, any joke, no matter how tasteless?
ReplyDeleteNo honestly, I wanna know. There's gotta be something I'm missing here. Think any of you can lend me a hand, folks?
Rarely, if ever, is there a tl;dr version of Internet drama.
ReplyDelete@Dr.Horrible
ReplyDeleteI like that you caved in about 3 seconds to some assuredly pseudonymed assholes online about you needing to cave less online.
You're the kinda kid who ate bugs when told to by the older boys, weren't ya?
Ar-Pharazon: I fell too quickly into an emotional sadness since I knew Randall would always be sad, so I quit. It's my fault.
ReplyDeletelol, 11:16 AM anon
ReplyDeletePlease let it be me
I will so not hack the mainframe and hijack the mission
aa97464: I didn't cave in 3 seconds. I came in ashamed of the fact that I caved too quickly with Randall. You don't have the ability to make me cave. You're too anonymous.
ReplyDelete@Doc: Dunno, maybe. It seems people here are just a tad too hard on you as well, though.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for the answer. I'm still wondering what he's got to say about the more godawful strips he did and how his fragile feelings fit into it, but hey, guess it's a mystery.
Dr. Horrible, more like Dr. Hand-wringing Weenie who caves when faced with the petulant whining of a 30 year old virgin.
ReplyDelete12:01 Anonymous, Randall's 24.
ReplyDeleteLook. I've made my point. I'll be around, but you don't need to talk to me anymore; I won't be responding. You can hate me if you want (although I don't know why).
@Doc H:
ReplyDeleteYou're a weenie and you only make it look worse when you consistently defend yourself against every Tom, Dick, and Randy.
But I'M NOT a sycophant, see look at this dictionary definition. LOOK AT IT! :'(
Doc H
ReplyDelete"I won't be responding."
Ninja'd (I hope)
I had a longer write up, but my browser ate it, here's the short version:
ReplyDeleteDoc Horrible: You felt bad for standing up to Randall, so why not stand up for him? Instead of voting with your feet indicating that you'd like to see a change, why didn't you post an entry that actually effected the change you'd like to see?
Randall: You're educated and claim some level of introspection, so you must realize that what you do actively works towards you becoming a celebrity. You wouldn't be the first to count the cost and decide it was too much, and there's no shame in that. Bands that could make it big stay underground for that very reason. You made your bed, now you get to sleep in it. Don't complain that you reap what you sow, or don't get to have your cake and eat it, too. Coming from a scientific background myself, it seems especially odd that you'd be sensitive to criticism since science is a very harsh field and isn't very shy with its criticism.
this is the most rediculus converation on the internet, why do i keep reading it?
ReplyDeleteall this drama and no women in leading roles?
its all a bunch of nedition
Secretly, Anon, you want to be one of us.
ReplyDelete< drama>xkcdsucks.blogspot.com< /drama>
ReplyDeleteP.S. I am a different anonymous than 12:38
ReplyDeleteOk I think we all need to leave Doc Horrible alone. He's explained himself and everything numerous times.
ReplyDeleteCome on guys, let it go already.
...
ReplyDelete...
I can't believe I read all of that.
I should start visiting this blog less often...
Please.
ReplyDeletethe blog does go to far sometimes, even carl should admit. but that doesn't change what it is, the needed criticism to help xkcd get better. it isnt xkcd: is it shitty today?
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone should feel bad for pointing out bad elements of god damned comics! Attacking a comic is not the same as attacking a person, especially when a great number of the problems would be fixed if only Randall had an editor! and by editor i mean an unbiased third party, someone who can honestly point out what is wrong with a particular strip, and get it fixed.
Is "drama" the right word for "someone decided not to critique a webcomic and others are being a dick to him?"
ReplyDeleteSounds more like ASS. *fart*
Willy Monty Huge is clearly Randall Munroe. No one else can be so sycophantic (to himself), egotistical and pretentious.
ReplyDeleteCAPTCHA: Clues. It's a sign.
This Doctor Horrible person will be going to Hell, I assure you all.
ReplyDeleteLet me hear it, my children!
I like bunnies :(
ReplyDeleteRecommendations to Doctor Horrible:
ReplyDelete1. GO TO BED.
2. KILL YOURSELF.
Also you are a fucking sycophant, you forgot to photoshop that part out at the bottom where you said that you wanted to let your college professor know "you got advice from THE Randall Munroe".
ReplyDeleteFucking cocksucking faggot.
Haha, "I have a really cool job and an awesome life that I love. So there's a price for that"
ReplyDeleteThe price of selling t-shirts to idiot sycophants having them spam karma to you on reddit is having people who are making as milquetoast criticism as humanly possible?
What a fucking pompous jerk. XKCDsucks cuts their criticism of XKCD with so much cock sucking that you'd have trouble telling if it's actually criticism or not. It's probably the most light hearted criticism of any webcomic ever. Nowhere as vitriolic as "your web comic is bad and you should feel bad". I mean the whole premise is that XKCD was once good! They're all FANS you crybaby faggot.
Carl is fucking scared senseless of being mean, and he barely ever is. Though Randall's world is such a fucking fuzzy bunny nerd fantasy bubble that he's even sensitive to what is effectively a blog where they root that he stops being so derivative. Maybe if he spent a little time away from his own groupthink he'd get a little better grip on reality.
He just, like every idiot, can't believe something he produced that SO MANY PEOPLE LOVE might actually be shitty. It really bothers him to have people who actually liked his drivel at one time, decide they don't like it anymore. He's much like so much Jim Jones, insisting everyone at the "Peoples Raptor Protection Project" drink the koolaid and go lay down in the ball pit.
Carl if you are tired of updating we can do another Rob week. Those sure are popular with the ladies. And by ladies I mean 'pathetic whinging bitchy fuckwits,' and by popular I mean 'causative of hilarious imbecilic rage.'
ReplyDeleteI like that this debacle has drawn the real haters out of the woodwork.
ReplyDeleteBring on the Roooooobbb weeeeeeeekkk
ReplyDeleteJohn, I think it's amazing that he's whining about what is a disgruntled fan club. Why don't you hate someone who reacts like that?
ReplyDeleteYou guys I'm gonna type up an entire goddamn guest post WITH ALT TEXT just to spite you all.
ReplyDeleteRob I thoroughly enjoyed your updates and have no idea why they generated so much ire.
ReplyDelete@Yuk Yuk
ReplyDeleteNo, that I assuredly approve of. I'm a hater myself.
I mean the Anonymous comments on this page that are laying into Dr. Horrible. Usually this blog doesn't have so much vitriol, deserved or not.
Jesus fucking Christ on a crusade, people, can we lay off Dr. Horrible already? I know he fucked up but that doesn't mean we have to tell him to go kill himself. Not even Randy deserves that.
ReplyDeleteI dunno, if he killed himself it would go a long way to him repairing the damage he's done here.
ReplyDeleteI am letting the hate flow through me and it feels gooooood.
ReplyDeleteRandall Munroe doesn't deserve people telling him to kill himself?
ReplyDeleteWhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! What kind of limp-wristed faggots did this community turn into overnight?!
Dr. Horrible: "You can hate me if I want (although I don't know why)."
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, you've encountered the darker side of xkcdsucks. Namely, people who are full of vitriolic hatred for Munroe and xkcd (ironically, probably at least partly because it's "cool" to do so and people who hate xkcd are just smarter, right?), and who can't understand even a little bit of what you experience, namely, having a shred of basic human compassion for another human being even though you aren't face-to-face with him. So, they have no problems with turning that hatred on you for not providing them the hate-fuel they craved.
Basically, you know everything everyone's been saying about how Randall is whiny and, like any artist, should learn to take criticism? Yeah, you gotta deal with that too.
People are dicks, and sometimes you just can't explain things, especially on the internet, so the best thing to do is just back down.
... Which is what you did.
So, nevermind then. :-P
I love when the sweeping generalizations come out. "Nobody here has any shred of human decency!" etc etc. you all rox (or sux)
ReplyDelete@Frogwarrior:
ReplyDeleteYes, and passing judgment on people who often come here to vent their frustrations - a sort of healthy catharsis mingled with a legitimate disdain over the decline in quality of a webcomic they once truly appreciated - in order to establish your own moral superiority is much more noble.
Also, what gives you the right to judge anyone in the first place? We're all only human, and assuming anything about the attitudes and motivations of people whose only contact with you is through the anonymous screen of the Internet is laughable.
Eat a dick, you self-righteous, pedantic fuck.
Did Stephenie Meyer put y'all to this?
ReplyDeleteOn a brighter note, I kind of thought today's comic was awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't completely suck, but it sure would've been nice to actually SEE some of the shit he was ranting about.
ReplyDelete@Rob: Well, I wouldn't say NOBODY has any shred of human decency. Just, y'know. Some. At certain times.
ReplyDeleteI just don't think "You had a moment of weakness where you CARED ABOUT ANOTHER HUMAN BEING!!!" is a good reason to internet-gang-rape someone. *shrug*
@The_P: Yeah, I may have come off a lil' testy, sorry.
As it turns out, I rather detest bullies, and it looked an awful lot like 20 jerks piling on someone for, well, having a totally understandable twinge of (somewhat misplaced) compassion. And completely not listening to his attempt to explain. I hope you can understand how that might not look too good, and, in fact, might make you look like a total dick.
That, and throwing out "self-righteous" and "how DARE you judge me???" Y'know, absolutely nothing sounds more like a bulshitty excuse for being a jackass. Take care you're not one, I have no way of knowing either way.
tl;dr no thanks, I only eat the spotted kind.
@thomas: die in a fire for mentioning that name.
@Poore: I kind of agree with Frogwarrior. I mean, some of these Anon's have been fucking insane. Yeah, I'm judging them. Maybe they should learn to deal with criticism, and come back when they aren't telling people to commit suicide, eh?
ReplyDeleteActually, let's say I'm not judging them, and giving them constructive, healthy criticism on how not to look like FUCKING PSYCHOPATHS. I'm sure they're kind, decent folks face-to-face, but they're acting like FUCKING PSYCHOPATHS.
And just to be clear, Poore, I'm not referring to you. You're kind of a dick sometimes, too, but you do it with style, so I let it go as personal difference in approach. Of course, when I say "let it go", I don't mean I have any power to restrain you (and I shouldn't have any), I just mean in terms of wholly-unjustified-but-constructive-criticism.
TLDR; Let's just move on, shall we?
guys. guys. isn't it clear now that doctor horrible is randall? in which case - well played randall, well played.
ReplyDeleteUgh the latest one. I would be less bothered if it were not a ripoff of, like, the single most iconic A Softer World ever. Just much more poorly executed.
ReplyDeletegod damn you guys it's like bill o'reilly in here
ReplyDeleteI'll take Bill O'Reilly over Jerry Springer any day.
ReplyDeleteOr Mr. Rogers! He's cool, too.
I vote Poore does a guest post
ReplyDeleteThat would be much laughs
This is absolutely pathetic. What's next, a mass jerking contest? You're all taking the internet too seriously. Would you feel better if I gave you tampons and made a site for "CAD Could Be Better"? You can do any comic and make it "better" in the opinion of yourself - but it may be worse.
ReplyDeleteI claim no amazing ability to improve the XKCD comic in anyone else's eyes but my own. But here, on a blog dedicated to ripping apart the suckiest of comics from this particular comic... there is an emotional jerkfest going on! What are you all doing!? Taking it seriously - bleeding hearts because you might shatter someone's fragile glass-like psyche?
It's fine to abstain from personal attacks... but at the same time you are seeing the person in the comics, and thus they are a worthy target.
Christ, has the Cancer begun?
http://static.open.salon.com/files/wizard_troll_doll-low_res1229486618.jpg
ReplyDeleteRob are you implying that our friend Snoogkraktor here is a wizard
ReplyDeletei'm just saying, he may or may not have cast a spell on me
ReplyDeletetake it as you will
Well, first of all, this is a phenomenon I've never personally experienced. I have never been on hurricane-devotee forums, I have never even heard this sort of thing in passing. Generally, the people I interact with don't much care about hurricanes before, during, or after the event, and they especially don't care about how BADASS EXTREME the meteorology is. So, on the first level, the whole thing is dealing with a situation that is unfamiliar to me.
ReplyDeleteOf course, that's not to say I don't think I get the idea. There is, I'm sure, a catastrophe lust among hurricane enthusiasts (is there porn for these people? like, could you do some stuff with wires and have people copulating while floating about in a hurricane?). And so, logically, there could be comparisons to other sorts of catastrophe lusts.
Watching the Space Shuttle launch for the possibility of disaster is probably not the best example he could've chosen, since there've been only a handful of disasters and plenty of reasons to enjoy Shuttle launches. They're a testament to the power of human engineering and physics and mathematics and computer programming, which means that people like Randall could like them for an entirely different set of reasons! But, I suppose, it's possible that a sociopath like Mr. Hat might like watching it for that reason.
(Should I praise Randall for avoiding the obvious but still wholly appropriate example of stock car racing? Did he leave it out because it occurred to him, but he respected his audience too much to include such an obvious example; or because he never thought of it in the first place and just went with the vastly less appropriate [but vastly nerdier] Shuttle example? I suspect the latter, since I have no reason to believe Randall respects his audience at all, OR would ever pass up a chance to mock stock car racing enthusiasts.)
Then we get Mr. Hat's two examples, one of which is kind of creepy and the other is kind of Most Dangerous Game. Do doctor's really harvest organs right there in the operating room? Don't they usually do that sort of thing in, like, morgues? I know I'm mostly taking cues from Scrubs but still.
And, um, I guess actually the entire comparison fell apart with the Most Dangerous Game shit. Because that's not actually watching something, hoping for catastrophe--that's deliberately creating catastrophe and going out of your way to hurt people. That's less the passive sociopathy of a stock car fan, still less the active but playful and intelligent sociopathy of Classic Mr. Hat, and more the horrifying and not actually all that hilarious sociopathy of a demented serial killer. Now, maybe Randall's gonna go in an ultra-serious direction and have Mr. Hat become a corrupt CIA agent addicted to killing and Mr. Beret become the Donnie Wahlberg clean cop who silently tracks him down and Mr. Hat's wife is like Leonardo DiCaprio, deep undercover and freaking out, and the art'll be done by Frank Miller and it'll rock my tits off. Or maybe Randall just accidentally wrote his character as a brutal murderer and played it for a weak joke about... how it's funny when people are murderers, I guess?
Yes, yes, of course there's no joke. There's Mr. Hat making sort-of creepy comparisons of catastrophe-watching habits and also revealing that he is a hunter of men. And then, after the punchline (the fourth panel, which SHOULD include Mr. Hat's first line from the fifth; having them separate reduces the impact and continuity of his monologue too much), we get yet another "I'm explaining the joke!" line, which robs the comic of yet more momentum and forces us to leave with an impression, not of a socially divergent madman who creatively torments people, but with the half-hearted reproach of his girlfriend.
Well, actually, we leave with a restatement of the first panel, if we count the alt text. Pure redundancy.
An aside: It seems pretty often that Randall restates the joke in his alt text. In fact, sometimes he basically restates what a character says in the alt text. Usually, I interpret the alt text as an author's commentary on the joke, or some sort of non-character/narrator/something providing additional funnies, or some such thing. But often, in addition to being lazy and repetitive, Randall seems to be using the alt text to include dialogue from characters. Could this inconsistency contribute to our habit of reading Randall's personal life into his comics?
ReplyDeleteActually, I suspect that most of the reason we read Randall's personal life is because he makes comics whose sole purpose is to reflect some aspect of his readers' personal lives with a GOOMH!!!!! moment. If these are intended to resonate with readers, and he's not simply exploiting them by imagining scenarios he thinks they've gone through but which he never really has, then Randall's actual life shows through the comic quite frequently. I think any time Randall's comic produces the reaction "Wow, I've thought that TOO!" it ought to be fair that the "too" means that, yes, Randall thought it.
So, we have mostly forgettable art (the combination of details on the TV with the featureless void of the rest of reality strikes me as off, but not terribly so), a non-punchline that's deflated further by after-the-joke commentary on it, further degradation of Mr. Hat, a reference to a sub-culture I never knew existed, redundant alt-text that does nothing but rehash the setup of the joke, peculiar omissions, and really nothing redeeming. Overall, quite awful.
Is this your audition for a guest comic?
ReplyDelete-Post-. FUCK!
ReplyDeletethe only way to audition for a guest post is to e-mail me - I read the comments but not always with enough attention to note down stuff like that, especially if it is comment #157 on a post. But i got a ton of e-mails already for guest posting. More on this in...the future.
ReplyDeleteIt's alternately my potential guest post and just a really, really long regular post.
ReplyDelete(Spoilers: I only even started reading this comic like two hours after it went up because I was busy playing Call of Duty 4. NEXT TIME I MIGHT BE MORE PROMPT CARL. NEXT TIME.)
man male that is way too much to read. there is no chance that I will ever read that.
ReplyDeletepoore email carl email carl
ReplyDeletecarl post that damn irc log
Doctor Horrible, you knew what you were getting yourself into when you signed on to post for xkcd sucks. You also know what you were getting yourself into when you decided to quit. I have no pity for you! (okay maybe some) But you can criticize and still be nice. It's called "constructive criticism." If you are afraid to give criticism because you don't wanna be hurting someone's feelings, that means that that someone is a douche who cannot take criticism.
Person #1 doooo itttttttt
aloria doooo itttttttttttttttt
Ramsey doooo ittttttttttt
(do you guys see a pattern here)
3:39 anon: you are my hero. That was just wonderful. Actually all the edits for this one were great. Good job everyone!
5:59 anon: No. Just no. We do not worship Carl here. Also Randy has quite the (undeserved) ego. I do not hate him, I hate his attitude. So basically what Jay and poore said. Just because we share an opinion sometimes does not mean we always do. And when we do we don't go HAW HAW I THOUGHT THAT ONCE BEFORRRRE god you are so great get out of my headddd
poore i must disagree with one small detail: i am indeed a fucker... and a good one at that. And I thank you to not make this mistake again. I STILL LOVE YOU THO OKAY
man carl post those damn emails too I AM SO JEALOUS DOES THIS MEAN IF I GUEST POST I GET TO READ ALL THIS SEKRIT THINGS
We don't worship Carl here? Then what the fuck are all these entrails and vials of virgin blood for?
ReplyDeleteshhhh they dunno that we have all that here
ReplyDeleteGODDAMMIT RAMSEY
STOP WITH THE HOMOPHOBIC COMMENTS
ReplyDeleteSTOP WITH THE HOMOPHOBIC COMMENTS
You are allowed to hate Randall, fine. But there is no reason to help contribute to this culture in which gay people are made to feel subhuman. Don't call people "faggots", "sissies" and don't imply that sucking cock is bad.
Nevermind your telling a person who felt bad for hurting someone that he should die.
I have never seen so much irrational hate firsthand in my entire life.
Anon 12:41 here: disregard that, I suck cocks
ReplyDelete12:41 anon: What, you've never been on the internet before?
ReplyDelete@Snoogkrator: "Blah blah, I'm better than you because I don't talk about anything I care about." And I thought the people telling you to not be dicks were supposed to be the self-righteous ones.
Just because I know what to expect doesn't make it okay that you do it.
ReplyDeleteHar har, 12:49 made my day!
ReplyDeleteRANDALL MUNROE WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW THAT HE KNOWS MORE ABOUT LIFE THAN YOU DO!
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 12:41
ReplyDeleteWomen have sucked far more cocks than gay men ever have. Please take your sense of minority entitlement elsewhere.
@Anonymous 12:41
ReplyDeleteOh, go suck some dick/tit.
(haha, see what I did there? That was equally homophobic AND heterophobic!
Now you are supposed to laugh.)
(Furthermore, it doesn't require me second-guessing your gender! Everybody wins!)
ReplyDeleteEverybody, except for Cthulhu.
ReplyDeleteMalethoth, I sort of assumed the step up from passive sociopathy to actively going out and playing the most dangerous game... was the joke? It's not a great one, but at least it's character-based humor and not NERDY POP CULTURE REFERENCE LOL.
ReplyDeleteIMO this wasn't a horrible comic, which makes two in a row for Randy that didn't make me want to commit physical violence against someone. Maybe it's not a coincidence and he's finally improving!
Still, though, there's the whole "redundant dialogue after the punchline" thing, and the whole people not talking realistically" thing. So not a good comic, just better than, say, Monday's.
whoa people are still commenting? you know no one's reading this any more, right? (especially if you're replying to someone who commented days ago)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to start posting as an Anon so I don't draw too much shit for quitting. The few of you I like have defended me, which I appreciate, but apparently I'll draw far too much internet hate criticizing under the name "Doctor Horrible". So...yeah, I'm going to be an Anon. Thanks a lot, assholes.
ReplyDeleteWhatever, as long as it keeps you from whining to us about Pam or Peggy or whatever the hell her name was.
ReplyDelete:-P
BAWWW, LOOK AT THE WIMP CRY!!!!11
ReplyDelete@DH: Or, you could just get a different name and not clutter the board with EPIC GOODBYE SPEECHES.
ReplyDeletePlus, if an anon sissies out, we'll assume it was you. Sissyfish.
Malekoth*, I have a complaint:
ReplyDelete"a reference to a sub-culture I never knew existed"
I don't see why that's bad?
(the rest is fine)
*and also I am too lazy to look up the spelling
Epic goodbye speeches? Hardly. That was, like, three sentences. "Epic" would be a several page long dissertation on why you all are, in fact, assholes.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, completely unnecessary, as it is obvious.
Doctor Horrible are you serious, none of us that got impostered changed our names. I am of the opinion that you should stay with your name, and deal with the backlash of going on the internet.
ReplyDeleteLOOKY HERE, BOYS! WE GOT OURSELVES AN ATTENTION WHORE!
ReplyDeleteguys, guys, you are missing the point.
ReplyDeletethe point is: TROLL DOLLS
@Ann Apolis: It's really only bad for me, personally because it means I might not have gotten the joke. I'm terrified of being sufficiently far from the "target audience" of people who like and understand every XKCD ever that my critiques will be invalid for all time.
ReplyDeleteAlternately, if the subculture really DOESN'T exist, then it's that "way too far removed from reality" business that, I think, was best demonstrated in 473.
Amanda: The imposter thing wasn't your fault. Every time I criticize a comic from now on, at least 5 people are going to tell me I should be nicer to my boyfriend Randall, or what if I hurt someone's feelings, BAAAAAAAW. It's not worth being Doctor Horrible, but I still like hanging around here, so I will. Just as not me, because everybody seems intent on making my stay here miserable.
ReplyDeleteI think we're all forgetting something... XKCD SUCKS!!
ReplyDeleteIt really does! That patronising "look at all these sheep" comic made me sick. That's what Aspeger's Randall thinks in the train??? What an utter cunt!
And Dr Horrible. Grow some balls. You were fucked over by Randall's Math, Language, and self-indulgent wanking onto IRC. If I had a friend who knew Randall I would disown that friend, remove them from my Facebook account, and destroy any connection with that friend. Knowing Randall it's only an internet friend, or a friend who stands at parties thinking they're superior - so no great loss.
I hope you feel like shit you socially-stunted nerd, Randall. Stop making your comic, and murder-suicide your friend-of-friend Horrible.
^ Nope. Undergrad student of my mom's. Now he lives near Randall.
ReplyDeleteThe sheep comic isn't what Randall thinks on the train. It's making fun of people who think like that. Maybe it went over your head, you spell-check-eschewing little pissant.
Not that it was laught-out-loud funny. It just wasn't patronizing.
(Double-post) Yeah, ha ha, I made a spelling mistake. But I just hit post too quickly; I didn't willfully ignore it.
ReplyDeleteExcuses, excuses. There's always one with people like you, Dr H. Admit it, you've made spelling mistakes before.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for pointing out your double post. I nearly missed that and thought there were two of you. A truly Horrible thought.
Why does Randall think people think like that? When I'm sitting on a train, I don't imagine everyone to be hateful emo trenchcoat-mafia nerds.
Well here is the explanation that was over my head... Randall thinks in this way, and HATES it in himself. He externalises that thought to other people (like the religious pervert who claims everyone is "fornicating" while he cheats on his wife with your mother).
Randall actually believes people think this way, because it's how he thinks. It's a common theme through his comics - blaming others for his awful thoughts.
Oh, and to the few still reading this thread. I humbly apologise for my spelling mistakes in my previous post. I didn't just hit the post button too quickly, I willfully ignored the typo. I am terribley terrablie sorry.
I'm not sure your distinctive brand of psychoanalysis applies when all you know of this side of Randall is one bitmap's worth. With most of it being empty in terms of linguistic value.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the train has anything to do with it. I think it was a lame little joke, touching on parody of human thought patterns.
I apologize for the spelling thing, though.
Too little, too late. Apology not accepted.
ReplyDeleteI see, so the train has nothing to do with it. Obviously a metaphor? Merely a parody of human thought patterns?
No, it's not. It is proof Randall is a disconnected loser who hates everyone, but wants people to like him.
I may not be his soul mate like you aitchy, but his persecutory delusions are evident in your pussy-licking IRC message to him (see, not sexist like Randy).
My evidence that Randall is a cock include more than one bitmap (don't say that, you sound like a nerd). Every comic he's produced shows he's a fuckwit, then there's the slogan that everyone hates, and the "shitty webcomic artists have feelings too" crap he spouted to you. All these are evidence to my previous assertions about Randall.
Oh, and what's this about the empty "linguistic value" of my post? Nowhere did I promise to have an anonymous comment about math, sarcasm, romance and language.
But since you asked: "Randall's a homo and he fucked your mother" - Chomsky.
The imposter thing had everything to do with me going on the Internet and posting anything at all. Think about it: if I never commented on this site (or better yet, posted anonymously), no one could ever be an imposter (of me, at least). If I (and a significant number of everyone else, too) never even read this blog, no one would ever even care enough to be an imposter. Now, in your case, if you had never posted, you would have nothing to feel guilty about! And if you had not backed out of posting for a week, no one would have any right to rag on you. Every action has its consequence, just yours was a little suckier on both ends (that's what she said?).
ReplyDelete/lecture
oh you guys we are SO CLOSE TO 200 COMMENTS
Amanda, you are the coolest girl ever. It would suck if you weren't hot to match.
ReplyDeleteAnon, I was talking about the linguistic value of the bitmap in question - which is housed almost entirely in the upper center, in the text bubble. And Chomskyism is a pile of idealistic shit.
Let's push 200, motherfuckers. I want to be the record-breaker for hate.
don't worry i am foiiiiine
ReplyDeleteFuck 200, it ends here.
ReplyDeleteAmanda please don't interrupt me and my good friend Horrible in the middle of deep debate. He's a bit shy, but i think he may have a crush on you.
I fail to see how "Randall's a homo and he fucked your mother" is idealistic - but you're entitled to your opinion.
In future Dr H, read your comments before posting. Realise that what your write can be ambiguous and confusing. Especially since you are so easily led by a manipulative older man (namely Randall).
Be careful.. You have been warned.
I have seen Amanda. I can say she is hot. That's if you like the look of a dugong and a great white shark mating.
ReplyDeleteAnother hint for you, Dr H. Most internet girls are guys (but not vice versa).
man i SO do not look like a dugong what the hell is that anyway
ReplyDeletei actually don't know if i should be insulted or not