# Please tell me why XKCD is so great **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452 "2012-02-01T19:42:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/1 "2012-02-01T19:42:17Z")
This is by far the most talked about web comic here on SDMB, from the countless “obligatory XKCD link” posts, to the almost-weekly “explain today’s XKCD to me” thread, to a good deal of discussion about the artist and his personal life. I don’t hate XKCD. It’s occasionally clever. But much more often, it mistakes obscurity for wit, and there’s kind of a smarmy smugness about it – “Here’s a really esoteric reference. If you get it you’re one of the cool kids, and if you don’t you’re not as smart as we are.” Now, I’ve never been known as a parade-rainer. I don’t pop into threads about TV shows to harp about how much the show sucks. I try not to judge people who enjoy things I don’t. But in this case, I’m genuinely curious about what the appeal is and wondering if I’m missing something, as this little stick-figure panel seems to have quite the rabid and devoted following. Please tell me why it appeals to you so much. … oh, and while you’re at it, does “XKCD” actually _mean_ anything? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/2 "2012-02-01T19:47:27Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > … oh, and while you’re at it, does “XKCD” actually _mean_ anything? Nope: [ > [@](#): > > According to Munroe, the comic’s name has no particular significance and is simply a four-letter word without a phonetic pronunciation, something he describes as “a treasured and carefully guarded point in the space of four-character strings.” ]([xkcd - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xkcd)) As to the comic? I like it because it’s often clever - the graph ones and the like are not _just_ geek cool. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/3 "2012-02-01T19:48:42Z")
It makes me laugh pretty regularly. There aren’t a lot of gag a day comics out there that can say that. Humor is _really really_ subjective. It might just not be for you. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/4 "2012-02-01T19:51:17Z")
XKCD doesn’t mean anything. It’s just 4 letters used to make a non-taken username. I do the same thing on most forums. The good part about XKCD is not that he uses esoteric subjects. The good part is that he draws humour from subjects that are important to me (geeks), which few other sources do to quite the same degree. Take Big Bang Theory, it uses physics stuff in the humour, but mostly from an outsiders point of view. Other things I like about XKCD is that it is mostly quick to read, and there is often a novel concept you can think about, even if the comic itself isn’t funny. Actually, these days I am reading it mostly for those. I personally think that he should stop the webcomic and start making a graph/concept blog, to write on whenever he has an idea. The best thing you can do if you’d like to really understand, is to read the first ~300 comics, back when he was at his best. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/5 "2012-02-01T20:34:12Z")
I’ll readily admit that individual comics can go over my head. That’s fine, I’m not a physics/computer geek. But it makes me smile or laugh or at least think “Heh, clever” as often as not which is better than most comics. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/6 "2012-02-01T21:18:49Z")
Just to echo everyone else it’s a really a matter of if you understand it than it’s funny, otherwise it just isn’t for you. I’m not geeky enough for it really, but I still read and enjoy a majority of them. If I get it I feel REALLY smart, if not I just shrug and say oh well. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/7 "2012-02-01T22:20:14Z")
I have to admit, I really enjoy reading the comic and find it funny as hell. Not every time…you simply can’t hit home runs in humor evert at bat…but most of the time I at least chuckle. Humor is a funny thing though (;))…what one person finds hilarious, another might just say meh and move on. I remember folks at my work extolling the virtues of Seinfeld, for instance, and going over the shows at work. And when they were doing it, it was pretty funny. Thinking to get in on it, I started watching, and I found that my cow-orkers TALKING about Seinfeld was actually funnier (to me) than watching the show. -XT ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/8 "2012-02-01T22:32:03Z")
I’ll chime in with a hearty “meh.” I really don’t care for TV Tropes whatsoever while we’re at it. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/9 "2012-02-01T22:37:31Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I don’t hate XKCD. It’s occasionally clever. But much more often, it mistakes obscurity for wit, and there’s kind of a smarmy smugness about it – “Here’s a really esoteric reference. If you get it you’re one of the cool kids, and if you don’t you’re not as smart as we are.” For what it’s worth, that’s the same impression that I got a while back when I started reading the archives from oldest to newest. More recently, I started reading the archives newest to oldest, and don’t get that impression. It may be that the author’s style has changed over the years. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/10 "2012-02-01T23:13:23Z")
I mostly appreciate the complexity and skill of the artwork. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/11 "2012-02-01T23:46:28Z")
99% of the time, the artwork doesn’t add anything. xkcd would be more interesting as a blog discussing the idea behind the comic, with occasional drawings when necessary. The two-minute kiddy stick figures really don’t do anything to add value. ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/12 "2012-02-02T00:26:05Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I mostly appreciate the complexity and skill of the artwork. For the win! I laugh much more often than not. I also often learn something, even if it doesn’t immediately affect my life. Every once in a while, he shows some real art and/or shows a picture that must have taken a long time and a lot of work. (Like the scale model gravity wells or the movie plot/proximity page.) ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/13 "2012-02-02T01:03:32Z")
Not a lot to add, except that I’m normally the sort of guy who hates smug smartypants writing. I disdain writers / cartoonists from whom I get an “ain’t I clever?” vibe. My gut reaction to xkcd is to hate it for the same reason, but I _just can’t_. The more I read it, the more convinced I am that the writer does just think about things like this. That said, I find it hit-or-miss. I rarely go to the site; I tend to assume the best comics will be reposted somewhere I see 'em. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/14 "2012-02-02T01:05:19Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] I mostly appreciate the complexity and skill of the artwork. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that one winz da thread. 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/15 "2012-02-02T01:06:14Z")
We’re geeks. It’s that simple. A geeky comic strip made for geeky people using computers, which was once the most geeky thing you could do. It’s no more complicated than that. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/16 "2012-02-02T01:20:41Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > But much more often, it mistakes obscurity for wit, and there’s kind of a smarmy smugness about it – “Here’s a really esoteric reference. If you get it you’re one of the cool kids, and if you don’t you’re not as smart as we are.” Eh, he does this occasionally, and its annoying when he does. But not that often, and less so now then when the strip first started. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/17 "2012-02-02T01:34:44Z")
If you need humor explained to you, the chances that it will then be funny to you are minuscule. You either find something funny or you don’t, and it is hard for someone else to change which side of the fence you are on manually. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/18 "2012-02-02T04:12:19Z")
So what if you sometimes need to understand the subject in order to get the joke? The target audience is greatly entertained. The phrase “Little Bobby Tables” still makes me laugh, and that strip is what, two years old by now? Maybe even three? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/19 "2012-02-02T04:48:51Z")
I agree with every criticism the OP makes of XKCD but the thing is, when Randall hits the spot he _really_ hits the spot. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452/20 "2012-02-02T05:02:08Z")
_elitist air_ I like vintage xkcd. Bobby Tables and the like. Nowadays half the time it’s a sex joke, which is fine, I guess. Certainly other comics dip from that well all the time. But XKCD makes a point of billing itself as an intellectual exercise as well as a comic. Which makes [this sort of thing](http://xkcd.com/830/) stand out in stark relief as not being intellectual or funny. Also, he’s run graph jokes into the ground. I can’t even appreciate a good one, now because he’s abused them so much. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-why-xkcd-is-so-great/611452.md?page=2)