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XKCD Invited To New Yorker "Cartoon-Off"

Posted by kdawson on from the no-raptors dept.

UnknowingFool writes "Farley Katz, who draws for New Yorker magazine, ran into xkcd.com's Randall Munroe in a grocery store. He challenged Munroe to a cartoon-off — each cartoonist to produce drawings about the Internet as envisioned by the elderly, String Theory, 1999, and one's favorite animal eating one's favorite food. In the ensuing short interview, Munroe describes XKCD as 'a webcomic about stick figures who do math, play with staple guns, mess around on the Internet, and have lots of sex. It's about three-fourths autobiographical.'"

24 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. And the winner is... by Wonko+the+Sane · · Score: 5, Funny

    hyperbondage

    1. Re:And the winner is... by ComaVN · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Did anyone else habitually hover over the pic to see the alt text?

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    2. Re:And the winner is... by rgo · · Score: 4, Informative

      -20 It has nothing, I hate you, I even checked the source code.

  2. Munroe Wins by bshell · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Munroe was the clear winner. 1999 *BC* was just dumb, as were most of Katz's others. The only lame one of Munroe's was the strange skateboard thing. Somewhat off topic, though it gets points for originality.

    1. Re:Munroe Wins by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

      (-1 " as useless as .jpegs to Hellen Keller.")

    2. Re:Munroe Wins by phantomfive · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Pretty simple......show both comics to 10 random people on the street......which do you think will get the most laughs?

      They are both funny, the only difference is the target audience. We happen to be the target audience of xkcd, and that is why Munroe is famous on slashdot and Katz is a cartoonist for the New Yorker.

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    3. Re:Munroe Wins by History's+Coming+To · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's the New Yorker, they expect a certain amount of political commentary. Katz got it in with the Creationism reference in 1999 (hence the underlining) and Munroe was making a Palin reference. Sorry. Not funny now that I've explained it.

      Munroe won in my book, and not bad when he's playing an away-game. I did consider a detailed description of exactly why he wins with references and footnotes and sign it "Summer Glau", but I'm gambling that someone else will go to the effort for a +5 Funny :)

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  3. Re:Three-fourths Autobiographical? by causality · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thank you Capt. Obvious! It's not as funny if you have to call attention to the joke.

    I appreciate that. Being merely Sergeant Obvious was really getting old. Nothing but work, work, work.

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    It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
  4. O__O by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't know what's scarier, that Katz's cow drawing has too many nipples - or that I noticed the discrepancy...

    1. Re:O__O by Ohio+Calvinist · · Score: 4, Funny

      All cows have too many nipples, based on my assumption that two nipples is the ideal number. :)

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  5. Re:Slashdot Reference by the-amazing-blob · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's not a Slashdot reference, it's a South Park reference.

  6. Re:Three-fourths Autobiographical? by ciaohound · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, I'm thinking he's done with the staple guns, now that all the XKCD fangirls are lining up to blow him.

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  7. Oh I do hope... by ahoehn · · Score: 4, Funny

    I sincerely hope the expression "Pulled a Palin" becomes part of the vernacular.

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    1. Re:Oh I do hope... by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 4, Funny

      Anyway, step back, I voted republican. We cool now?

      Wait a second. I'm confused. So are you saying that you are racist?!?




      (relax, it's a joke)

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      This guy's the limit!
  8. Katz vs Munroe? by fishinatree · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While XKCD is my favorite webcomic that I've been following for quite a long time, I have to admit that Munroe's humor lies more in his ability to crack inside jokes with the nerd in all of us. Katz tries to appeal to the more general public (it's his job at the New Yorker). I think Munroe is funnier, especially here, but his esoteric humor might lose some votes.

    1. Re:Katz vs Munroe? by gad_zuki! · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Humor needs to be esoteric. There needs to be a pause between seeing the joke and getting the joke.

      Katz's work is painfully obvious and looks like something out of a "cartooning 101" workshop. A drunk scientist? A cow biting itself? Those are hackneyed jokes!

      My understanding is that the new yorker has this reputation for cartoons so bad that the audience has learned to love their badness. Well, theyre still terrible to me.

  9. Three-fourths? by RyoShin · · Score: 4, Funny

    do math, play with staple guns, mess around on the Internet, and have lots of sex. It's about three-fourths autobiographical.

    I take it Monroe doesn't like staple guns.

  10. One New Yorker comic I didn't get by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

    What's the deal with the pig at the complaint department saying "I wish I were taller"?

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  11. Re:That's cartooning? by Broken+scope · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You do realize that xkcd has never been about the art, and its author has never claimed it was?

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  12. Re:Three-fourths Autobiographical? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Captain Cliche here. Can I have my insult back?

  13. Re:One was good... by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah. That's the one. It was hilarious!

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    This guy's the limit!
  14. Uh, math? by PatDev · · Score: 5, Informative

    Umm, you are aware that "99.99999% more" roughly means "slightly less than twice as much", right? As in, he reads 199.99999% as much XKCD as he does NYT.

  15. Re:Frosty Piss... by Sebilrazen · · Score: 4, Funny

    I maintain that CmdrTaco overpaid.

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    "There are no facts, only interpretations." --Friedrich Nietzsche.
  16. Re:Hmmm... by mollymoo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hang on, did I just offer to make some guy on the internet horny for $5? I feel so... dirty.

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