Several years ago I was introduced to xkcd which is drawn by Randall Munroe. I believe it was in a comment on Slashdot that basically said “Obligatory xkcd reference: link_to_some_xkcd_comic“. It was amusing and I went back to “1” and worked my way forward. I added xkcd to my feed reader and became a regular follower of the strip.
Many xkcd comics follow the same formula used by most comics in which multiple characters converse and by the end the reader has hopefully noticed something humorous. In the case of xkcd, the humor is often rather nerdy. I must confess that it was weeks or months before I discovered that every xkcd comic contains some mouseover text. This means that when the mouse cursor is hovering over the comic, additional text appears which can take the joke even further. So I had to go back and read all the comics again and remember to hover the cursor over each so I could get the whole xkcd experience. In many cases the additional text takes a funny comic and makes it even funnier. In other cases it takes a comic that doesn’t seem super funny and twists it into something hilarious.
Randall Munroe also has a serial (and book) called “What If” where he publishes “Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions”. Along with a technical explanation and general wit, the text is interspersed with illustrations. These illustrations and the accompanying mouseover text not only help to convey the message, but also make the article seem less stuffy.
There are other intelligent, funny people besides Randall Munroe who create comics. I read their comics and often chuckle when I finish. Now, whether I’m reading on the web or in print, I always have a strong inclination to mouseover the comic and get the “rest”, but instead I’m left hanging . . .
