Perhaps one of the surest signs that a comic has hit one out of the park is when you find yourself e-mailing the strip to your friends and family. While this may occasionally leave them looking at you oddly and going “why did you e-mail this to me?” there is still something about a well told joke that makes you want to share it. Of these, xkcd is one strip where I not only find myself e-mailing it to friends, but even pestering people on forums with links to strips that suit ongoing conversations.
I’m not quite sure why I found today’s strip so enjoyable. I’m not a fan of the Twilight series of books (though my friends are, and they enjoyed today’s xkcd). Perhaps I enjoyed the strip because it tweaked the nose of 4chan, who consider it an artform to denigrate anything they consider “stupid” (a huge list which primarily consists of Scientology and NASA space modules but occasionally includes popular fiction and webcomics). But mostly I think it’s because it reminds me of something I read long ago: avoid angering bards lest you become the butt of their jokes.
To be honest, I’m not sure how 4chan would take being written into the next Twilight novel. On one hand, it’s being immortalized in print. But the thought of tens of thousands of Twilight fans descending on the 4chan forums, most of whom wouldn’t even realize they were being made fun of, amuses me to no end. Mostly I suspect 4chan would just assimilate the newbs and gradually corrupt them, but I still enjoyed Randall Munroe’s take on it. But then, whether Munroe is poking fun at 4chan, scientists, or tripod windmills, xkcd often manages to amuse while striking close to the mark.
On Slashdot (News for Nerds), xkcd is proof that there’s a webcomic for just about any discussion. Very useful. I wonder how long it’ll be before Krugman and Maureen Dowd start using them in the NYTimes?