Editing 13: Canyon

{{comic
| number    = 13
| date      = September 30, 2005
| title     = Canyon
| before    = <big><big><span class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A41%20pm-,Canyon,-I%27m%20not%20sure Original title</span>]: '''Canyon'''</big></big>
| image     = canyon_small.jpg
| titletext = They're standing at the lip of the canyon, which isn't clear at all.<br><br><span class="plainlinks">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40#:~:text=8%3A41%20pm-,Canyon,-I%27m%20not%20sure Original caption</span>]: I'm not sure where they are, but they should be more excited! I would be.
}}

==Explanation==
This was the seventh comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]]. The previous one was [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]], and the next one was [[8: Red spiders]]. It was among the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|first thirteen comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, on the first day of the xkcd LiveJournal account.

[[Cueball]] and his friend (who also looks like Cueball) are having a discussion. After the friend asks Cueball what the time is, Cueball simply states that it is "now." Then there is a beat panel showing the two standing at the lip of a great canyon drawn in detail and color. The friend claims that "now" is a boring answer, since it's a {{w|tautology}}, a functionally useless answer, and a bad joke all at the same time. Cueball, however, asserts that "now" is the least boring answer he could give. It's typical for humans to focus on mundane concerns, like a meeting they might be late for or a bus they have to catch, and take their familiar environment for granted, no matter how fabulous it might have been at first sight.

The title text explains that they stand on the lip of the canyon, which may not be clear if you do not look very carefully at the color drawing. There are two tiny stick figures at the edge of the canyon, near the center of the panel. On the other six panels, there is just a ragged line, which thus obviously is this lip of the canyon.





{{w|War against the Last Alliance}}

==Transcript==
:[Two guys, both Cueball-like, are standing at a cliff's edge.]
:Friend: What time is it?

:[Cueball looks at his watch in silence.]

:[Cueball looks up.]
:Cueball: Now.

:[The full scene is shown: the two men (barely visible) are standing at the lip of a huge canyon in a rocky, barren landscape. A pock-marked moon and a ringed planet are visible in the burgundy-colored sky.]

:[The two guys are again seen standing at what is now known to be the lip of the canyon.]
:Friend: That's a pretty boring answer.

:[Same scene as before.]
:Cueball: Is not.

:[Same scene.]
:Cueball: It's the least boring answer imaginable.

==Trivia==
This is the first comic that kept its original title after being transferred to [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Posted on LiveJournal| 07]]
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 07]]
[[Category:First day on xkcd.com]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Checkered paper]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]