Comic series

For a list of the comic series, see Category:Comic series.

Not to be confused with comic sharing name.

The xkcd strips that are part of a comic series are directly related to each other, rather than simply sharing a recurring topic. A main series must be composed of at least three comics, while miniseries only need two to qualify; once they get their third comic, they graduate to a main series.

Comic series are intentionally created by Randall as part of a series. This is usually inferred from sequential numbers in the titles (such as in Stargazing), similar patterns in the comics' titles (xkcd Phones) or captions (Cursed Connectors), release dates purposefully deviating from the normal schedule (Journal), a partnership with other artists (Guest Week) or companies (A Smarter Planet), or Randall simply posting a list of all the comics that are part of a series (The Boy and his Barrel).

Many of the early comic series have been released as five consecutively released comics, with each episode being released on a weekday, deviating from the standard release schedule. After 2010, no series followed a similar release schedule, as they all followed the normal schedule of three comics a week.

Main series

This is a chronological list of all the main series created by Randall. This list is sorted based on the release date of the third comic in the series.

The Boy and his Barrel

"The Boy and his Barrel" is an early series of six comics, whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features Barrel Boy, a character that is different from what would quickly become the xkcd stick figure style. After Randall released the full The Boy and his Barrel story on the site, it became clear that the original comic 20: Ferret was also part of the series. The last image on the what if? article Niagara Straw features Beret Guy flying inside a barrel, which may be a reference to this series. The series is probably inspired by the novella The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Randall is known to be a fan of this book.

Red Spiders

"Red spiders" is a four-comic series released from September 2005 to June 2006. The first comic was 8: Red spiders, released on the first day (as with Barrel above), but it first became a series when 43: Red Spiders 2 was released, two months later. The following month, 47: Counter-Red Spiders was released, and the last comic in the series, 126: Red Spiders Cometh, was released half a year later. Only these four comics use "Red Spiders" in the title. Red Spiders were depicted again in other comics, but these were simply callbacks to the original series rather than additional episodes. In total, they appear in seven different comics. The last comic featuring them is 1110: Click and Drag, released in 2012, in which they are black and white but can still be recognized by their six legs. Red spiders are also featured on the back cover of Randall's book xkcd: volume 0.

Opening dialogue by Scott

In the span of a week, specifically on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, these three comics with the same title text ("Opening dialogue by Scott") were published. Scott is a friend of Randall, and he apparently had the ideas for the opening of these comics.

Parody Week

This series was released on five consecutive days from Monday-Friday in August 2006, instead of the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule. It was the first time of six that this occurred. The theme was parodying other web comics, but there was no connection between the comics themselves.

Choices

The "Choices" series is a metaphorical adventure Megan goes through that celebrates, marvels, and reminds of freedom of choice. This series was released on five consecutive days (Monday to Friday) and not over the usual schedule of three comics a week.

1337

The "1337" series tells the story of the family of the best hackers in the word. The title comes from "L-eet", or "elite", using the Leet alphabet, a coding system used primarily on the Internet (and on early text messaging system), meant to provide a bit of obfuscation to plain text, both to make it harder to read and to show off in a creative way using in-group jargon. The comic 327: Exploits of a Mom was a prequel for the series where the entire family is shown for the first time. This series was released on five consecutive days (Monday to Friday) and not over the usual schedule of three comics a week.

Journal

The "Journal" series of comics chronicles the beginning of the relationship between Black Hat and Danish. It includes five comics released over about five months. The first one was released in January 2008, the second one a week later at the end of January, the third in April, and the fourth and fifth in June. Each of the first four comics was released in different weeks, but the last comic was released immediately after 432: Journal 4.

Secretary

The "Secretary" series follows Black Hat as he is being appointed as Secretary of the Internet by the US president. It may be a continuation of the comic 493: Actuarial, in which Black Hat demonstrates great power over even Internet trolls via his sociopathic ways. This would explain why Black Hat was nominated as Internet secretary. This series was released on five consecutive days (Monday to Friday) and not over the usual schedule of three comics a week.

A Smarter Planet

In 2009, Randall created two extra comics after a special request from IBM's A Smarter Planet blog (now defunct, archive). The website now redirects to IBM's Think blog's homepage. They are not part of the regular numbered series of comics, but both of them used to be featured on xkcd.com/asmarterplanet (now defunct, archive), where each comic on that page linked to their respective blog posts on IBM's site. The two blog posts were called "Building a Smarter Planet… for Squirrels" (now defunct, archive) and "Smarter(?) Health Care" (now defunct, archive).

The Race

"The Race" is a comic series about an electric skateboard race between Cueball and Nathan Fillion (Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds from Firefly). This series was released on five consecutive days (Monday to Friday) and not over the usual schedule of three comics a week.

Five-Minute Comics

The Five-Minute Comics series consists of three comics made up of quick jokes created as part of a five-minute challenge. They weren’t originally intended to be xkcd comics but were drawn in the same style. When Randall needed time to care for his wife during her cancer treatment, he used these comics to fill a week’s updates. The following week, a separate event called Guest Week served the same purpose, featuring five guest artists filling in for him. A fourth comic was accidentally released and later removed from xkcd, though fans had already preserved it. The series is similar to comic 68: Five Thirty, which also featured brief panels apparently written at 5:30 AM.

Guest Week

The Guest Week series was composed of five comics written by five different comic authors. When Randall needed time to care for his wife during her cancer treatment, he used these comics to fill a week’s updates. The previous week, a separate series called Five-Minute Comics served the same purpose, featuring simple jokes drawn in a short time.

xkcd Phones

Randall has introduced a series of new and "improved" xkcd-branded smartphones, parodying common smartphone specs by attributing absurd or useless features to fictional phones. The first comic was released in May 2014, and the second towards the end of 2014. Since then, at least one new xkcd Phone been released every year from 2014 to 2018. During 2014 and 2017, an additional xkcd Phone was released. Notably, this roughly follows the release patterns used by real smartphone manufacturers. After the sixth phone was released, the following was numbered "2000" as it was the 2000th xkcd comic. The next, technically the eighth, used the number 12 as it was released near the release of iPhone 12. Finally, the ninth was called xkcd Phone Flip, making fun of phones the screens of which can be folded. In 2150: XKeyboarCD, Randall introduced the xkcd Keyboard in a similar fashion and with similarly silly features as the xkcd Phones. 1802: Phone was also released in 2017, but it is unrelated to this series. This one of the longest xkcd series, together with Bad Map Projections series.

Choices

The "Choices" series is a metaphorical adventure Megan goes through that celebrates, marvels, and reminds of freedom of choice. This series was released on five consecutive days (Monday to Friday) and not over the usual schedule of three comics a week.

Substitution

Substituting one word with another has become a recurring subject on xkcd. After the first four comics using substitutions as part of the joke, Randall posted the first comic of the Substitution series, 1288: Substitutions, listing a set of substitutions "that will make reading the news more fun". He later released two more comics with the same caption, distinguishing the Substitution series from the other general substitution comics.

Code Quality

This series is about the quality of Cueball's code. Ponytail usually looks at the source code Cueball has written, while he warns her that he is self-taught, so his code probably won't be cleanly written. In spite of Ponytail's initial (polite) optimism, she always comments in a parade of vivid similes to convey the incomprehensible nature of his code. Ponytail also trashes Cueball's code in other comics about his computer problems.

Bad Map Projections

This comic series is about Randall's bad map projections. Maps, real or, in this case, invented, are a recurrent topic on xkcd. Randall especially focuses on map projections, which are various ways to show the Earth on a flat surface, most famously depicted in 977: Map Projections. Projecting Earth on a flat map is not possible to do without distortion since the Earth is round, so every projection is a compromise. Normally, the projections try to be useful in some way while less precise on other situations. In this series, however, Randall solely makes fun of the idea of many different projections, even calling them all Bad Map Projections.

The map projections he has released all get a number, which, if taken seriously, would mean there are at least 349 that haven't been released, as the highest number so far is 358. The first two, The Liquid Resize and Time Zones were released using a similar six color scheme, with each country in a different color than its closest neighbors, but all the following ones were just plain black, gray, and white.

X Years

This comic series tells the story of Randall's wife, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. The first comic shows the two-year mark, a significant milestone where they hope the cancer is gone. The second comic highlights the seven-year milestone, coinciding with the 2017 total solar eclipse. The third comic celebrates their ten-year anniversary. The comics after 1141: Two Years include the previous comics without the last row of panels, which usually add a funny twist at the end to bring some humor to the serious subject.

Stargazing

The Stargazing series was released over just a bit more than 9 years between the first 1644: Stargazing in 2016 to the fourth 3072: Stargazing 4 in 2025. It first became a series with the second comic 2017: Stargazing 2 released in July 2018, one and a half year after the first, explaining why it is placed after the three above. There was a gap of more than five years between the third and the fourth, which was even longer than between the first and the third release as, 2274: Stargazing 3 came out in February 2020, almost exactly four years after the first. 1291: Shoot for the Moon may have been a prelude to this series, as it also consists of Megan giving strangely opinionated lectures about celestial objects.

1/Xth Scale World

This "Scale World" series is composed of three comics with different sizes of models of the Earth, which people can experience as if they were a real world. The first two came out as two comics in a row, while the third came about two weeks later. They did not come out in order of scale, as evident with the third release.

Cursed Connectors

This series features a specific number of cursed connectors. It began with "Cursed Connectors #187", 2493: Dual USB-C, in July 2021. The numbers assigned to the cursed connector aren't sequential. Randall had already made a similar series, Bad Map Projections, which also uses a similar number system, with the first comic already beginning with a high number for the first bad projection, #107. Similar to this series, the second projection has a lower number than the first (#78). Presumably, the use of the term "cursed" takes inspiration from the widespread meme referring to "cursed images". A jab at all the different connectors in existence, and how they often break down, maybe because people try to jam them into the wrong sockets because they have so many different types. The connectors get a number which, if taken seriously, would mean there are at least 280 cursed connectors but probably more.

Unsolved Problems

In 2021 Randall made a comic, 2529: Unsolved Math Problems, about three categories of unsolved match problems. The last category was for "cursed problems", a recurrent theme on xkcd. In 2024, almost four years later, a sequel was published, 2943: Unsolved Chemistry Problems. Although it didn't follow the same three-panel setup, the title was similar and the three different problems mentioned were similar as well. A year later, 3115: Unsolved Physics Problems was released with the same setup of the first comic.

Miniseries

This is a chronological list of all the miniseries created by Randall. This list is sorted based on the release date of the second comic in the series.

The Uncomfortable Truths Well

In this series, people are throwing pennies into "The Uncomfortable Truths Well", which is later revealed to be a friend of Megan's.

Android Partner

In this miniseries, Cueball shows off his new "android girlfriend" (Megan) to his Cueball-like friend, who asks if the android is a sex bot. The android responds by pulling a cherry stem from the friend's drink and inserting it into her mouth. So far, the action appears to be an emulation of the party trick where someone puts a cherry stem into their mouth and ties it into a knot in order to suggest tongue dexterity that could be put to good use in kissing and oral sex. In the second instalment, Ponytail decides she would also like to have an android boyfriend (Hairy). But upon bringing these two androids together, they fall for each other and decide to have "sex" on the spot, resulting in several mechanical sounds off-panel while their "owners" watch on with disgusted interest.

Online Communities

This series features maps of internet communities where the size of each region roughly corresponds to its size, and its proximity to other regions indicates similarities. The first one uses the membership of whichever service to determine its size on the map, while the second one uses its "daily social activity".

Etymology-Man

This series is a take on the traditional appearance of a superhero when a disaster strikes. In this case, Etymology-Man arrives, who apparently has the power of Etymology, the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. As Etymology-Man is explaining the history of the words "tsunami" and "tidal wave", referencing the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2011 Tōhoku tsunami and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami, the water starts rising around them. As the waters continue to rise, he continues to only explain the words, rather than attempting to save them as a superhero should. This, intentionally or unintentionally, is a dig at academics who prefer to talk about issues when taking action is more appropriate. In the second comic, the superhero Etymology-Man returns and, just like in his first appearance, explains the origination of words instead of actually helping.

Exoplanet Names

On the 14th of August, 2013, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) issued a document about public naming of astronomical objects. It stated, "IAU fully supports the involvement of the general public, whether directly or through an independent organized vote, in the naming of planetary satellites, newly discovered planets, and their host stars." The second comic was published the day after NASA announced the discovery of a number of planets, including a planet called a cousin to Earth, Kepler-452b. Black Hat proposes naming it Pluto, both to commemorate the flyby of the dwarf planet of that name by NASA's New Horizons earlier the same month, but also to end the discussion about the status of Pluto, which is subject to debate among both scientists and laypeople over whether-or-not it should be considered a planet.

Synonym Movies

The Synonym Movies series takes several well-known movies but changes each word of their names into a synonym. So Star Wars has turned into Space Fights, The Lord of the Rings into The Jewelry God and Star Trek into Space Trip. All these movies series have the same heading, and then a subtitle. There are ten of them in the comic, and two more in the title text. 1568: Synonym Movies 2 continued the idea from 1563: Synonym Movies with a new set of movie series. As with the previous comic, the titles aren't always direct synonyms with the original (Indiana Jones as Professor Whip), but now it seems to be even more exaggerated, sometimes making synonyms of the plot synopsis instead of the subtitle ("Vitamin Water" refers to the Fountain of Youth rather than the Stranger Tides).

Time-Traveling Sphere

In this series, a time-traveler that looks like a floating black energy sphere visits the present day from the far future. Spiders are the Sphere civilization's current craze, just as dinosaurs are currently the craze of humanity. Since Megan and Cueball have access to the Sphere from the future, they ask if it knows who will win the election. This is a reference to the 2016 United States presidential election, which pitted the very controversial Donald Trump against former United States First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was also involved in several controversies.

ISS Solar Transit

Cueball is trying to take a photograph of the International Space Station moving in front of the Sun. He has his camera with a long lens set up with a fixed setting to keep it still while he contemplates the best way to get the photographs he wants. A normal camera is not able to take a photograph of the Sun due to the extreme brightness. This is why Cueball is using a solar filter, which makes the Sun look orange instead of white, as shown in the second panel.

Horror Movies

The first comic in the series was about giving voice to Randall's inability to enjoy horror movies, and the second comic takes Randall's previous position and exaggerates it. White Hat and Cueball (as Randall) discuss the appeal of horror movies and tragic plots. Cueball expresses his dissatisfaction with stories that focus on evoking negative feelings. As an example he mentions how he disliked the ending of Titanic where Jack sacrifices his life in order to save Rose.

Coronavirus Genome

Megan is a geneticist doing research on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. She is analyzing the virus's genome, its genetic material composed of RNA. The genomic sequence can be represented as a list of nucleotide bases (guanine, adenine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil (often abbreviated as G, A, C, T, and U). Megan sent her copy of the coronavirus genome to Cueball, who then proceeded to share it with his friends on social media. In effect, he is spreading the virus over the Internet, though not in a form that can actually make people sick with COVID-19 (which may seem obvious, but then some people believe 5G causes coronavirus.) If his post catches on and is widely shared, it might be described as "going viral".

Old Days

This series is a conversation between (young) Cueball and (old) Hairbun about computer programming in the past, specifically compilers. Cueball, having a faint idea of just how difficult and byzantine programming was "in the old days", asks Hairbun to enlighten him on the specifics. Hairbun promptly seizes the opportunity to screw with his head. While her initial agreement that code needed to be compiled for multiple architectures is correct, Hairbun's claims rapidly grow ridiculous. In the second comic, the conversation continues, as if no time has passed, between Cueball and Hairbun about computer programming in the past.

Hamster Ball

The series starts with a genie, who, having been freed from a magical lamp, grants the owner three wishes; this isn't unusual, since the idea of a genie who does this is a very common trope in the fantasy genre. Cueball asks for a human-sized hamster ball, and when he gets it, he starts to roll around in it, obviously entertained. The genie then asks what he would like for his other two wishes, to which, having already being granted his heart's desire, he states that he wouldn't need the other wishes for anything. During the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 14 years later, Randall mocks others who need to wear a mask while he doesn't.

Alien Visitors

In this series, aliens arrive with the intention of building such monuments with their highly advanced technology, including some sort of tractor beam to lift the heavy stones and another beam that can depict a pyramid. They are shocked to hear from Cueball that humans accomplished the same thing thousands of years earlier with such simple tools as ramps, and even in more than one location on Earth (Pyramids in Egypt and Mexico). In the second instalment, they return to show us even more "advanced" inventions. As with the previous strip, the only innovations they offer are not only things that humans know how to build, but things we figured out some time ago, and are now obsolete.