157: Filler Art

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Revision as of 21:19, 31 December 2013 by 108.162.216.45 (talk) (Transcript)
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Filler Art
Maybe I should let up on Megatokyo a little?
Title text: Maybe I should let up on Megatokyo a little?

Explanation

There are times in which the owner of a webcomic can not make a comic on time for the next scheduled update (for example, needing to attend to a family emergency). Some deal with these situations by creating a "buffer" of comics (that is, making several comics ahead of time) in anticipation for these events. However, if the buffer runs out (or if there was no buffer in the first place), the owner might have to resort to uploading whatever is available (e.g. concept art, random sketches, a draft of the planned comic, etc.). Many webcomic owners prefer to upload filler art so that their more fickle fans can see that they have not abandoned the comic.

Here, Randall parodies this situation with two separate punchlines. First, he tells us that he has to go to the doctor to get his thighs rotated which is medically unnecessary. Second, he refers to "new character art" for his comic. The punchline here is that, since the characters are drawn in a stick figure style, there are no distinguishable features between the man here and most other males in the comic series. In addition, the fact that this stick figure should not have taken more than 10 seconds to draw makes the notion that Randall has been "working on" it ridiculous.

Megatokyo is a popular webcomic that has become widely known for its use of filler art. People often put down webcomic writers and artists for not being able to keep a set schedule and having to resort to the use of filler. In the title text, somewhat facetiously, Randall muses that perhaps we should be nicer to them.

Transcript

Sorry guys no comic today. I've gotta go to the doctor to get my thighs rotated. But here's some new character art I'm working on!
[Cueball.]


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Discussion

What IS thigh rotation? Is this a thing or just another joke on thighs? 35.13.221.137 18:23, 9 December 2012 (UTC)NariOX

It's just a joke. You can't get your thighs rotated (a parody of getting the tires of your car rotated), at least not in the United States. Smperron (talk)
Given the general topic, and xkcd's penchant for math, "phi" is sometimes used to describe rotation, I believe. I think it is around the vertical axis, at least in some 3D modeling software. It is a stretch, but thigh and phi sound similar. Tryc (talk) 14:22, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

I can't tell what's incomplete about the explanation. Someone explain? 108.162.216.45 20:49, 12 November 2013 (UTC)

Seems good to me too.BruceJohnJennerLawso (talk) 02:27, 13 November 2013 (UTC)