Editing 22: Barrel - Part 3

{{comic
| number    = 22
| date      = October 19, 2005
| title     = Barrel - Part 3
| image     = barrel_whirlpool.jpg
| titletext = A whirlpool!
}}

==Explanation==
In the [[1: Barrel - Part 1|first]] [[11: Barrel - Part 2|two]] comics in the Barrel series, the boy is floating in the ocean in a barrel, making fairly innocent points about life's uncertainty.  In this comic the view has zoomed out considerably and the boy is seen to be on the edge of a gigantic {{w|whirlpool}}.  Thus, there is now a palpably heightened sense of danger, though the boy's reaction continues to be innocent wonder. 

The comic's visual composition is reminiscent of {{w|File:Maelstrom-Clarke.jpg|a classic 1919 illustration}} by {{w|Harry Clarke}}, made for {{w|Edgar Allan Poe}}'s 1841 short story "{{w|A Descent into the Maelström}}.  In the short story, the main character escapes from drowning by using a barrel to escape The Maelström. 

This is the third in a five-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features a character that is not consistent with what would quickly become the xkcd [[stick figure]] style. The character is in a barrel. The full series is:

*[[1: Barrel - Part 1]]
*[[11: Barrel - Part 2]]
*[[22: Barrel - Part 3]]
*[[25: Barrel - Part 4]]
*[[31: Barrel - Part 5]]

==Transcript==
:[Large vortex, spinning water covers the whole panel. A boy in a floating barrel is near the edge, apparently about to be sucked in.]
:Boy: Wow!

== Trivia ==
*This is the twenty-third comic originally posted to livejournal. The previous was [[40: Light]]. The next was [[23: T-shirts]].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Barrel|03]]