xkcd: volume 0

xkcd: volume 0


By: Randall Munroe
Reviewer: XO/Wizard_P3P, 16
Rating: Loved it!


"This book is a collection of comic strips from xkcd, a free web comic." FREE. Make no mistake, Randall Munroe's book "xkcd: volume 0" is not needed to enjoy the content within, which is easily accessible at xkcd.com. Regardless, that doesn't retain it from being a good book, as it is brimming with hilarious, pensive, and romantic strips.

This short, quirky book is an absolute pleasure to read, because of its ample variety of comics. Some are comical, inducing humor ranging from a mild chuckle to non-stop laughter. There are a few romantic, and although they help vary the themes present, may act as a turn-off for some people. Another facet that works for the book, is that they are divided into easily digestible strips, provoking reflection on what the artist tries to portray.

I have only two issues with this book. One being that often times Munroe tries to hard to be intelligent. The occasional math, science, or technology joke is thrown in, making it less accessible to the average reader. This is easily overlooked though, as it was designed for a niche audience. My second complaint was that in spite of all the nerdy goodness the book had to offer, it was all over too soon. I felt like only a few minutes after I had picked up the book I was done. This is easily remedied by going to his website to view his collection of daily comic strips.

In the end, this short, entertaining collection successfully does its job (with almost zero flaws). The strange but funny strips are extremely fun to read and the price is justified by the annotations left by the artist, which are exclusive to this book. I wish I could say anyone can pick this up and enjoy it, but in reality I can only recommend it to people who consider themselves nerdy, intellectual, geeky (there is a difference), or artistic.