# Xkcd
**xkcd** is a webcomic of "romance, sarcasm, math, and language" created by [Randall Munroe](https://www.edgepedia.org/randall-munroe) (born 1984), an American cartoonist with a physics degree who formerly worked on robots at NASA's Langley Research Center, and published since September 2005.[1](https://www.xkcd.com/) • [2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall) • [3](https://www.xkcd.com/about/) Drawn in a deliberately plain stick-figure style, it has gained great popularity among science fiction fandom and the broader "geek culture," and in 2014 it won a Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall) • [4](https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0009950/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creator | Randall Munroe, physics graduate of Christopher Newport University, former roboticist at NASA's Langley Research Center[3](https://www.xkcd.com/about/) |
| Start | First 13 comics posted to the "xkcd_drawings" LiveJournal account on September 30, 2005; independent site from September 2005 onward[5](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/xkcd) • [2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall) |
| Schedule | New comics every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, each with a hidden title text[3](https://www.xkcd.com/about/) • [5](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/xkcd) |
| The name | Not an acronym; "a word with no phonetic pronunciation"[3](https://www.xkcd.com/about/) |
| Landmark comic | "Time" (#1190, 25 March–29 July 2013), 3,099 images updated at half-hour then one-hour intervals; Hugo Award 2014[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall) |
| Reach | 60–70 million pageviews in October 2007, per Munroe[6](https://www.wired.com/2007/11/xkcd-2/) |
| Licensing | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5: free to copy and share, not to sell[1](https://www.xkcd.com/) |
## History and name
Munroe started the comic while going through old math and sketching graph-paper notebooks and not wanting to lose the work in them, so he began scanning pages.[3](https://www.xkcd.com/about/) By 2007 the hobby had become a full-time job for the then 23-year-old former NASA roboticist.[6](https://www.wired.com/2007/11/xkcd-2/) The fan wiki records that the very first 13 comics were posted on the "xkcd_drawings" [LiveJournal](https://www.edgepedia.org/livejournal) account within 12 minutes on September 30, 2005, the day the account was created.[5](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/xkcd)
The name is deliberately meaningless. Munroe's own about page states that it is not an acronym but "just a word with no phonetic pronunciation," which he calls a treasured and carefully-guarded point in the space of four-character strings.[3](https://www.xkcd.com/about/)
## Format and style
The comic's visual language is minimal: a recurring cast of stick figures with pop culture references, in the Library of Congress web archive's description.[4](https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0009950/) New comics appear every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and each is accompanied by a title text that serves as Munroe's commentary.[3](https://www.xkcd.com/about/) • [5](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/xkcd)
The drawing method changed over the years. Early comics were made by scanning hand-drawn sketches, and the comic later became entirely digitally inked and lettered.[5](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/xkcd) Some comics go beyond static images: Munroe uses animated GIFs for simpler dynamic images and engages complex page and server-side scripting for more immersive or interactive content.[5](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/xkcd)
## Notable comics and "Time"
**"Duty Calls."** Comic #386 (20 February 2008), in which a character refuses to come to bed with the line "I can't. This is important. [...] Someone is wrong on the Internet," is described by The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction as a much-cited [Zeitgeist](https://www.edgepedia.org/zeitgeist) moment of internet culture.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall)
**"Time."** The comic generally regarded as xkcd's landmark experiment is #1190, "Time," which ran from 25 March to 29 July 2013. It consists of 3,099 images that appeared first at half-hour and later at one-hour intervals, forming a slow-motion animation.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall) The story is set in the Mediterranean basin roughly 11,000 years in the future, with the Straits of Gibraltar long blocked.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall) It won the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall) • [4](https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0009950/) A Georgia Tech webcomics case study examines how "Time" employs digital affordances and how the "explain xkcd" forum fosters community building around such works.[7](https://gtwebcomics.omeka.net/exhibits/show/xkcd)
## Books and spin-offs
The xkcd site also hosts Munroe's books *What If?*, *How To*, *What If? 2*, and *Thing Explainer*.[3](https://www.xkcd.com/about/) *What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions* ([Houghton Mifflin Harcourt](https://www.edgepedia.org/houghton-mifflin-harcourt), 2014) was followed by *What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions* (Riverhead Books, 2022).[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall)
## By the numbers
The measurable reach documented for xkcd spans a wide range. In October 2007 the website drew between 60 million and 70 million pageviews, according to Munroe.[6](https://www.wired.com/2007/11/xkcd-2/) A Georgia Tech case study reports that fan social media accounts have over 80,000 followers.[7](https://gtwebcomics.omeka.net/exhibits/show/xkcd) "Time" comprises 3,099 individual frames.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall) [Publication](https://www.edgepedia.org/publication) continues on the three-per-week schedule: as of an October 2026 retrieval, the front page featured comic #3313.[1](https://www.xkcd.com/)
## Audience and internet culture
xkcd's readership has repeatedly organized itself around the comic. Nearly a thousand fans from as far away as England and Canada converged on a park, bearing tape measures and Rubik's cubes; at the assigned minute, Munroe emerged and spoke.[6](https://www.wired.com/2007/11/xkcd-2/) Wired characterized the comic as a blend of whimsy, programming language, and relationship speculation, "a way for people who are unpracticed at talking about their emotions to articulate them."[6](https://www.wired.com/2007/11/xkcd-2/) The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction credits the comic, despite its stick-figure artwork, with great popularity among science fiction fandom and the broader "geek culture."[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall) The Georgia Tech case study also notes how the "explain xkcd" forum fosters community building around the comic.[7](https://gtwebcomics.omeka.net/exhibits/show/xkcd)
## Licensing and reuse
xkcd comics are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. The site's own statement of terms is that "you're free to copy and share these comics (but not to sell them)."[1](https://www.xkcd.com/)
## What has changed since 2023
Publication has continued on the regular Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule, with comic #3313 live as of October 2026.[1](https://www.xkcd.com/) • [3](https://www.xkcd.com/about/)
## References
1. [xkcd (official site homepage)](https://www.xkcd.com/)
2. [Munroe, Randall, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/munroe_randall)
3. [xkcd - A webcomic (About page)](https://www.xkcd.com/about/)
4. [xkcd, Library of Congress web archive](https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0009950/)
5. [xkcd, explain xkcd wiki](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/xkcd)
6. [Real Geek Heart Beats in Xkcd's Stick Figures, WIRED (2007)](https://www.wired.com/2007/11/xkcd-2/)
7. [Case Study: xkcd, Georgia Tech Webcomics, Print, and Digital Culture](https://gtwebcomics.omeka.net/exhibits/show/xkcd)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Comics and sequential art › Comic strips and webcomics*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license