Is it just me or is this comic pretty unusual for XKCD? Not in subject matter, but in tone, pacing, etc. It has a really slow setup (with actual forshadowing in panel 8!) and then a fairly dark punchline.
It reminded me instantly of those collections of short horror stories that I had when I was younger (think Goosebumps, but slightly more edgy). Like one where every mistake a kid makes on his schoolwork becomes true, so "barrel" is now spelled "barell", and then at the end of the story he mistypes "I don't have anybody." as "I don't have any body.", so he loses everything below his neck. Or another, where a kid buys a super deluxe remote control, learns it can control the world, and then when people try and take it away from him, he presses "OFF", leaving him in a world of black just as he runs out of battery.
So this type of idea has been done before, a lot. As with #1401, the question to be asked is whether this comic adds enough or plays with the idea to be more than tired old shlock. I'm tempted to say "Yes.", but I really can't justify that.
I find the idea that's being shown here interesting, but I just don't find the ending funny. I can see why someone might find it funny, though. Maybe I'm just used to this type of thing being used in horror stories that weren't supposed to be funny.
A quick perusal of the forums also reveals that Randy's presenting a very flawed and simplified version of actual table dropping.
So as forgiving as I want to be to this comic, I really don't feel it deserves a passing grade. I do want to say, though, that Randy did put effort into this one, and I like the way the concept is presented.
So... I don't know, D? D+? I feel like I'm being unfair to this comic. Anyone in the comments want to tell me what to think about it?
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