20 funny comics to lighten your mood and make you laugh

16. xkcd

Ah, xkcd. If you work in an office with at least one self-anointed “nerd,” then you’ve seen at least one of Randall Munroe’s super popular webcomic pinned to a cubicle wall. If you’re in an environment with a plethora of true-blue nerds, then all of the surfaces are practically wallpapers with xkcd printouts.

That said, just because something is popular doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. And xkcd is pretty well-known and widely enjoyed for good reason. Creator Randall Munroe is admittedly not much of an artist, but those stick figures have a lot of energy and charm to them. Even better, Munroe’s writing is both intellectual and oftentimes heartfelt. There is no cutting of scientific corners in this patch of the Internet.

Oh, and graphs. Lots and lots of graphs. Bar charts, pie charts, timelines, diagrams … Munroe and his fans are crazy for graphs. You’d better be a big fan of data and reading the small print. That doesn’t mean the plotted points aren’t fun, however. Take this quick and incisive chart outlining some of the perils of smart appliances over time, for instance.

If each offering seems a little short, that’s part of the appeal. A good joke doesn’t always have to take up a whole page, for one. Plus, there is a huge backlog of these going back for years. A quick tip: be sure to hover your cursor over the comic image for an extra surprise. It’s a bit like the cut scenes at the end of Marvel movie credits, but more well-established.