I had a lot of fun putting together today’s comic. Anyone who likes strange charts like this should check out Edward Tufte’s The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. It’s long been one of my favorite books. Thank you to my friend Tina for color advice, and to my brother Ricky for some Lord of the Rings detail corrections.
Also thank you to Olga and Noam for the lovely animated version of comic #442.
xkcd 
A real timeline for Primer, ala the other examples, has been around for quite a while:
http://www.freeweb.hu/neuwanstein/primer_timeline.html
but, it certainly isn’t as funny.
LikeLike
Even though this is a map of the LOTR-Movie, there are two errors:
– During “Ride of the Rohirrim” Théoden leads the army. Éomer takes over when Théoden dies.
– At the Black Gate, Aragorn is leading the army.
LikeLike
Loved the non-LoTR panes.. especially 12 Angry Men and Primer (i took this as more a statement of the confusion than an attempt at untangling that mess).
Outstanding work!
LikeLike
This made my day, laughed for a whole 10 minutes.
You definately need to include the ghosts of Yoda and Anakin in the SW chart though!
LikeLike
That was neat! Finally, Primer explained the way I understood it 🙂
LikeLike
Doesn’t R2 go with luke to see Yoda in Return of the Jedi?
LikeLike
No question that Edward Tufte does nice work. But, this style of chart is very old, for example see lap charts used in motor racing. Here is a text sample:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_San_Marino_Grand_Prix#Lap_Chart
And a graphical version:
http://fialive.fiacommunications.com/en-GB/sport/championships/f1/brazil/Pages/lap_chart.aspx
[note the yellow star for an accident!]
I couldn’t find the origins of the lap chart online, but there is a reference for one for the LeMans race in 1949, so this style of presentation predates personal computers. Still a very useful way to see an overview of a race.
LikeLike
Gorgeous charts… thanks for putting that together.
LikeLike
The LoTR comic is clearly following the Peter Jackson version. In the (original, and therefore better. Also, just better) Tolkien story, there aren’t any elves in Helm’s deep, and Elrond never travels to Rohan to give Aragorn his sword.
LikeLike
Um… Boba Fett doesn’t die. In fact, he later escapes from the Sarlacc and is alive and kicking for many years after.
LikeLike
you made the S/L ratio for Primer go down to .66 on isohunt single handed. A+ good job.
LikeLike
W. Scott Lockwood III: That chart is according to the Original Trilogy. Boba Fett is only revealed to have survived in the expanded universe, so going purely by the data in the Original Trilogy, he dies in the Sarlacc.
That is by fair the coolest comic I’ve seen for a long time. How long did it take for you to put that together?
LikeLike
Don’t forget that Boromir had the ring in his posession for about 30 seconds while they were climbing the snowy mountain (after Frodo tumbles and drops it).
LikeLike
Okay seriously. Poster in the XKCD store, stat. 😀 Best infographic I’ve seen in a LONG time!
LikeLike
I MUST have the poster for this now!
LikeLike
Hetnikik said…
“Doesn’t R2 go with luke to see Yoda in Return of the Jedi?”
True, and also, shouldn’t Luke’s hand fall off the bottom of the chart?
LikeLike
Missing Shelob in LOTR – the “evil thing in spider shape” …
LikeLike
Nothing like a good chart to brighten up a November morning. Thank you Randall. Tufte would be pleased.
LikeLike
Transistors are awesome. I loved that comic. I actually had a copy printed out and hanging up in my room over the summer. I should re-print it…
Love the comic today, Randall. I’d love to see a poster of this one as well!
LikeLike
Also Eowyn goes home to Rohan with Eomer for a while before going back to Gondor and marrying Faramir. Though I suppose the movie doesn’t show that occurring.
LikeLike
Yes, R2-D2 went with Luke to Dagobah, seeing as an X-Wing requires an R2 unit to go into hyperspace.
Wouldn’t buy a poster of this until certain corrections were made. (this one and the Theoden leading the army one)
LikeLike
If you (or anyone with more time on their hands than me) makes one of those character charts for Harry Potter, I’d be one happy fan(girl). Please? ^_ ^
LikeLike
Eriskay91,
It would mostly be a long Hogwarts line until book 7, wouldn’t it?
LikeLike
How about one for Heinlein’s “By His Bootstraps”?
LikeLike
Saruman’s line should not end at the siege of Isengard. He’s explicitly present at the scouring of the shire, at the end of book 3, Peter Jackson revisionism notwithstanding. Tolkien original canon FTW.
LikeLike
Great comic today, loved it – thanks!
LikeLike
Primer is my favorite movie and after reading the first four of the graphs, I laughed my ass off at that one.
LikeLike
Can someone please spoil Primer for me. IMDB tells me nothing, and I’m never going to watch that movie.
LikeLike
I felt the lack of Memento was a glaring omission in today’s comic. Otherwise, amazing
LikeLike
And Tufte is in Boston next week … so anyone in the area should check out his class, Presenting Data and Information: http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/
LikeLike
Hah, first thing I thought when I saw the comic was “He’s been reading Tufte!” and sure enough when I read the blag.
Also Primer should have more then 3 primary character threads by the end, even if it only starts with 3.
LikeLike
You missed the Witch-King… He was in the movie. 😛
LikeLike
You need to put Gimli’s name at the beginning of his line.
LikeLike
Not only did R2-D2 make it Dagobah, but Obi-Wan put in an appearance there.
Likewise he appears on Endor along with Yoda and Anakin.
LikeLike
This is truly an xkcd masterpiece, bravo.
After scouring the LOTR timeline it occurs to me that Gimli and Legolas are the only two characters who stay together from beginning to end (even mary and pippin, as well as sam and frodo have lapses). I think we all know what they do off the right hand side of the picture. *winkwink*
LikeLike
oh man, here come the semantics argument 🙂
That being said, I am kind of disturbed by the way Chewy stays between Han and Leia when they are together. Hmm…
LikeLike
Ok, first off, this comic is one of the best yet (and that’s saying something)! Definitely would love to see a poster version.
Secondly, that video ROCKS! Seriously awesome job!
LikeLike
Today’s comic is not color-blind friendly 😦
LikeLike
Unbelievable! What an awesome job. Great attention to detail! This is definitely going on my office door. 😉
Before putting this on the store as a poster (which I’d love to buy), please add the forest of Huorns that the orks flee into at the end of the battle of Helms Deep (on the extended edition DVD). The theatrical version really marginalizes the role of the Ents/Huorns too much…
Also, I understand that these timelines are all based on the movies, but really, without the revisionism of Peter Jackson, the story made a lot more sense – can we have a book-based version, please? 🙂
LikeLike
If it’s the movie version of LOTR it makes so much more sense, because Saruman and Wormtongue don’t die in the books until the very end when they all return to the Shire.
LikeLike
I hate how all the comments about this are just complaining about minor inconsistencies in a free comic that obviously amounts to many, many hours of work.
LikeLike
Love love love this! Tufte would be very pleased.
LikeLike
The early hobbit bits are a little jumbled.
Frodo and Sam leave the Bagend together, but run into Mary and Pippin before leaving the shire. A nazgul passes them as they leave the shire, and nazgul chase them to the fairy across the Brandywine. They all meet Strider in Bree. They are all together until Weathertop, when Frodo is stabbed. Then (movie) Arwen and Frodo travel to Rivendale where they all meet up.
Also, isn’t Eomer with Theoden when Aragorn/Gimli/Legolas get there? I might just be thinking of the book.
LikeLike
@ Corey
Primer spoiler: you won’t understand what’s going on the first time you watch it
LikeLike
@Aseem:
SeaDragon runs rather choppy on this computer, even with moonlight. It’s a Sun Ultra 20 running Firefox under Ubuntu.
LikeLike
You just grew exponentially in my estimation, sir.
Your representation of the armies of LotR harkens back to “The Atlas of Middle Earth”, which I poured over as a child.
LikeLike
Okay everyone. How about we all spam him requesting a Poster of today’s comic until he gives in? I would proudly display said poster in my living room!
LikeLike
@Zib He hasn’t really angered all of us, rather, this LOTR geek is now more attracted to him.
LikeLike
Fantastic.
LikeLike
Tufte’s VDOQI is one of the best books I’ve ever read – I’m glad to know Mr. Munroe is also a fan! That book was the first thing that came to mind when I read today’s comic!
LikeLike