Drawing Stars
by Jeff
Image text: Screw these 36-degree angles. I'm converting to Judaism.
In this comic, Randall attempts to draw a 5 pointed star, which (for me as well) is one of the toughest things to draw for whatever reason. I always end up with something like the 5th frame. The image text references the fact that a 5 pointed star has all 36 degree angles. Also, it references that one of the symbols of Judaism is a 6 pointed star, which is infinitely easier to draw because of the existence of more straight lines.
Adam and Eve
by Jeff
Image text: Abel and Steve would've been fine! I like Steve!
This comic is a take on the anti-homesexual refrain, used often at those sorts of rallies "It was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve". Adam and Eve are in the story in the Bible of the first humans created by God. This refrain is used to support the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman because God created a man and a woman to start the human race, etc.
In this comic, Adam walks in on Eve having sexual relations with Abel, so he yells a take on the line used above. In the Bible, obviously, Abel and Adam didn't live at the same time, but that doesn't stop the joke.
In the image text, Adam continues that he would have preferred walking in on Adam and Steve because Steve is nice as he says in the image text and the fact that Abel wouldn't have been sleeping with his ladyfriend/girlfriend/wife/whatever Eve.
CORRECTION: Obviously, I need to go back and read more of my Bible, as Abel is Adam's son. Thanks to all the commentors and emailers for fixing my mistake. That makes this an incest joke! Adam wouldn' t care if Adam Abel was gay with his friend Steve, but incest with Abel's mother is another thing entirely.
Religions
by Jeff
Image text: But to us there is but one God, plus or minus one. --1 Corinthians 8:6±2.
This comic is a reference to the increasing coverage of the prediction by Harold Camping that the Rapture will be on May 21, 2011. The Rapture is the event prophesied in the Bible in which Christians believe that Christ will return to Earth and take all true believers up to Heaven.
The first frame is a reference to raptors in Jurassic Park, if you haven't seen it, the raptor dinosaurs get much more dangerous once they learn how to open doors. Cueball mishears Megan, which is why he thinks she said "Raptors" instead of "Rapture".
In the 2nd frame, Cueball references three major religions. Christian and church for Christianity, Mosque for Islam and Rabbi for Judaism.
The 3rd frame is a math joke in which Megan references error bars which are used on graphs to indicate the uncertainty. So, Megan believes in one God (monotheism), as she says in the comic. But if she is still trying to find the error bars, she is uncertain if there could be many more Gods as well.
The image text is a supposed excerpt from the holy text of experimental monotheism. Corinthians is a real chapter book of the Christian Bible.
Five-Minute Comics: Part 2
by Jeff
Image text: Dear Wiccan readers: I understand modern Wiccans are not usually all about the curses and hexes. But Darth Vader was recently converted from Episcopalianism and he's still figuring it all out.
Top Comic - This is a parody of the frequent conspiracy theories that have come about since the events of September 11, 2001. The use of the "grassy knoll" is a reference to the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, a US President on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. Some people say they saw another or different shooter over on a "grassy knoll" by the road where JFK was shot.
Middle Left - Some people say that when women are pregnant, they have a certain glow about them, whether it is just their general happiness or something else. In this case, the woman is really pregnant and then promptly gives birth.
Middle - In this comic, the character says "Cogito Ergo Cogito" instead of the traditional phrase "Cogito Ergo Sum". The traditional phrase is Latin for I think therefore I am, which was said by René Descartes. In this comic, the character is playing it safe by just saying I think therefore I think.
Middle Left - This comic is a pun on the phrase "Bail out!" When it is used by fighter pilots, it means for them to hit their ejector seats and parachute to safety. In this comic, the pilots are using the phrase as would two people in a boat that is filling up with water.
Lower Middle - This is a joke on how in Star Wars they have lightsabers. In this case, they created black-lightsabers which use black light bulbs. Black lights just make every thing seem really eerie and you are able to see dust and dirt particles on everything.
Right - I think that one is pretty self explanatory and pretty gross.
Lower Middle Left - I'm not sure what is up with the sandwich making one, but it appears to be an inside joke somehow.
Bottom Left - This is a lawyer who is going to make a defense that will offend women and he prepared an opening statement incorrectly thinking there would be both men and women on the jury. This comic is an extension of the stereotypical lawyer opening "Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury...".
Bottom Right - From the start this is a full quote from Star Wars in which Conan Antonio Motti rips Darth Vader's ancient religion, which in the movie is The Force. Vader proceeds to force choke Motti until Moff Tarkin tells him to stop. In this comic, Vader's ancient religion is of course Wiccan.
Stephen Hawking
by Jeff
Image text: 'Guys? The Town is supposed to be good, and I thou--' 'PHYSICIST STEPHEN HAWKING DECLARES NEW FILM BEST IN ALL SPACE AND TIME' 'No, I just heard that--' 'SHOULD SCIENCE PLAY A ROLE IN JUDGING BEN AFFLECK?' 'I don't think--' 'WHAT ABOUT MATT DAMON?'
Stephen Hawking is an American British (EDIT: Thanks SpongeBob and all the other commenters that corrected this one) physicist who is confined to an electronic wheelchair and an electronic speaking machine, but as the newspaper in the comic says, he is considered the "Smartest Man Alive". The electronic looking text is the way xkcd writes how Hawking speaks.
This comic is a reference to Hawking's recent comments saying that God could not have possibly created the universe, which coincided with the release of his new book. The comic is also referencing how everything and anything that Hawking says is picked up by every media outlet in the US (and probably abroad as well).
The movie, "The Town" is the new movie from Ben Affleck about bank robberies in Boston. Despite the Matt Damon reference in the Image text, Damon is not in "The Town". However, Damon and Affleck have worked together frequently, including the well known "Good Will Hunting" - not coincidentally also set in Boston.
EDIT: Also, head to the comments for a more straight-forward explanation that everything Steven Hawking says is front page new and always blown out of proportion.
I Am
by Jeff
Image text: Great, LO-M. Do you speak Bocce? I'm supposed to find one that speaks Bocce.
The text in the first frame is a biblical reference as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are all people from the Bible. The closest quote would be Exodus 3-5. The quote is from the burning bush passage in the Bible. It is possible the plant at the end of the tunnel could be a burning bush.
This comic is making an insinuation that the voice of God or God itself is C3PO from the Star Wars Universe.
In the Image text, the quote is from Star Wars: A New Hope in which Luke's uncle says the last two sentences of the image text to C3PO to make sure he speaks the same language as the moisture vaporators on their farm. Booce is the language spoken by those moisture vaporators.
The use of LO-M looks to be a double reference to Elohim which is used as the name of God in the Jewish religion and the LOM series droids from the Star Wars universe.
The tunnel could signify the Large Hadron Collider and the search for the "God" particle. The two particles falling behind the character in the first frame seems to signify that.