This reminds me of a letter-to-the-editor I saw in a computer magazine years ago, asking why computer books cost so much when the materials that go into them on

This reminds me of a letter-to-the-editor I saw in a computer magazine years ago, asking why computer books cost so much when the materials that go into them only cost a couple dollars. In the case of XKCD, the limiting factor is not how fast he can do the artwork but how frequently he has good ideas. That frequency may not increase with free time... In fact, it may even decrease, since he might have less experiences from which to draw inspiration.