why does the commute x-large come only in black (boring boring black) while the commute medium comes in a wide range of colors? Can I get the commute xl in something other than boring, boring, boring black?

ooh! I completely agree.
The commute x-large did come in a few other colors but the website sold out of them. The tough part is that we sell WAY fewer x-large than mediums in that bag so tend to keep only the best selling colors (which is usually all black- which is probably indicative of the lack of creative minds in business, but I digress).

It's not the same bag but... the Laptop Messenger will accommodate the same size computer as the x-large Commute AND you can build it in the bag builder with whatever colors you like. Just a suggestion.