The Ask Jeph thread

[HellStorm]

When writing this dialogue, do you plug your nose and mumble the lines to yourself?

Please say yes o.o

[Jeans]

Even if Jeph doesn't, you will all think it's hilarious that Alan Moore does this. When writing the dialogue of a rhyming demon in Swamp Thing, he bent his knees to pretend he was shorter than he is in reality, stuck a couple of pencils in his mouth to simulate the kind of speech impediment fangs would give you, and talked to himself in front of a mirror.

Alan Moore looks like this.

[Shteevie]

The question I want to ask is "When will you design a shirt I will like?"

That question is total BS, and I know it, so let me provide too much information by way of apology.

Aside from the 'LGBTerrific' shirt [which I think is great, but doesn't apply to me, so I can't wear it], I have difficulty with the QC wearable merch. T-shirts are perfect for shot-glass portions of humor or media reference, but QC isn't really good at those kinds of humor. QC is long-form storytelling disguised as bite-size humor. I want to buy a shirt to support the guy who is trying to feed [and occasionally binge drink] his family, but I won't buy a product I don't want of its own merit. I am looking forward to the book, so any replies of "STFU and wait for the book, jackass," would be mean, but appropriate.

Here are a few vague ideas that Jeph could respond to:
-A Coffee of Doom cafe shirt. Many local roasterias in Seattle have their own shirts, and I could see wearing one for CoD.
-A fandom design of Victoria's DVDs, Jimbo's low art chatracters, a CD cover for one of Sven's singles, or Marigold's MMO character. Think Twi-tard clothes from Hot topic, but referencing characters that are in themselves references to QC.
-Parody image of the QC cast in a setting/pose reminiscent of a video/tour poster for one of the many indie bands referenced in the comic.

Anyways, I do love the comic, and the storytelling format keeps me reading every day as opposed to sporadic big batch readings of the other strips I like. I just wish there were more/better merch for me to purchase in encouragement of Jeph and his work.

Either way, I'll buy another sketch form you at ECC next year.

[Kugai]

Even if Jeph doesn't, you will all think it's hilarious that Alan Moore does this. When writing the dialogue of a rhyming demon in Swamp Thing, he bent his knees to pretend he was shorter than he is in reality, stuck a couple of pencils in his mouth to simulate the kind of speech impediment fangs would give you, and talked to himself in front of a mirror.

Alan Moore looks like this.

Well I'll be . . . . . It's The Soggy Bottom Boys Manager!!














Or Charlie Manson's cousin

[jeph]

Jeph,

In strips like today's where a character has sustained an injury to the schnoz, you have them speaking accordingly, like someone with a nose injury would.  When writing this dialogue, do you plug your nose and mumble the lines to yourself?

no, I just remember what talking with a stuffy nose feels like and exaggerate that

The question I want to ask is "When will you design a shirt I will like?"

words words words

While I am sorry that none of the current designs appeal to you, I am also 100% positive that your suggestions, while warmly accepted, would be incredibly unpopular and not worth the cost of producing.

[talihal]

HEY WHOA NEW MERCH IDEA!

I know this should ordinarily go in the QC Merch section but this is a question too so...Will you make a shirt for Christmas merch that is a version of the Last Supper painting with either you or Pintsize in the Jesus position? (You would be better rather than Pintsize...)

[Useless_Proverb]

Dear Jeph,

What is your favourite guitar, guitar amp, and guitar effect and why? [/guitarnerd talking to another guitarist]

[Patrick]

I can't answer for him, but he does have a goddamn sweet custom-built blonde Telecaster clone with a humbucker in the bridge and a mini-bucker in the neck. As for amps, if I remember, he uses his Line 6 POD more than anything else for recording. But again this does not necessarily represent his favorites, only he can say. Possible insight, though.

[jeph]

HEY WHOA NEW MERCH IDEA!

I know this should ordinarily go in the QC Merch section but this is a question too so...Will you make a shirt for Christmas merch that is a version of the Last Supper painting with either you or Pintsize in the Jesus position? (You would be better rather than Pintsize...)

ugh no

[BrilliantEraser]

Jeph,
How do you deal with all the terrible merchandise ideas that people keep throwing at you?
Sincerely,
Someone who would be unable to deal with those sorts of people

[Kugai]

He hands their names  over to The Fraternity.

[Carl-E]

-A Coffee of Doom cafe shirt. Many local roasterias in Seattle have their own shirts, and I could see wearing one for CoD.

I would SOOO buy that.

[Is it cold in here?]

Jeph,

How did Faye overcome her upbringing and environment to be so accepting of gay people?

She didn't get that from her mother or (shudder) Aunt Bettie. Was it a change she made in college, or did she have some gay friends ealry in life who clued her in that gay people are people, or is there some fundamental core of decency in her that prompted her to reject bigotry from the outset?

[jeph]

Dear Jeph,

What is your favourite guitar, guitar amp, and guitar effect and why? [/guitarnerd talking to another guitarist]

I can't answer for him, but he does have a goddamn sweet custom-built blonde Telecaster clone with a humbucker in the bridge and a mini-bucker in the neck. As for amps, if I remember, he uses his Line 6 POD more than anything else for recording. But again this does not necessarily represent his favorites, only he can say. Possible insight, though.

I love the hell outta my Creston and use it for all my non-dropped-tuning stuff. The two guitars that have seen the most playing time lately are that and the Jackson Soloist hardtail I picked up on eBay a couple months ago (USA built Jacksons are probably the most underrated guitars you can buy these days).

All the stuff I've released so far has been recorded with my POD like Patrick says, with the exception of the track "SO! FUCKING! HAPPY!" which is one of my amps miced up. I just got some decent microphones so I'm probably gonna switch to using my actual amps to record, sooner or later. I am a fan of basically anything and everything made by MESA/Boogie. ENGLs are really good too.

As for effects, I only use them in software. Stompboxes are a pain in the ass. I like everything but phasers and flangers are the most fun to play with. WHOOOOOOSH

[jeph]

Jeph,
How do you deal with all the terrible merchandise ideas that people keep throwing at you?
Sincerely,
Someone who would be unable to deal with those sorts of people

it's pretty easy to just say "no"

Jeph,

How did Faye overcome her upbringing and environment to be so accepting of gay people?

She didn't get that from her mother or (shudder) Aunt Bettie. Was it a change she made in college, or did she have some gay friends ealry in life who clued her in that gay people are people, or is there some fundamental core of decency in her that prompted her to reject bigotry from the outset?

There are plenty of folks with a relatively conservative upbringing who don't have a problem with gay folks. One thing I've always tried to project in my comic is that acceptance of gay people shouldn't even be an issue, and she is an extension of that philosophy.

Also living in Northampton and being homophobic would be like being an anti-semite living in Jerusalem.

[SWOON! at My Gravitas]

Jeph,

I was just curious, do you know as of yet how much of Questionable Content the upcoming book will encompass?

P.S., I am really excited about it

[jeph]

first 300 strips, probably not counting the guest comics in that range as I don't have hi-res art for them

[Trynant]

I'm not that cool, really.

Dear Jeph,

Two questions, one is kinda serious but wrapped in a layer of silly (and stupid), the other an honest question.

First the silly/stupid'/serious?:
Whom do you consider to be cool and/or noteworthy that has a webpage on the internet that is cool enough to link? I'm going to go ahead and guess the Other Good Comics linked on the main page have some pretty cool people doing cool things (although in the case of Dr. McNinja things are a little more Radical than cool as of recent).

Second:
What metal have you been listening to recently and is there some metal that is new or upcoming that you are really looking forward to? Recently I've been listening to The Blue Record by Baroness (having trouble deciding if I like it more or less than The Red Album) and Mastodon's Crack the Skye, and I've been wanting to know what stuff is out there that strikes that same vein.

(Parenthetical Subscript: You're kinda cool at least.)

(edit: I'm expecting to edit this a bit when I realize just how damn redundant these questions probably are)

[The Bastaroids]

Theoretically, how would one go about allegedly contacting you in a way that would warrant your undivided attention, metaphorically, at the end of the day.

In all seriousness, I'm in the early planning stages of a website model that I think you would be interested in. That is, if you help me guide it in a direction in which it could best serve webcomic artists/writers and everyone else involved in 'juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence' (thanks, McCloud!). I'd like to talk some time.

[Zombiedude]

Second:
What metal have you been listening to recently and is there some metal that is new or upcoming that you are really looking forward to? Recently I've been listening to The Blue Record by Baroness (having trouble deciding if I like it more or less than The Red Album) and Mastodon's Crack the Skye, and I've been wanting to know what stuff is out there that strikes that same vein.

Just gonna plug The Devin Townsend Project Addicted album here, even if jeph doesn't

[saige]

Dear Jeph,

http://jeannr.tumblr.com/post/238621700/my-friends-21st-is-coming-up-and-hes-an-indie

Coincidence? Or she might be a QC reader It was only a day after the strip about Marten's Thurston Moore crush...
anyway, I thought you'd like it.

[Is it cold in here?]

Jeph,

Would you add to the merchandise selection signed prints, like Scary Go Round and xkcd?

There are a couple I'd like for myself and for a friend, and it would give me the opportunity to support QC.

[jeph]

I'm not that cool, really.

Dear Jeph,

Two questions, one is kinda serious but wrapped in a layer of silly (and stupid), the other an honest question.

First the silly/stupid'/serious?:
Whom do you consider to be cool and/or noteworthy that has a webpage on the internet that is cool enough to link?

Second:
What metal have you been listening to recently and is there some metal that is new or upcoming that you are really looking forward to?

uh the people i link on my webpage

new Baroness is pretty good but not as good as Red Album. Lately it's just been my standbys- the newest Meshuggah, Gojira, Wolves in the Throne Room, Jesu.

Theoretically, how would one go about allegedly contacting you in a way that would warrant your undivided attention, metaphorically, at the end of the day.

In all seriousness, I'm in the early planning stages of a website model that I think you would be interested in. That is, if you help me guide it in a direction in which it could best serve webcomic artists/writers and everyone else involved in 'juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence' (thanks, McCloud!). I'd like to talk some time.

email

Jeph,

Would you add to the merchandise selection signed prints, like Scary Go Round and xkcd?

There are a couple I'd like for myself and for a friend, and it would give me the opportunity to support QC.

this is a good idea and I keep meaning to do this, will have to talk to JRo about maybe a print for the holidays

[celticgeek]

Congratulations on becoming a homeowner!! 

[vettechinohio]

Jeph, what is the scariest thing about purchasing a house?

[Carl-E]

Like having a kid, it's the sudden realization that you're an adult!

With responsibilities!

That, and property taxes. 

[Zombiedude]

Also, congratulations on finding those bathrooms.

[jeph]

Jeph, what is the scariest thing about purchasing a house?

The scariest thing about purchasing a house is that it's a long-term investment and I do online comics for a living. What if I get sick of doing the comic in five years? Or I fuck up and lose my audience? Or I decide that the strip needs to end? What if one of these things happens next week? You never know.

Now realistically, I'd be just as fucked if I were still renting an apartment versus paying a mortgage. But it's still scary.

[Mr_Rose]

Think of it this way: with the mortgage, you can at least sell the house and maybe turn a small profit on the initial investment, plus if you don't screw up, you eventually don't have to pay the mortgage any more. With rent, you're just pissing that money into some guy's pocket and he's using to to pay the mortgage on the house you're living in as well as his.

[Is it cold in here?]

Has it given you a new appreciation of the xkcd about signing a lease?

[carvin]

Why, from what I observed, did you get so upset that some people thought that Hanners and Marigold were going to become a couple? I will say that I thought it. I know many people get very invested in 'ships' and can go kinda crazy with it. I liked the idea, but I like where things are going now better. I can't wait to see more. Still, I can't see why it would be so upsetting. I understand that ships that make no sense could make you lose some faith in your readership but... this never seemed that ridiculous.  I've never really read any of the forums about this, so maybe I'm repeating what someone else has said. If you'll indulge me, just a bit. I mean, firstly... you certainly don't shy away from non-heterosexuality in the comic. Hanners has been stated to be warry of romantic relationships due to her OCD, so her sexuality not only has never been stated, she herself would likely barely know. Marigold might have a better understanding, but not all people understand their sexual nature until presented with a person that is truly fitting to them. Perhaps what inspired people to think this relationship to be plausible is that the budding friendship between the two mirrored that of other relationships that became romantic in the comic, such as Marten and Dora.
Blah, please don't think I'm a total crackpot. I'm not angry or upset at the comic, it's just a comic. I'm just curious what made you so upset when it doesn't seem that odd that people could think such a thing.

[talihal]

Jeph,

Why, in the name of God, Buddha, Ghandi, Anal Prolapse, and all other religious figures out there, did you have Dora get the Douche Shirt??

Also, I plan on making a comic as soon as I get a tablet and figure out how to work it right (in other words, 10-20 years or so...) Can I include AnthroPCs or will that be too much of an infringement on your creative mind or whatever?

[talihal]

Douchey double post time! What the fuck is with the Anal Prolapse being the transfer from the words C h u c k  N o r r i s?

[Jace]

Remember when jokes about that guy were all the rage? That is why it filters.

[doombilly]

haha, wait till you are 1 hour into a 10 hour trip back to your house and you wife frantically calls you to tell you that the waterline it broken in your front yard and the City is not responsive to pleas to cut off the water. Good times.

I'm totally moving into a Motor home in my next life.

This is not a question.

Is it?

[pwhodges]

My daughter had a burst water main inside  her house, and they took 24 hours to come to turn it off.  Big insurance claim, that.

[Eris]

Why, from what I observed, did you get so upset that some people thought that Hanners and Marigold were going to become a couple?

Not wanting to talk for Jeph, but I got annoyed at the 'shipping because there was nothing to indicate that there could be a possible relationship there. He had a comic where Hannelore and Marigold were in the same room and everyone went "HANNIGOLD WOOOO THAT IS SO HAWT".

[Jeans]

But Hannah! When two girls are in the same room, that means they are lesbians! Don't you even know that yet? I do.

[BrilliantEraser]

My roommate and I are usually in the same room. We are obviously lesbians.

[Kugai]

My roommate and I are usually in the same room. We are obviously lesbians.

You said it, we didn't

 

[carvin]

Why, from what I observed, did you get so upset that some people thought that Hanners and Marigold were going to become a couple?

Not wanting to talk for Jeph, but I got annoyed at the 'shipping because there was nothing to indicate that there could be a possible relationship there. He had a comic where Hannelore and Marigold were in the same room and everyone went "HANNIGOLD WOOOO THAT IS SO HAWT".

Well, I don't know when other people started talking about it. The first time I knew anyone else besides me considered that 'ship' is when I saw 34 of it. I don't remember when I started thinking it was interesting, but it certainly wasn't when she burst in and ended her mess. When they started hitting it off as friends, it just seemed to occur to me that, other than a possible gender barrier, they seemed to have a lot to offer each other as a couple. I dunno, I don't 'ship' in the sense that I ever feel someone is 'meant' for someone in a work of fiction, though with good fiction you get invested and hope things to happen.

[edwinalink]

I cant believe I've never said Anal Prolapse on this forum. that is amazing.... the stars in my sky will shine a bit brighter tonight... because of that...

[BeoPuppy]

My roommate and I are usually in the same room. We are obviously lesbians.

... HD vid's or it didn't happen?

[jeph]

words words words

"shipping" is stupid and I dislike people who do it

[Border Reiver]

Jeph - First, I'd like to say that your intial attempts at doing plaid/tartan are OK, especially with getting the vertical and horizontal lines (can't remember the technical term) to follow the flow of the body. As you're doing it now it looks more like a shirt with horizontal and vertical stripes because the lines are all the same colour throughout

As a person who paints plaids on toy soldiers I know how difficult it can be to get plaids right.  Is there a way that you can blend the two colours of the plaid together for the parts of the vertical and horizontal lines except where the lines cross?  In painting you can do this by blending paints or by using really thinned paints, but something tells me that isn't an option here.

[BeoPuppy]

words words words

"shipping" is stupid and I dislike people who do it

I didn't know it was a 'thing' but after reading this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_(fandom) kind of have to agree with our gallant host, there.

I did learn a new meaning of that word though, so it wasn't a complete loss.

[Carl-E]

...the vertical and horizontal lines (can't remember the technical term)...

Warp and weft (pronounced "woof").  the warp are the vertical fixed threads on the loom,the weft are the woven ones that run horizontal.  Alternating the colors in a consistant pattern in the same way for both warp and weft causes plaids - the colors are most intense where they agree, and have an in-between muting where they don't.  

As any plaid user knows all too well.  

I have now proven that I've been to too waaaaay too many "sheep-to-shawl" competitions...

Actually, one was probably too many!

[Dliessmgg]

Warp and weft

Etymology or it was LSD.

[Carl-E]

Warp means "that which is thrown across" (Old English wearp, from weorpan, to throw, cf. German werfen, Dutch werpen).

The words woof and weft both derive ultimately from the Old English word wefan, "to weave". 

 

[Kugai]

<PicardVoice>

"Engage".

</PicardVoice>