Topic: QC Character Total Appearances (Read 28003 times)

raoullefere · « **on:** 01 Feb 2008, 21:01 »

I mentioned in the WCT: Jan 27-31 thread that my inner Hanners was tempting me to actually count the number of episodes in which each character has appeared in QC. I am now doing that. Whether I get to the 1000+ range depends how thoroughly Hanners possesses me, but at 350, I have noticed the following:
Marten is down from an initial 98% to about 84%
Faye is up to 84% now.
Interestingly, as Dora's percentage grows, Pintsize's lessens. At 325 (I'm only storing the cumulative data for every 25 episodes) Dora was 34% and Pintsize 25%. At 350, she's at 35% and he's down one to 24%. Will this continue? Is Dora the anti-Pintsize? [Actually, this makes sense if you view QC as focusing on Marten. PCs are cool, but, future generations of lovedolls notwithstanding, girls (and/or boys, depending on your gender and S.O.) tend to trump them.]

And the 2nd tier Character with the highest percentage? Steve, of course, with 15%, followed by Ellen (you remember Jailbait Ellen) at 9%.

Will I do 'em all? I dunno. I also have to figure out a way to post the actual results. I'm doing this on Appleworks, because, believe it or not, I don't actually use spreadsheets all that much. It does the job, and it will make a nice chart I may post, but I can't seem to export the actual percentages (it pastes the numbers, which ain't the same.

Will I finish this? Dunno. One reason I'm doing this is it's the season for sinus headaches, something I'm amazingly good at. THis I can do without much mental effort other than designing the spread, which is done. If I feel better, I'll probably drop it, or put it aside for later.

raoullefere · « **Reply #1 on:** 01 Feb 2008, 21:04 »

Here's the raw data, for those interested
Character/total appearances/percent in decimal
Marten   295   0.84285714286
Faye   288   0.82285714286
Dora   122   0.34857142857
Pintsize   85   0.24285714286
Steve   53   0.15142857143
Ellen   31   0.08857142857
Raven   20   0.05714285714
Jimbo   15   0.04285714286
Amanda   12   0.03428571429
Natasha   8   0.02285714286
Sara   8   0.02285714286
Sven   8   0.02285714286
Lorena Torres (Realtor)   4   0.01142857143
Alan Turing, FBI   4   0.01142857143
Dora's Cat   3   0.00857142857
Jeph   2   0.00571428571
Martin's Boss   2   0.00571428571

Amadeus · « **Reply #2 on:** 01 Feb 2008, 22:14 »

Wait, Jeph appears?!

Anyhow, this is really cool to me. Keep me posted as it continues.

raoullefere · « **Reply #3 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 00:44 »

Jeph appears in two guest strips. I know they're not canon (so to speak) but I decided to include them in the count.

Both times we see a really sexy storyline, then cut to Jeph catching Jimbo hijacking the strip. It doesn't say it's Jimbo, but it looks like him, sooo...

Apple Pie · « **Reply #4 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 00:51 »

This is actually rather interesting.

I applaud such a procrastination effort.

raoullefere · « **Reply #5 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 02:01 »

Here is the data for the first 500
Faye   405   0.81
Marten   403   0.806
Dora   196   0.392
Pintsize   118   0.236
Steve   71   0.142
Raven   62   0.124
Ellen   54   0.108
Ms. Reed   25   0.05
Jimbo   16   0.032
Natasha   16   0.032
Amanda   13   0.026
Sven   8   0.016
Sara   8   0.016
Alan Turing, FBI   4   0.008
Lorena Torres (Realtor)   4   0.008
Amir   4   0.008
Jeph   3   0.006
Dora's Cat   3   0.006
Martin's Boss   2   0.004
Pizza Girl   2   0.004
Angus   1   0.002
Tequilla Monster   1   0.002

Marten and Faye are in a statistical dead heat at 81%, with one or the other coming out ahead in the raw numbers every batch of 25. Dora continues to rise, but Pintsize is holding steady at 24%. I think, though, that he's verging on being the most frequent supporting character, having been replaced in the 'main' cast by Dora. Still, Pintsize has a good lead on the top of the remaining supporting cast, which is still Steve at 14% (down 1 percent, more or less). The other big change is Raven, who is now breathing down Steve's neck, so to speak at 12%.

I've a quandary, though: what of the turkeys (and later, the eagles)? I considered counting the characters they mention as having 'appeared.' As of now, though, I'm leaving these episodes out, though not excluding from the count, since that would be too tedious even for me, Any thoughts?

Doug S. Machina · « **Reply #6 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 03:16 »

Curious that Faye appears slightly more than Marten, as he's the nominal main character.
I also applaud your good work.

Michael Nehora · « **Reply #7 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 03:23 »

Nice work. If you have the time and continuing interest, I'd be curious to see a breakdown for strips 501 through 1000. This is mainly because I get the impression that Hannelore, despite having debuted rather later than Raven, has since overtaken her in appearances by a wide margin. Which, I suspect, is no coincidence, as both women arguably have a similar role in the strip--the "quirky but strong and loveable" character who gets off to a rough start with one or more of the main cast, but soon wins their respect and friendship.

In Raven's case, Faye and Dora (especially Faye) initially have little respect for her because she's ditzy (to put it kindly), boy-crazy like a teenager, and a trend-follower. But after days/weeks of working alongside her, they come to see that she's genuinely kind, sweet, and often has keen insight into people, and so they count her as a friend. Still, one gets the sense that there's only so much even a writer like Jeph can do with a "noble simpleton" character.

Enter Hanners, who gets off to a rocky start with Marten, who sees her as a provider of unsolicited relationship advice, then as "crazy," and even a dangerous stalker. But he, along with Faye and Dora, quickly warm up to her because under all the mishegoss is a good person, and one whose vulnerability and insecurity they can all relate to. And from a storytelling and characterization angle, she's much more complex and versatile a cast member than Raven. She's inconsistent in her OCD (multiple ear piercings and she smokes) but unapologetic about it. She wavers from painfully shy and timid, to confident and brazen, and back again. Hanners also shows more willingness than Raven to expand her horizons, for example taking up drums and jamming with Deathmøle. So that's my theory as to why Hanners has--if my hunch is correct--usurped Raven's role in QC. But I wouldn't mind seeing the frequency stats, because it might just be that Hanners makes a stronger impression on me than Raven has in the latter 500-odd strips. (I still like seeing Raven, don't get me wrong, but if there were QC Oscars, Hanners would get my vote for Best Supporting Actor.)

raoullefere · « **Reply #8 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 07:49 »

I plan to not only go to 1000, but to keep this current. I don't know that I'll get the rest done before next weekend, but I will be working on it when I've a chance.

Here's a question worth considering (it's kind of why I started this). What percentage of appearances makes a character main cast, supporting cast, minor supporting cast; etc.?

Also, things I have noticed:

Dora calls many people 'kid' or variations
We never know what Steve does for a living
When Raven first appears, she doesn't appear to be a 'noble simpleton.' It is apparently a personality she assumes after she gets tired of wearing black. Also, since both of Raven's parents are scientists, my guess is this, just like the Goth episode of her life, is an act.

WIth the possible exception of Hanners, every character who speaks about her/her past fudges it. Faye, Marten, and Raven have all done so:
Raven claims she has stretch marks from being an early bloomer; Dora later says Raven was heavy, but lost weight.
Marten's early comments about his parents don't bear out when his mother makes an appearance (For one, how could they still drive him crazy during Thanksgiving when they've been divorced for over ten years and are good friends? It's not impossible, but somewhat unlikely.).
Dora has done things she won't discuss, such as stealing boyfriends, apparently (Sven seems to be the only one who knows about this).
Dora is shocked that her mother sends her a vibrator, yet when we meet Mrs. Bianchi, she openly smokes pot (It may be only me that sees this as a bit inconsistent).

Some of this is just revisionist stuff, though. Which backs up Jeph's claim that he 'makes it up' as he goes along. I still think he does a wonderful job of capitalizing on minor comments, turning them into entire arcs later on.

raoullefere · « **Reply #9 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 10:53 »

At 550 we have

Marten   442   0.80363636364
Faye   439   0.79818181818
Dora   218   0.39636363636
Pintsize   125   0.22727272727
Steve   77   0.14
Raven   76   0.13818181818
Ellen   54   0.09818181818
Ms. Reed   25   0.04545454545
Jimbo   19   0.03454545455
Natasha   16   0.02909090909
Amanda   14   0.02545454545
Hanners   14   0.02545454545
Sven   12   0.02181818182
Sara   8   0.01454545455
Alan Turing, FBI   4   0.00727272727
Lorena Torres (Realtor)   4   0.00727272727
Amir   4   0.00727272727
Mieville (Dora's Cat)   4   0.00727272727
Mr. Whitaker   3   0.00545454545
Jeph   3   0.00545454545
Martin's Boss   2   0.00363636364
Pizza Girl   2   0.00363636364
Winslow   1   0.00181818182
Angus   1   0.00181818182
Tequilla Monster   1   0.00181818182
Winslow   1   0.00181818182

I only post this because of something interesting: Faye and Martin are now down to 80%. Why? Well, one or the other is in almost every episode, but not both, due to the comic 'splitting' to follow each of their lives. When neither appears, Dora is the focus, or else (much rarer, now) Pintsize. Dora has almost double appearances on him now, though.

The other interesting thing is that Hanners is off like a rocket! In 50 episodes she has managed to overtake characters who've been around for 200.

bbqrocks · « **Reply #10 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 11:07 »

You have put down winslow twice. Once above angus, and once at the bottom.

Other, excellent job. Expecting hanners to shoot up to 5th, or even 4th place..And Raven too.

raoullefere · « **Reply #11 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 12:42 »

The Winslow above Angus is supposed to be Mrs. Whitaker. That's one thing that's annoying—when I add a character to the roster, I can't get cells labeling the percentages to automatically 'mirror' the text. There's probably a formula to do that, but I can't figure it for the life of me.

raoullefere · « **Reply #12 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 22:02 »

Here are the stats as of 750 episodes

Marten   580   0.77333333333
Faye   558   0.744
Dora   328   0.43733333333
Pintsize   158   0.21066666667
Raven   107   0.14266666667
Steve   93   0.124
Ellen   60   0.08
Hannelore   52   0.06933333333
Ms. Reed   25   0.03333333333
Natasha   25   0.03333333333
Amanda   22   0.02933333333
Sven   22   0.02933333333
Jimbo   20   0.02666666667
Winslow   13   0.01733333333
Amir   12   0.016
Vespavenger   12   0.016
Sara   8   0.01066666667
Mrs. Whitaker   8   0.01066666667
Penelope   8   0.01066666667
Tai   7   0.00933333333
Genevieve (Sven's Ex)   6   0.008
Alan Turing, FBI   5   0.00666666667
Lorena Torres (Realtor)   4   0.00533333333
Mieville (Dora's Cat)   4   0.00533333333
Mr. Whitaker   4   0.00533333333
Martin's Boss   4   0.00533333333

Three developments: Martin is pretty much the lead character now. Pintsize continues drop slowly. Raven has surpassed Steve in appearances. Hanners is gaining rapidly; she's in the top 8 with double the appearances of the next ranked character. She'll soon be at least seventh, as I think this is Ellen's last, or nearly her last appearance. I may give her credits for mentions, though.

I wondered whether to count the Vespabot, but since it and the Vespavenger are pretty much one and the same, I decided to leave it be. If she ever shows up without the Vespabot, 'twill be easy to fix.

Scarily enough, as you can tell by these posts, I believe I've some inkling of Hanners' fascinations (if not her obsession) with counting. I think the girl is possessing me—I actually cleaned my space today without waiting for it to become semi-impassible. Hope to god I don't start in on the ceilings.

bbqrocks · « **Reply #13 on:** 02 Feb 2008, 22:26 »

I think hanners will reach 6th.

And Penelope will go up a bit.

tomart · « **Reply #14 on:** 03 Feb 2008, 01:05 »

Great job, man! I love seeing the rankings and how they change over time. I don't think Hanners will overtake Dora; I think Dora is one of Jeph's top favorites. He gives her tons of good lines and smart comments, she seems about the most mature to me.

(I'd guess most people would be a tad embarrassed at receiving a dildo from their mother...)

I hesitate to bring this up, now that you've gotten this far, but - I don't think I'd count guest strip appearances. At all. Besides not being canon, they have nothing to do with Jeph (as far as I know: I got the impression he lets them do more or less whatever they want.) Like the one where all the guys change to females - that's off in some other universe. Guest strips are for wild experiments and other artists' fantasies, doing things these characters would never do. Like the best art, Jeph's QC has an internal consistency, and I pictured Appearance Counts as matching that. Yes, I know that throws the percentages off...

And "mentions"? I can see counting some, where they're not present but a strong focus of discussion, but not every little mention...? I don't know; maybe this is why you're doing it and not me.

raoullefere · « **Reply #15 on:** 03 Feb 2008, 09:57 »

You've pretty much got it. When there's a strong mention, such as "where's faye?" "Passed out behind the couch" That sort of thing. Faye's in the episode: you simply can't see her. Furthermore having her passed out behiind the couch when everyone else is passed out on the couch makes, to me, a statement about her character. Same thing for Pintsize when Deathbot 9000 comes to call. PS's hiding under Marten's bed, but he's still a pivotal character in the episode. On the other hand, when Faye calls her mom early on, I don;t count Mrs. Whitaker because she's just a prop. (Is it logical? Dunno? Am I logical? Perish the thought! I mean, I'm counting comic strips.)

As for the guest strips, well, in the great scheme of things, they don't really make much impact. The only truly minor characters that have gotten 'boosts' via them so far are Jimbo, Pizza Girl, and Jeph himself. And it really does make things a little easier at this stage. After I'm 'done', uf need be, it wouldn't be too awful hard to 'weed' them for a 'canon' only count. In fact, if you're really troubled by it, YOU can collect the numbers of all the guest strips and I can extract their numbers very quickly

. Just for the record, I'm counting the turkey strips, too (heh, 'turkey strips') as episodes, thought not for characters. So everything is already slightly off, but I plan to correct it after I've gotten to 1050. Although percentage-wise, I'm not sure five or even fifteen strips more or less are really going to make much impact.

I do want to make clear I am not doing this as any sort of direct commentary on Jeph's writing, although one can use it, like any other observations, to make inferences, as I have in some of my posts. I'm doing this so that when a discussion of who's a major character and who's not comes up, one can have some numbers to look at, for whatever that's worth. And, like I said, because a certain skinny blonde seems to have taken me over. Also, the numbers are simply fascinating in and of themselves.

tomart · « **Reply #16 on:** 03 Feb 2008, 23:45 »

"Is it logical?" Yes, you've convinced me. You're an intelligent, responsible QC-counting ~~addict~~ aficionado, not that unlike my own self. And you're right, the guest appearances don't skew things much.

So clearly, the Major Characters are Marten, Faye, Dora (and a few more, depending on where you make the statistical cut-off.) Personally, I like Pintsize and Raven, but not so much Steve or Ellen, and I think Hanners will really take off as you finish up, so my list of QC Major Characters would be:

Marten, Faye, Dora, Pintsize, Raven and Hannelore. (Hmm, only one male...)

raoullefere · « **Reply #17 on:** 08 Feb 2008, 02:55 »

At 900, we have:

Marten   653   0.72555555556
Faye   645   0.71666666667
Dora   399   0.44333333333
Pintsize   177   0.19666666667
Raven   123   0.13666666667
Steve   117   0.13
Hannelore   72   0.08
Ellen   62   0.06888888889
Sven   39   0.04333333333
Penelope   36   0.04
Tai   29   0.03222222222
Natasha   28   0.03111111111
Ms. Reed   25   0.02777777778
Amanda   22   0.02444444444
Jimbo   21   0.02333333333
Winslow   19   0.02111111111
Amir   17   0.01888888889
Vespavenger   12   0.01333333333
Angus   11   0.01222222222
Meena   11   0.01222222222
Sara   8   0.00888888889
Mrs. Whitaker   8   0.00888888889
Genevieve (Sven's Ex)   6   0.00666666667
Dr. Corrine   5   0.00555555556
Alan Turing, FBI   5   0.00555555556
Jeph   4   0.00444444444
Mr. Whitaker   4   0.00444444444
Mieville (Dora's Cat)   4   0.00444444444
Martin's Boss   4   0.00444444444
Lorena Torres (Realtor)   4   0.00444444444
Tequilla Monster   3   0.00333333333
Pizza Girl   3   0.00333333333
Dave   2   0.00222222222

After lagging, Faye is closing in on Marten (well, actually, he's appearing a little less). Lookit hoswNabbers has shot up the ranks. But most of all, look at Dora, with her impressive 44%. She has trounced Pintsize, who is slowly sinking into the supporting cast, with over double the amount of appearances.

So Tomart, you called it, so far, save that you reckoned not with Steve in your final tally.

Doug S. Machina · « **Reply #18 on:** 08 Feb 2008, 06:08 »

I'm not surprised that Marten's girlfriend appears in inverse proportion to his robot buddy, especially as she's in the main cast anyhow. I think Pintsize is a go-to for punchlines (while in the apartment) so he won't disappear anytime soon, but I think Hannelore will overtake him.

More surprising is that the Vespavenger has more presence than Angus or Meena, but at least one of them has an ongoing storyline.

raoullefere · « **Reply #19 on:** 08 Feb 2008, 07:33 »

Yes, Angus seems to have had an impact on me far beyond his actual appearances. I was surprised at how few there really were.

Meena's just been introduced, though. She should climb on up, unless, of course, Steve ditches her.

Scruffy · « **Reply #20 on:** 08 Feb 2008, 08:15 »

Wow, this is really impressive. This has passed through my head once, but I never even considered going through it. Kudos to you, this is very interesting.

raoullefere · « **Reply #21 on:** 08 Feb 2008, 09:17 »

At 1000 we have

Faye   711   0.711
Marten   703   0.703
Dora   441   0.441
Pintsize   194   0.194
Raven   127   0.127
Steve   118   0.118
Hannelore   111   0.111
Ellen   62   0.062
Sven   56   0.056
Penelope   48   0.048
Tai   37   0.037
Natasha   33   0.033
Ms. Reed   25   0.025
Winslow   23   0.023
Amanda   22   0.022
Amir   22   0.022
Jimbo   21   0.021
Beatrice Chatham    16   0.016
Vespavenger   12   0.012
Meena   11   0.011
Angus   11   0.011
Mrs. Whitaker   8   0.008
Sara   8   0.008
Genevieve (Sven's Ex)   6   0.006
Mr. Whitaker   6   0.006
Mieville (Dora's Cat)   6   0.006
Dr. Corrine   6   0.006
Alan Turing, FBI   5   0.005
Lorena Torres (Realtor)   4   0.004
Martin's Boss   4   0.004
Jeph   4   0.004
Pizza Girl   3   0.003
Tequilla Monster   3   0.003
Dave   2   0.002
Peter Bianchi   2   0.002

After lagging behind, Faye surges into the lead. Pintsize is now definitely supporting cast, topping the list that includes Raven, Steve, and Hannelore. Sven and Penelope occupy the next level, while Tai leads the minor cast. Ellen remains an anomaly. The thing is, when she was appearing, there were fewer other characters to compete with for time. So, although she leads Penelope and Sven, if I started this at, say # 500, Ellen would be much lower (she's had about 14 appearances since then) in the standings. So is she supporting cast or a minor character?

I saw something similar happen with Sara in the early strips before that pesky allosaurus et her. A real number cruncher would likely have a fancy-schmancy name for this sort of thing, but I wouldn't know. I'm simply obsessed.

tomart · « **Reply #22 on:** 08 Feb 2008, 12:00 »

Yeah, I should've included Steve as a major. So it's shaping up to be

Major Characters:
Marten (pride of place for starting the whole shebang), Faye, Dora, Pintsize, Steve, Hannelore, Raven

Supporting Cast:
Winslow, Jimbo, Sven, Penelope, Tai, ...and ?

As you've suggested, there's more to the importance rankings than just appearances. If "Majors" are those who not only appear a lot, but are fleshed out and have their own strips and arcs, then "Supporting" might be those who keep showing up, and have a fair number of fans...

Actually fan feedback (and of course Jeph) can make minor, offhand characters into solid support personnel, and vice versa. Or someone who didn't seem important at first, into a favorite (Hannelore.)

So I would relegate Ellen to minor: the way she dumped Steve makes her rather unwelcome 'round here, and her arc has played out.

Doug S. Machina · « **Reply #23 on:** 08 Feb 2008, 13:08 »

So Faye beats Marten into second place, though you might say she's been doing that since they met.
Interesting that Hannelore has appeared less than Steve. I suppose that, as you said about Angus, her appearances tend to be more memorable. Also surprising is that Ellen had appeared more than Sven. It doesn't seem like it.

Only 74 to go. What are you going to do when The Work is finished?

Doug S. Machina · « **Reply #24 on:** 08 Feb 2008, 14:36 »

Don't know what's happened here. Maybe i should tell a joke in this space.

"Three men went into a bar, and the whole scene developed with a hideous predicability..."
(Bill Bailey)

raoullefere · « **Reply #25 on:** 08 Feb 2008, 15:22 »

I'm going to Disneyworld!

IF someone raps me on the head, drags me there, and I can't escape them.

I hope to maintain the Work. Right now I'm wishing I had Numbers (I run Mac OS X) so I could easily web-publish the whole thing. 80 bucks is a bit stiff just for that, though.

I'm also wondering: if QC was a TV show (as if) who would get a spot on the intro, who would be 'guest stars' and/or have thier names appear in the opening scene, and who would only show up in the closing credits.

Gott in Himmel, Mousetown and TV in the same post. See what your culture does to you?

tomart · « **Reply #26 on:** 09 Feb 2008, 21:43 »

Quote from: Doug S. Machina on 08 Feb 2008, 13:08

What are you going to do when The Work is finished?

An OCD's work is never finished.

[Just kidding! No implied mental diagnosis shall be suggested, construed, or imagined from the above offhand joke]

Rocketman · « **Reply #27 on:** 09 Feb 2008, 21:49 »

Quote from: tomart on 09 Feb 2008, 21:43

Quote from: Doug S. Machina on 08 Feb 2008, 13:08
What are you going to do when The Work is finished?

An OCD's work is never finished.

[Just kidding! No implied mental diagnosis shall be suggested, construed, or imagined from the above offhand joke]

Turn the page, wash your hands. Turn the page, wash your hands. Turn the page, wash your hands.

raoullefere · « **Reply #28 on:** 10 Feb 2008, 09:40 »

I do NOT constantly wash my hands.

I use Germ-X. I'm a Hygiene Hero!

Cartilage Head · « **Reply #29 on:** 10 Feb 2008, 12:19 »

Quote from: raoullefere on 08 Feb 2008, 15:22

I'm also wondering: if QC was a TV show (as if) who would get a spot on the intro, who would be 'guest stars' and/or have thier names appear in the opening scene, and who would only show up in the closing credits.

Gott in Himmel, Mousetown and TV in the same post. See what your culture does to you?

Well that depends on the media.. a live action show would possibly show the actors' names during the opener, and the guest stars during the credits rolling through the first few minutes of the show. An animated series would only show the voice actors' names at the beginning of the ending credits.

Doug S. Machina · « **Reply #30 on:** 10 Feb 2008, 13:39 »

The opening credits (of a TV show) would star Marten, Faye and Pintsize. Then they would be changed to include Dora in the, say, second season. (I don't know when the break would be. You decide.) By now Raven would there too, and maybe Hannelore. Otherwise, she would have the credit "and A. Ctress as Hannelore." in the opening scene. Going by your numbers, Steve would be the same. Everyone else would be in the closing credits.

Given the way these things seem to happen with TV, the actor playing Hannelore will either be the breakout star, or forever live in her character's shadow. The spinoff series will be based around Sven, or perhaps Meena.

Pintsize and Winslow get an animated series. The actors playing Marten, Faye and Dora are never noticeably sucessful again.

Rocketman · « **Reply #31 on:** 10 Feb 2008, 17:47 »

Quote

Given the way these things seem to happen with TV, the actor playing Hannelore will either be the breakout star, or forever live in her character's shadow.

Actually, I think Hanners would be a meteoric star on a QC TV show. Seemingly one-shot character becomes insanely popular, gets major backstory, a place in the title credits (probably knocking Pintsize or even Raven to text-only). But, the tolerance level for a character in a 30-minute/1-hour show once a week is less than for six-panels-every-day-except-weekends, especially once she starts shoving Marten/Faye/Dora plotlines out to make more time for Hanners cuteness OR she starts getting crammed into other characters' storylines where she doesn't really belong.

Eventually, either she becomes the main character or spins off into her own series, either way that show fails because 'adorably cute' isn't enough to base an entire show on.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #32 on:** 11 Feb 2008, 05:30 »

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

tomart · « **Reply #33 on:** 11 Feb 2008, 14:42 »

Quote from: Doug S. Machina on 10 Feb 2008, 13:39

Pintsize and Winslow get an animated series. The actors playing Marten, Faye and Dora are never noticeably successful again.

...although they each try a feature film or two. Ultimately one (or all) of them opens a ... Coffee of Doom! which is successful, of course, although franchises without M, F, or D are not.

Yes to the animated series! Jeph is creative director, of course, and becomes as famous as Matt Groening and Jhonen Vasquez.

raoullefere · « **Reply #34 on:** 11 Feb 2008, 20:52 »

At 1075, we have:

Faye   746   0.71047619048
Marten   741   0.70571428571
Dora   478   0.45523809524
Pintsize   203   0.19333333333
Hannelore   141   0.13428571429
Raven   131   0.12476190476
Steve   126   0.12
Sven   64   0.06095238095
Ellen   62   0.05904761905
Penelope   54   0.05142857143
Tai   40   0.0380952381
Winslow   36   0.03428571429
Natasha   33   0.03142857143
Ms. Reed   25   0.02380952381
Amir   22   0.02095238095
Amanda   22   0.02095238095
Jimbo   21   0.02
Beatrice Chatham    16   0.01523809524
Meena   16   0.01523809524
Vespavenger   12   0.01142857143
Angus   11   0.01047619048
Sara   8   0.00761904762
Mrs. Whitaker   8   0.00761904762
Peter Bianchi   8   0.00761904762
Dr. Corrine   6   0.00571428571
Mieville (Dora's Cat)   6   0.00571428571
Mr. Whitaker   6   0.00571428571
Genevieve (Sven's Ex)   6   0.00571428571
Alan Turing, FBI   5   0.00476190476
Pizza Girl   5   0.00476190476
Jeph   4   0.00380952381
Martin's Boss   4   0.00380952381
Lorena Torres (Realtor)   4   0.00380952381
Dave   4   0.00380952381
Ellsa Bianchi   4   0.00380952381
Tequilla Monster   3   0.00285714286
Pizza Girl   3   0.00285714286

Faye still leads Marten, with Dora rising slowly but surely. Hanners has surpassed all other supporting characters save Pintsize.

SO, the Credits Roll and we see Marten, Faye and Dora, and then Pintsize
In the opening scene Hanners, Raven and Steve are 'lettered in" if they appear in this weeks episode. Sven and Penelope (and possibly Tai) get the 'guest' slot, if they appear, and everyone else gets closing credits.

raoullefere · « **Reply #35 on:** 11 Feb 2008, 21:45 »

I actually have a set of rules for the count that I follow, as best I can.

Rules of Appearance

1. Character appears in the episode
2. Character appears in the episode, but ‘offstage’ and is mentioned by ‘onstage’ characters (ex, jimbo passed out, Benji's outside)
3. Character must appear in more than 1 episode. (All the one-timers have the same stat, anyway)
3. Guest strips appearances are included. Three reasons: Easier; never seen one that breaks the curve; 155 (Steve comes out of the closet) and 158 (Pintsize possessed by Raffi) are two of my favorite strips.
4. All bird strips excluded (turkeys, eagles, finches, tits, whathaveyou. Will include a cassowary if Jeph ever puts one in. Most neglected flightless bird.)
5. Pledge to count all rhea appearances, too. Same reason.

Notes:

I gave Faye’s father a credit when Faye talked to his grave
I gave Pintsize a credit when he was talked about in 612
Is Dora good at not gagging or not?
Thought about giving credits when photos appear, but I don't think I notice them all.
Decided not to include Roomba. It’s a 'special effect,' not a character.
Thinking of upping rule 3 to 2 for the sake of lists, anyway
Same for BFbot as Roomba.
Is Pizza Girl Sara? Would answer many questions, allosaurs being so extinct these days. If Kent can get away with just glasses, and AnthroPCs are self-aware, whynot!

Doug S. Machina · « **Reply #36 on:** 12 Feb 2008, 02:57 »

Quote from: raoullefere on 11 Feb 2008, 21:45

I actually have a set of rules for the count that I follow, as best I can.

Well, I suppose there's no point playing this game if you don't have rules to stick to.

Edited to ask raoullefere: why does Pizza Girl appear in the list twice?

Quote from: raoullefere on 11 Feb 2008, 21:45

Is Pizza Girl Sara? Would answer many questions, allosaurs being so extinct these days. If Kent can get away with just glasses, and AnthroPCs are self-aware, whynot![/li][/list]

That's an excellent idea. No wonder she had to go. The work was too important, and her job at CoD was getting in the way. Plus, she was delivering to CoD, so they might have figured out her secret identity. Maybe she sent in Penelope to take the heat off.

Quote from: tomart on 11 Feb 2008, 14:42

Quote from: Doug S. Machina on 10 Feb 2008, 13:39
Pintsize and Winslow get an animated series. The actors playing Marten, Faye and Dora are never noticeably successful again.
...although they each try a feature film or two. Ultimately one (or all) of them opens a ... Coffee of Doom! which is successful, of course, although franchises without M, F, or D are not.

Yes to the animated series! Jeph is creative director, of course, and becomes as famous as Matt Groening and Jhonen Vasquez.

I'd never heard of Jhonen Vasquez before I read that, which counters what you said and proves my ignorance. Sounds interesting though.

One of the actors opening a Coffee of Doom has some pathos. It's like they realised people will never accept them in another role than their QC character, so now they pretend to be Dora (or Faye, or Marten) all the time. I imagine they could become very bitter about it, unless such immersion means they actually become that character to a spooky degree.

raoullefere · « **Reply #37 on:** 12 Feb 2008, 09:14 »

The 'Pizza girl' with 5 appearances is actually Benji (Four appearances, one mention by Hanners—Benji's outside COD playing, which is the impetus for the whole strip). WHen I add a new character, I create a template from the cells of an existing one. I was using Dave up until he actually appeared. THen I started using the bottom-most character. I erased the appearances, but the names appear in two columns (one as a header and one as a label source for the outputted data) and I forgot to change the second one.

I think I've fixed that now. I've made a permant template. So you may see 'New Character" if I screw up again (likely), but at last there won't be duplication. Hopefully.

Doug S. Machina · « **Reply #38 on:** 12 Feb 2008, 15:36 »

All explained. Also, I was right!* Meena climbs above the Vespavenger. I think we see should her again.

*Edit: which is to say, we were both right. But one of us is doing the legwork.

tomart · « **Reply #39 on:** 12 Feb 2008, 16:01 »

Quote from: Doug S. Machina on 12 Feb 2008, 02:57

I'd never heard of Jhonen Vasquez before I read that...

One of the actors opening a Coffee of Doom has some pathos. It's like they realised people will never accept them in another role than their QC character, so now they pretend to be Dora (or Faye, or Marten) all the time. I imagine they could become very bitter about it, unless such immersion means they actually become that character to a spooky degree.

No, I knew Jhonen Vasquez is not as famous (as I think he should be!) but I imagine Jeph knows his work.

Yes, I agree about the CoD pathos; but I wouldn't be surprised if QC does break big sometime soon, and then it could happen, and be spooky.

raoullefere · « **Reply #40 on:** 12 Feb 2008, 20:14 »

Oh, btw, Someone else (I forget whom) came up with Sara as Pizzagirl. I agree, though, it is an excellent idea.

If a cassowary ever appears in QC, though, it's all mine.

tomart · « **Reply #41 on:** 12 Feb 2008, 21:58 »

Ok, you can have the cassowary. I want the realdoll Hanners. I need a secretary, really! And a maid, and a cook, and... Look, I just need one, ok?

Doug S. Machina · « **Reply #42 on:** 17 Feb 2008, 16:55 »

I wonder, has Pintsize's role diminished as Hannelore's has grown? For a while there seemed to be a spate of Pintsize-related distress for her, but now I think Hannelore fulfuls the role of "catalyst for oddness" that used to be Pintsize's job. Except for the costumes, obviously.

cwoolard · « **Reply #43 on:** 17 Feb 2008, 17:08 »

Quote from: raoullefere on 11 Feb 2008, 20:52

Jeph 4 0.00380952381

Are these appearances from guest strips, or has Jeph put himself into the comic at least once?

Or is there another character named "Jeph" I'm unaware of?

raoullefere · « **Reply #44 on:** 17 Feb 2008, 21:00 »

Jeph's appearances are in guest strips and one which I'm not sure is a guest strip, but shows Jeph at a con, so might as well be. Like I said, I decided it was easier to count them, and it was interesting to see how often Jeph had shown up in them. Four! Four Jeph Jacques appearances! Ah-haha ha ha ha! *thunder rolls*

ahem.

Yes, Doug, I think Hanners is cutting into Pintsize's act. Maybe you should start a forum topic about it.

Naoko · « **Reply #45 on:** 18 Feb 2008, 01:56 »

Quote from: raoullefere on 01 Feb 2008, 21:01

Interestingly, as Dora's percentage grows, Pintsize's lessens. At 325 (I'm only storing the cumulative data for every 25 episodes) Dora was 34% and Pintsize 25%. At 350, she's at 35% and he's down one to 24%. Will this continue? Is Dora the anti-Pintsize? [Actually, this makes sense if you view QC as focusing on Marten. PCs are cool, but, future generations of lovedolls notwithstanding, girls (and/or boys, depending on your gender and S.O.) tend to trump them.]

Proof that Dora and Marten should break up.

Doug S. Machina · « **Reply #46 on:** 18 Feb 2008, 02:34 »

Quote from: raoullefere on 17 Feb 2008, 21:00

Jeph's appearances are in guest strips and one which I'm not sure is a guest strip, but shows Jeph at a con, so might as well be. Like I said, I decided it was easier to count them, and it was interesting to see how often Jeph had shown up in them. Four! Four Jeph Jacques appearances! Ah-haha ha ha ha! *thunder rolls*

ahem.

Yes, Doug, I think Hanners is cutting into Pintsize's act. Maybe you should start a forum topic about it.

I don't know, for me it's been asked and answered. Maybe on the issue of "Cute crazy girl or robot buddy?" I think Hannelore does better. She has her strange background, and is more mobile than Pintsize, who is confined to the apartment building.

Thorbard · « **Reply #47 on:** 18 Feb 2008, 08:19 »

Very interesting.

For those that are interested in the changing character importance, I did some numbers of my own, based on the collected data:

Top 10 characters in the first 500 strips:
Faye   405   0.810
Marten   403   0.806
Dora   196   0.392
Pintsize   118   0.236
Steve   71   0.142
Raven   62   0.124
Ellen   54   0.108
Ms. Reed   25   0.050
Natasha   16   0.032
Jimbo   16   0.032

Top 10 characters in second 500 strips (500-1000)
Faye   306   0.612
Marten   300   0.600
Dora   245   0.490
Hanners   111   0.222
Pintsize   76   0.152
Raven   65   0.130
Sven   48   0.096
Penny   48   0.096
Steve   47   0.094
Tai   37   0.074

Faye and Marten appear less, Dora appears more and Hanners comes in above Pintsize by around 7%. I'd say shes not yet a main character but that Dora now is. Complete change on the bottom 6 of these lists as the minor characters switch round.

raoullefere · « **Reply #48 on:** 18 Feb 2008, 08:41 »

You've also shown another thing I've noticed: that the 'major' minor characters get more time now. For example, Jimbo got about 4% of the time Faye did in the first 500, while Tai gets about 10% as much in the last. Is QC is developing a more ensemble cast?

Barmymoo · « **Reply #49 on:** 18 Feb 2008, 12:04 »

What I find interesting, and what is vaguely (albeit very vaguely) connected to this number-crunching is how characters get introduced to each other, and which of each main character's minor character friends is introduced to the rest of the gang.

That was terribly explained, so let me give an example.

Tai is introduced to Jimbo because she wants to meet him after reading one of his books. The question I'm raising is... do they carry on meeting up, and is there therefore potential for a whole new story from a different angle?

I don't think anyone should write that story, for the record. I hate fanfics (no offence intended to anyone who writes them, but it's nigh on impossible to write a fanfic that purely reflects the original author's style and I find it hard to believe in characters I half recognise from elsewhere) and it does reflect real life, because we only see life from our own perspective, but it's interesting to think about in lonely moments!

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: QC Character Total Appearances (Read 28003 times)

Amadeus

Michael Nehora

bbqrocks

bbqrocks

cwoolard

Naoko