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Indeed!

Quite!

[Kugai]

Dang


Also, Claire in Jeans = Cool

[jwhouk]

Great. Just great.

Idiot sends hate mail to Jeph, we get stuck with a filler comic.

Hope the idiot is satisfied.

[Tova]

What is this I don't even

Seconded. I sincerely have no idea what point the poster (troll?) was trying to make, if any. It got totally lost in the sarcasm.

If this is the reason there is no comic, then it's a real shame for Jeph that incoherent rants like that get to him.

[DrBear]

Speaking as a fat guy who hates Tumblr, I actually signed up so I could post that whoever posted this is an idiot. I think you are showing the conflicts of a lot of us who can’t be comfortable in our own skin, but who want to be part of life anyway. Go Marigold! Go Jeph! I am thrilled both of you exist in your unique realms.

[cesariojpn]

So, Faye escapes scorn with the tons of times we've seen her naked or in undies, yet one strip of Marigold in a bikini causes this bullshit?

Not sure if serious or just serious.

[pwhodges]

This is a good response.

[iusticanun]

This is a good response.

Exactly. It's never really been my understanding that Marigold is actually fat. I always thought she just thinks she's fat because she's not stick-skinny.
And it had been said before that Faye is just curvy, and it seems like Marigold is drawn in the same way.

[pendrake]

For comic "#2308"...


1. Ah damn it...  I come home from a wearisome night of late-hour work, to a filler comic because of some cellulite-for-brains' attempt at high sarcasm...?

2. Well then I hope that "Jeff Jockes" and "Michael Gobachev" will reach the same "inconclusions", and try not to insult any other Kearsley'es in the world, because I certainly was so moved by Kearsley's obviously fine-measured response.

3. Alternatively, for Kearsley...

(damn I'm full of bile at the moment...  better go brush teeth, rinse mouth out with orange-flavor Listerine, and sleep)

[Skaltura]

Wait .. thin women are not "real" women? dafuq

[Mothykins]

Wait .. thin women are not "real" women? dafuq

Didn't you know? Thin women are actually cyborgs. From space. They're also half unicorn and they eat tiny Cthulhu plushies with marshmallows and souls for breakfast.

(Hopefully my attempt at sarcasm isn't as pitiful as that Tumblr twat's was.)

[techkid]

It's a puzzle as to what this person wanted to achieve. Do they want QC to be some sort of Jersey Shore knock-off (God help (read: smite) the person who ever tries to do something like that...)? Or do they possibly expect Marigold to have the same appearance as a candle under a heat lamp?

God damn it... I could understand this sort of negative reaction if Jeph had portrayed Marten as taunting Marigold for her shape, but since Marbear is the one with the negative connotations toward herself (most people can relate to this, at least) and Marten trying to (and yes, hilariously failing at) being supportive (most people can relate to this (or at least those of us with some shreds of decency and compassion), even if we suck at it), then I fail to see what this troll has tried to achieve besides bringing one person with enough issues on his plate down further, and pissing off a bunch of other people who are trying to enjoy a small piece of said person's world and support him in the best way we can (even if it's just reading the comic and getting a smile out of it).

Although, given the nature of trolls, it wouldn't surprise me if that was their goal all along...

[Barmymoo]

I doubt Jeph took the day off because of one moronic twitter comment, I'd suspect it might just be more that he was overwhelmed - it's been a tough week for everyone on the east coast (not exactly the situation I'd want to be stopping smoking during).

A lot of how Marigold looks normally is due to her clothes. If she wears baggy clothes her figure is obscured. I wear a lot of baggy clothing, not particularly because I'm ashamed of my body but because I consider it to be private, and as Redball once put it, it's hard to see where my clothes end and I start. That could very easily be Marigold's situation as well.

[Tova]

I can kind of sympathise with kearsley's overriding point (see "Hollywood Pudgy" on TV Tropes - it is, incidentally, debated there whether QC exemplifies this trope or is an aversion), but it wasn't very well made, nor is QC an especially good target.

Oooh oooh! You understood the overriding point? Can you explain it to me?

[Schmorgluck]

Some hours ago I saw tweets by Jeph in which he mentioned he had yet another case of sleep madness.

[jwhouk]

Thing is, crap like this doesn't help insomnia, nor does it help its reverse.

[Border Reiver]

This is a good response.

Yes, it is.  And far more eloquent then the response I might have come up with.

[pwhodges]

A selection of Jeph's tweets, in which he describes his mood:

brb setting myself on fire

It's a shame that I'm the one drawing Marigold since so many other people know what she's REALLY supposed to look like

I think I might need the night off. Too much negativity. Feeling overwhelmed and rather hopeless.

Not just this stupid Marigold thing, but it isn't helping matters.

I don't have a coping mechanism anymore.

Hence, unable to cope.

[Akima]

Seconded. I sincerely have no idea what point the poster (troll?) was trying to make, if any.

Nor I. Sarcasm and poorly spelled incoherence do not go well together.

[Hypster]

I'd really like to go give him a big hug. Gorrammit, Jeph, we love you.

[jwhouk]

Someone please tell him he has Cristi.

And someone tell Cristi to DO something about this. 

[judemorrigan]

This boggles my mind.  I read today's comic, and assumed that Jeph had (understandably) taken the day off to deal with fallout from Sandy.  But people took issue with yesterday's comic and have been giving him grief over it?  That doesn't even make sense.  I mean, I get how it would contribute to a case of sleep madness.  That makes perfect sense.  Its happening at all is what confuses me.

[StevenC]

This is tumblr we're talking about. Be on tumblr and there's at least one person royally pissed off at your very existence somewhere else on tumblr. It's in the terms of service.

[jwhouk]

Keardsley must have lost his prize pony in Sandy's landfall, and he blames Jeff Jackes for it.  :

[snubnose]

What ? No comic ? Unfair ! We have to reduce Jephs payment !!!

... wait a minute ... 

This is a good response.

What ?

Wait a moment, Marigold is supposed to be FAT ? 

She's certainly voluptuous, but I cant see that she would be overweight. She still has nice curves.

Kind of like this devianart artist: http://honeymodel.deviantart.com/art/Back-In-Blue-96-86951393

Very curvy, but not to the degree that she would lose form.

[Rockman]

I hope he's feeling better.

On a somewhat unrelated note, it's interesting to just see Claire on her own.

[CrowFairy]

Wait .. thin women are not "real" women? dafuq

Didn't you know? Thin women are actually cyborgs. From space. They're also half unicorn and they eat tiny Cthulhu plushies with marshmallows and souls for breakfast.

(Hopefully my attempt at sarcasm isn't as pitiful as that Tumblr twat's was.)

HE'S ONTO US, GUYS! *runs*


Tumblr people really like to get offended. If you've offended someone on Tumblr, then it's really not that much of a surprise, and it probably means you're doing something right. I'm sad about lack of comic today, but I'm even sadder that so many people are getting angry because their interpretation of Marigold is different than her own creator's. People are dumb.

[DSL]

I had one of those jobs where I had to develop a thick skin because of people reacting to the way I did it. I think I succeeded at it.
Except that I swung too far in the other direction, and was automatically cynical about everyone's reaction. I had to climb out of that, and I think I (mostly) succeeded.
I didn't have any of the other shit-to-deal-with that Jeph has to deal with, although it was in the interests of a few people to claim I did.
Yes, I'm very glad I left that job.
In a way, Jeph gets partial credit for that; the strip in which Faye and Angus talk about what they wanted to do with their lives and why they hadn't done it yet focused something I hadn't been able to put into words for a while. I printed it out and kept it in my desk at work, right up until the day I told my boss what he could do with my key card.
So I wish I had something to offer Jeph that's better than "thanks" and "it gets better, it really does."

[pwhodges]

This is a good response.

What ?

Wait a moment, Marigold is supposed to be FAT ? 

If you are saying that was not a good response to the criticism, I wonder if you read it (the first paragraph is quoting the critic who is then debunked).

[ink slinger]

Wait a moment, Marigold is supposed to be FAT ? 

She's certainly voluptuous, but I cant see that she would be overweight. She still has nice curves.

Kind of like this devianart artist: http://honeymodel.deviantart.com/art/Back-In-Blue-96-86951393

Very curvy, but not to the degree that she would lose form.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang.

A lot of how Marigold looks normally is due to her clothes. If she wears baggy clothes her figure is obscured.

No kidding. Even if she *was* fat, wearing baggy clothes is only going to make her look fatter. Of course she's going to appear more shapely in a bikini than in an oversized t-shirt.

[Method of Madness]

Wait a moment, Marigold is supposed to be FAT ? 

She's certainly voluptuous, but I cant see that she would be overweight. She still has nice curves.

Kind of like this devianart artist: http://honeymodel.deviantart.com/art/Back-In-Blue-96-86951393

Very curvy, but not to the degree that she would lose form.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang.

Second.

As for Marbear and idiots on Tumblr...meh. Nothing new. Jeph'll pull through and give us more awesomeness tonight, I'm sure!

[Sidhekin]

Isn't art meant to provoke?  I keep hearing that.  In which case ...

Tally one more (the tumblrer, not me) for the QC artist!

[Jimor]

Just want to pipe up and agree that Tumblr troll is trollish. Unfortunately, one of the ways to obtain Internet Fame these days is to successfully incite a blog riot, whether it's on Tumblr, or LiveJournal, or whatever. I've watched it happen a few times in the science fiction fan/writing community, and it's never pretty and makes the virtual lynch mob always look petty and stupid. Fortunately, it looks like this attempt has been an abject failure in that regard.

I also want to say one thing I really respect about the QC universe of characters. What is always apparent is that no matter what any particular character's issue may be, the rest of this particular group of friends has their back. Marigold felt confident enough to try this, and despite Marten's fumble, I'm sure as embarrassed as she is at the moment, she knows nobody is going to purposely try to hurt her feelings in this group. For anybody, when you're attempting to spread your wings just a little bit further, it really does help to have friends supporting you.

[Is it cold in here?]

That's an insightful and important point.

To continue with it, it's notable how even the characters with the worst issues try to help the others. Hannelore is only the most obvious example.

[Welu]

I doubt Jeph took the day off because of one moronic twitter comment, I'd suspect it might just be more that he was overwhelmed - it's been a tough week for everyone on the east coast (not exactly the situation I'd want to be stopping smoking during).

A lot of how Marigold looks normally is due to her clothes. If she wears baggy clothes her figure is obscured. I wear a lot of baggy clothing, not particularly because I'm ashamed of my body but because I consider it to be private, and as Redball once put it, it's hard to see where my clothes end and I start. That could very easily be Marigold's situation as well.

This is what I think as well. You can see how her clothes affect her appearance really clearly in yesterday's comic. Look at her waist in the first/second panel with the t-shirt, with all the lines at the bottom showing how loose it is, compared to her waist in the bikini.

[Hypster]

To continue with it, it's notable how even the characters with the worst issues try to help the others. Hannelore is only the most obvious example.

Sometimes I wonder if Marigold keeps her room and herself tidy just to make Hannelore comfortable. She let her room get rat infested, so I doubt she made the decision to keep her room clean overnight. It takes time to become tidy by habit. But if you have a friend with severe problems like Hannelore, you might do your darnedest to keep them comfortable. (Even without threats.)

I really don't get why Tumblr person is all mad. We've seen Marbear in a corset before; it's not like we didn't know she's not huge. She's the comparatively heavy friend like Faye. She just doesn't have the right attitude about it.

[cesariojpn]

This is a good response.

What ?

Wait a moment, Marigold is supposed to be FAT ? 

Yeah PHAT....Pretty Hot and Tempting.

[Truec]

Maybe we should try and outvolume the stupid.  For every idiot who calls Jacques out for the way he chooses to interpret his own creations, three of us will give him support.

On the other hand, that sounds an awful lot like effort.

[Rockman]

Maybe we should try and outvolume the stupid.  For every idiot who calls Jacques out for the way he chooses to interpret his own creations, three of us will give him support.

On the other hand, that sounds an awful lot like effort.

This morning's rant:  "Everything is fine, please do not email me"

Granted, like an idiot I only notice this after shooting off a quick note myself. I felt like such a jerk, but one line rants getting sandwiched between two images = I usually overlook them.  But I share your sentiment.

tl;dr version, I understand where you're coming from but it might not be best right now.

[Carl-E]

I really don't get why Tumblr person is all mad. We've seen Marbear in a corset before; it's not like we didn't know she's not huge. She's the comparatively heavy friend like Faye. She just doesn't have the right attitude about it.

I'm guessing the person isn't familiar with the comic in the first place, and has only seen the last few strips to catch onto Mari's poor self image.  The other people this last week or so (with the notable exception of Faye) are all pretty skinny (well, not Steve, but he has a different self-image problem )


The comment clearly comes from ignorance. 

[jwhouk]

Cristi is asking some of his fellow comic artists for guest strips. Might be more than just internet trolling. Sudden change in weather and such may have done something to him physically.

Damn.

Hope he gets better soon.

[HotelFoxtrot]

Just want to say, since the author of this comic that has provided us with so much enjoyment over the years has requested that we not send him emails at this time...
Jeph, if you read this I'm sending my best wishes to you and thanks for the years of comics.  Especially the present one with the seriously cute image of Claire.

[Fenriswolf]

It's funny, I thought the expression was really well done to convey an actual comment of "looking good" rather than "looking gooood *leer*", so I'm surprised at the shipping. And the idea that his foot in mouth episode would in any way be off-putting if they were attracted to each other. I dunno, I thought it was funny and realistic; I do the same thing myself sometimes. One reason I fail at complimenting people in real life. 

That comment to Jeph was a load of bullshit but I must say I'd always read Marigold as a little fatter, and would have liked to see a bit of roll going on (she could still look good!) But also, it's a comic, things are simplified. And it's not that big a deal. *shrug*

[Is it cold in here?]

Jeph has a large enough fan base that, sad to say, he probably gets idiotic comments all the time. It's possible that he only noticed and published this one in particular because he was already having a hard time.

I hope his puppy licks his ears.

[MillionDollar Belt Sander]

We should rent a bus, and go visit the person who emailed him.    We'll swing by Bloodbath And Beyond and pick up some pitchforks and murder-axes on the way.

I am quite unhappy that someone managed to piss him off this bad.  No comic = Unhappy Beltsander.

[Redball]

hey guys how does a very public internet breakdown seem, does that seem entertaining to you
When I read that on Jeph's Twitter I made some Sandy connection and hoped it referred to internet connectivity.
When I looked again at because hey i just committed to one, it was more worrisome.
I'm thinking of New Jersey's governor, asked today about the election: "Fuck the election, I'm thinking of my people." He used different words, of course.
Fuck the comic, Jeph, take your time!
In a different group, someone might ask for prayers. In this group, we wish him the best. He gives us a lot, including a place and reason for a lot of remarkable people to meet.

[pwhodges]

He also wrote:

Azumanga Daioh fixes everything.

So break out your copies of Azumanga Daioh, and read or watch it in sympathy, and to fill the gap until he's able to be back.

[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]

I have to admit, "She looks like Kelly Brook when Kelly Brook isn't being photoshopped for magazines" is the first thing I thought of when I saw Marigold in the bikini in panel 3 of 2307.  My second thought was this.  I'm not invested in the characters the way a lot of people apparently are, so I can't quite get the twumblrage (that's twitter and tumblr and umbrage and I guess rage) expressed at it, but I can sort of understand some confusion if your perception of Marigold's body was taking Marigold's opinion at face value (and you think what's happening in 2307 is what's alluded to in 1880).

Panels 5 and 6 are closer to what I 'imagined' Marigold was body wise - as chesty but not as femininely curvy as Faye, so her extra weight doesn't wear quite as well. All that said,  I think if you get too wrapped up in a character's appearance you're missing the point of the whole thing, this is QC and characters shift in height, weight, body shape slightly panel to panel, and wildly differ art era to art era.
 
This is pure out the butt speculation, but maybe Jeph is finding this more annoying than usual because it's about the art more than the writing?  For the longest time Faye's aerodynamic curvasiveness was to me an informed quality, and not something I'd guess from the art for the first several hundred strips.  And this sentiment of "Marigold's not fat enough" could be a style/art thing, and Jeph feels crappy because it didn't come out as he visualized? 

Edit:  I think I am going to support Jeph by supporting Jeph through merch purchases.

[Redball]

I guess I can do both. Watched the first episode.

[Asterus]

You know, as odd as it may sound, I think Marigold may have reacted better if anyone else had been the first to comment, and thus would have reacted in a more teasing, slightly perverted way.

(click to show/hide)

On a completely random note, glad to know that Yelling Bird's random spoiler is now proven false XD

[jwhouk]

So. I wonder if one of us could do a guest strip for the boss.

Or better yer, a community-sourced guest strip.