Yeah, Roku's new hair doesn't fit her character.
Questionable Content isn't quite as enjoyable to me as it used to be at the beginning. Maybe Jeph's thinking and the things he enjoys have moved on to places where I can't really understand or enjoy the ideas that direct the strip anymore. Maybe, as some alledge, he's moved on creatively and he's just 'phoning in' the strip because it has been the core of his creative life for so long. Either way, I'm not not getting the interest I used to in thinking about what's happening in the story and following the characters' lives.
I've felt this way for awhile. Habit is pretty much the only reason I still read QC, with May getting a new body the first time in awhile where I was looking forward to the next comic. Relationship arcs do nothing to hold my interest, mainly because in QC the stakes aren't high, if they even exist.
IMO when the Secret Bakery was introduced and the second main cast started becoming prominent, that would've been a good time to have started either planning a spin-off comic or just ending QC altogether and starting a new storyline with them, seeing as they and characters introduced post-SB have become the new cast. Other than Faye, none of the original cast or original B cast make regular appearances anymore. The comic has moved from its roots of random arcs of music, silliness, and hints of magical realism to, well, whatever it is today. I get it, long-running works need to evolve and change it up to stay fresh, but going back and reading the early strips even into four digits is like reading a completely different comic, in tone, delivery, pacing, and atmosphere.
HOW did Beeps get her hand stuck in the printer anyway? 0_o
Printers are of the devil. Never underestimate their diabolical machinations and ways.
It makes sense though, just like pretty much any long-running slice of life comic you will see the effect of real-life developments, as well as the personal development of the author. Jeph started QC when he was what, very early 20s? That's a very different mindset and outlook on life than when you're in your late 30s/early 40s. I think we see that reflected in how QC evolved from silly gags, hipster arcs, indie music, and few longer story arcs, to more rounded out characters, a much more diverse cast, relatively limited hipster gags and silly jokes, and longer story arcs and lots of social commentary and addressing those social issues that Jeph likely ponders a lot.
And lets not forget that ALOT has happened in our society over the past 18 years or so and various issues have come more to the forefront (as they should), which affect a comic like QC as well.
And this is not even mentioning how we as readers evolve. I am myself more or less Jeph's age, and my interests and way of thinking are vastly different from when I started reading QC. So, we cannot expect us as readers to generally evolve in the same direction as Jeph, and as such a portion of readers will probably let go of QC, just like others will finally start enjoying QC. And that's fine.
Personally, I feel the same as several above, in that the story arcs do not hold my attention like they used to, I am less invested in the 'new cast', and I miss the original cast for whom I feel there are still plenty of stories left to tell. In addition, although I highly appreciate that Jeph addresses social issues, I think succesfulness in the way they're inserted into QC varies wildly. SOmetimes it just feels hamfisted, which getting the point across less effective, IMHO.
This all said, it's his comic, and I still largely enjoy it, so...
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Topic: WCDT 19-23 April 2021 (4506-4510) (Read 32235 times)