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[benji]

I'm not sure what to make of it either. I feel like maybe it's wrong of me to think that (somehow) but it definitely colors my thoughts. If I read a lesbian comic with lots of sexual thoughts from the female protagonist, I would be pretty uncomfortable to find out it was drawn by a man. Somehow that feels pornographic in the hands of a man in a way that it doesn't if it's drawn by a lesbian. Is that wrong? I'm not sure. I'd feel the same way about a comic that contained lots of explicit thoughts and experiences about a male protagonist if it was drawn by a woman, by the way. It seems like vicarious exploration of fantasies rather than something honest. This is obviously more extreme than how I feel about QC sometimes, but I'm just making an argument.

I'm really not sure how I feel about my opinions on this, but I do hold them pretty strongly. I'm happy to debate them, though, and I'm also happy to change my mind.

Ok, so you're not comparing today's QC to Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space. You're comparing the latter to some hypothetical comic that is about lesbians but drawn by a man. It seemed like a strange criticism for today's comic, given that it was about straight sex (which is presumably a topic that a married heterosexual man would have some knowledge of) and written from the man's (Sven's) perspective.

[zeku]

Jackie Blue, also just for the record, I thought it was already clear that the drama setup is what you took issue with.  And that's fine.  Some people want the story to stay static and comfortable, others do not.

What I take issue with though, is the apparent accusation that if the storyline becomes dramatic and emotional, that the creator is somehow a sellout.  There is a subtle line between disagreeing with where the story goes, and suggesting that it indicates some kind of moral failure on the part of the artist.  You're on the wrong side of it. 

To call the direction he chooses to take pandering is to say it has no true artistic merit, which makes me wonder why you follow it.

I have never seen any evidence that Jeph chooses storylines based on the desires of the audience.  Your evidence for it seems to be merely the fact that you don't like today's strip and happen to be in the minority on that topic.  I can respect your opinions about the content of the strip, but not your opinions about the motivations of the artist -- nobody can know the mind of another.

[Jackie Blue]

I didn't say that Jeph has "sold out", I just think that he has been increasingly writing to his new audience instead of his old audience.

Old audience: Indie rockers in their early-mid 20s.

New audience: Teenagers who think the bands mentioned in the strip are made-up.

I'm fine with story progression, I just think that it looks to me like the strip has become more of a job to him - because it literally is, unless his wife pays all the bills, which I don't think is the case.

A lot of strips over the past couple years have looked to me like someone who is writing something but thinking in the back of his mind that he'd really rather be writing something else.  I'm not sure he ever wanted QC to turn into as much of a soap opera as it has now.  Especially given how bad he is at writing arguments (see: Dora vs. Marten recently).  That micro-arc was truly painful to read, because it managed to be both uncomfortably accurate and wish-fulfillingly inaccurate at the same time.

[zeku]

Fair enough.  Our semantic problem seems to be the word "pandering."  It has stronger connotations than I think you intend, connotations that in my mind make it synonymous with selling out.

Let's just call it a language barrier.

[TheDozarian]

Old audience: Indie rockers in their early-mid 20s.

New audience: Teenagers who think the bands mentioned in the strip are made-up.

Thanks Jackie... Now I feel friggin' old (33)... And I'm new audience... lol

As for the person who joined just to rant...  Whether you read it again or not, your opinion matters very little when you lack the fortitude to stand by your convictions.  I'm not going to get into whether I agree with what you said or not, but the manner in which you said it and attacked the other members of the forum was unacceptable. 

The forums are a place to discuss that which concerns us.  Whether you agree or disagree with the comic or Jeph or anyone else for that matter, the point is DISCUSSION.  THAT IS ALL.

lol

[Lepton]

I fail to see how this is "selling out".  Good fiction needs conflict, and I'd rather watch something meaningful than Dora and Marten fighting about little stupid stuff.  At least this way we'll see some more character development.

This is completely within Sven's character; he likes Faye more than he's willing to admit, that's why he cut back on the womanizing, but he's drunk, and he hasn't actually changed.  He just told himself that he has.

And I think this is why Faye is screwing him in the first place; he's the safe guy for her to date because she knows he's going to mess up and do something like this, so that when he lets her down, she can be angry at him for a while instead of her dad.

[Jackie Blue]

I fail to see how this is "selling out".

Nobody said it is.

[Karilyn]

This nice little comic made me, like many other people, simply have to go to the forum just to see what people would say about it.

I find it interesting that people seem to assume this is fan-service for the male audience... So I registered to say this...

As a woman, I have to say, Sven is definitely kinda hot looking... and unlike most sex scenes (Read:  Porn) where the woman are generally being treated as living sex toys at best, with no effort to give pleasure to, nor portray the woman as enjoying the sex... Gina was drawn in the last panel in such a way that she sure did seem to be enjoying herself...  *laughs*  I'm blushing almost as much as her just thinking that.  Probably doesn't help matters much with that being one of my favorite positions... 

...

It probably also doesn't help that Sven seems genuinely concerned about Faye in this comic, something I've never seen him before, which seems to show he has real feelings about her.  Now don't get me wrong, I'd totally be pissed unbelievably at my boyfriend, and (like Faye will probably do) never be able to believe that he actually was remorseful about having sex with another woman, and if I was Faye, I'd probably break up with him immediately if I find out...

That still doesn't stop it from being strangely sweet... Mostly because it doesn't seem like guys are ever actually genuinely remorseful for cheating, especially not during the act.  And in that way, it's sorta sweet.

[estabrookette]

New audience: Teenagers who think the bands mentioned in the strip are made-up.

Wait, you mean the bands aren't made up?

...just kidding.  At least 40% of the reason I read QC (and 90% of the reason I read the forums) is Jeph's awesome music taste.  

[Hammy]

Mm... Forgive my ignorance, but what's so very bad about writing a bit of what you suspect your fans want? After all, if you don't please your audience, you lose them; if you lose them, you're out of a job; having a job keeps you fulfilled and full of food; having food keeps you alive; being alive is kinda nice... sometimes. 

A story is nothing without conflict, be it internal, interpersonal, or maybe just with the world in general. I say, nice move, Jeph. We have lots of fun things to look forward to now!

[Lost Coastlines]

Are you forgetting that the ending to The Breakfast Club completely sucked because Ally Sheedy's character decided to become a "normal" girl and hooked up with the jock?

Seriously I love that flick but I always turn it off before that part.  The whole point of the movie was to accept who you are and then, BAM, crazy-cool art-chick is in a stupid baby-blue dress.

SHENANIGANS.

I totally agree! I always felt that was soo unnecessary... I felt the same way about Shrek- why did Fiona had to be an ogre to end up with Shrek? The whole point of the thing was that looks didn't matter and the princess could love the monster... but noooo- they had to go and make them look the same, because, I don't know, people might be shocked!

I think that was more for those of us who wondered about the mechanics of such a relationship.

[Surgoshan]

One would imagine an ogre has an ogre-size dick, and that a petite little think like anorexic Fiona couldn't handle it unless she became fraulein ogress fiona with her ogre-sized woman-parts.

SHENANIGANS.

I think you mean "svenanigans".

[kurzon]

I didn't say that Jeph has "sold out", I just think that he has been increasingly writing to his new audience instead of his old audience.

If Jeph is anything like other authors I've encountered, the audience he is primarily writing for is himself.

All power to him.

[Dunnoe]

I was going to talk about the difference between silly sexual innuendo and fanservice by comparing...um...the Austin Powers movies to some random anime girl whose boobs bounce around whenever she talks. I'm glad that tangent was dealt with.

Old audience: Indie rockers in their early-mid 20s.

New audience: Teenagers who think the bands mentioned in the strip are made-up.

No, I am 16, and I emailed Mr. Jacques to fork over his entire list of artists. Oh no, my identity! To keep this short, I am a collector of all music, and when I saw all of these names of bands and music people I never heard of I wanted them all (I was not aware of indie stuff (movies, art, music, blah blah) until high school. At least I found this place).

When I criticize specific periods of time in a fiction, I always want to finish the fiction itself to see its effect in later pages/issues. Because this is still ongoing, I have to guesstimate this.

I have a big crush on Dora, and I would like to see her and Marten work themselves out, because small and large speed bumps in a relationship is much more accurate than a fusion of dreams and reality. I'm not sayin that Faye/Marten is pure evil. I would be slightly intrigued by the sudden change in direction (if this ever happens), and I would stay with QC to find out how Mr. Jacques would twist this fairytale-esque (god damn it, I should've just said picturesque) scenario to keep me interested. I have a prejudice against those early princess/prince Disney movies and anything else that resembles such (doesn't every intelligent adult?). Groundbreaking art, horrible storylines and character depth (yes they were children's movies, but Wall-E and Ratatouille. All I have to say). We all want the story to go somewhere, but it's ultimately up to Mr. Jacques to form the storyline. But enough about dreams, hahahahaha...

KeepACoolin: yes sir, I need to read Dune...

I read a story to witness the change of personality, mannerisms, whatever, of the characters involved - the conflict and the conclusion (notice how I neglected to say resolution). Change keeps me interested, and comedy/tragedy definitely helps. Now, I really enjoyed Sven's evolution from an idiot to somewhat of a thinking idiot, and this current situation with the naked gal and his ego looks like some sort of a test - a gauge for us to figure out how much Sven changed. We now have our clear answer.

Perhaps we should create another thread about Marten leaving Dora in the future for Faye, because it seems to be buzzing around a few peoples' minds xD but we are here to talk about Sven.

Quick note about Breakfast Club: the characters were supposed to portray their stereotypes so we can step back and see if the stereotypes really fit. Some did and some didn't, the characters wanted to be themselves. People don't completely fit into stereotypes...I think.

Mm... Forgive my ignorance, but what's so very bad about writing a bit of what you suspect your fans want?

Forgiven. Take a look at some really really bad anime or manga. You will soon discover that your brain presently loses its integrity and will slide out of your ears. Characters with nice bodies, perfect personalities, happy endings...just...just go watch a Disney movie a few hundred times and tell me if it gets boring or not. Thankfully, Mr. Jacques avoids this entirely, and weaves a plotline that entices new readers and keeps old readers reading. I would like to say that he lives outside of any circle of influence, but I do not know for sure. If he does, it's the other way around, and he writes a story that he likes, and waits if any fish bite, as opposed to writing something that he knows fish will snap jaws at.

Did I answer your question completely?

All of Jeph's central characters are basically fucked up in some way:

Yes! He's following a pattern here...

Especially given how bad he is at writing arguments (see: Dora vs. Marten recently).  That micro-arc was truly painful to read, because it managed to be both uncomfortably accurate and wish-fulfillingly inaccurate at the same time.

Perhaps we should create yet another thread about current Marten/Dora problems. I have an itchy feeling that the micro-arc hailed a new beginning, if you know what I mean. Neither parties gave up ground, and we can almost assume that the characters still have that event playing over and over again in their heads. We shall see.

Returning to Sven...lol...you guys digress around a lot! That's good!
In a nutshell, I advise us all to wait and see to observe what Mr. Jacques (because I've said this a few times, I will ask you: is addressing Mr. Jacques as Mr. Jacques over-formal?) has up his sleeve. This could be the start of something interesting, like how Sven explains this situation to Dora and Faye without getting neutered (or if he tells them at all!), (hopefully) avante-garde Faye woes, or a slip-up leading to a confrontation, or something even better. Or something really fuckin' bad. We'll see - I have faith in Mr. Jacques to deliver us from superficial chaos, and I do not think he will disappoint. Why are we all still here?

[Jackie Blue]

If Jeph is anything like other authors I've encountered, the audience he is primarily writing for is himself.

Actually, and as a writer myself, I would say that most writers I've known (lots) including myself are writing for a theoretical audience of people who aren't us but who are exactly like us in every way because god damn it I am the smartest person in the room.

And I sincerely hope nobody read that and needs me to post a winky smiley face to know how that is supposed to sound.

[Guido Sarducci]

I didn't say that Jeph has "sold out", I just think that he has been increasingly writing to his new audience instead of his old audience.

Old audience: Indie rockers in their early-mid 20s.

New audience: Teenagers who think the bands mentioned in the strip are made-up.

I'm fine with story progression, I just think that it looks to me like the strip has become more of a job to him - because it literally is, unless his wife pays all the bills, which I don't think is the case.

A lot of strips over the past couple years have looked to me like someone who is writing something but thinking in the back of his mind that he'd really rather be writing something else.  I'm not sure he ever wanted QC to turn into as much of a soap opera as it has now.  Especially given how bad he is at writing arguments (see: Dora vs. Marten recently).  That micro-arc was truly painful to read, because it managed to be both uncomfortably accurate and wish-fulfillingly inaccurate at the same time.

Jaysus. It's a comic.

[Lepton]

I fail to see how this is "selling out".

Nobody said it is.

At least not you.

My apologies.

[Stanzara]

Wait, a redhead? Well yeah, it's Gina Riversmith (who, indeed, had Sven already liking her music) all right, but STILL?

I'm so confused right now.

[JReynolds]

Wait, a redhead?

Reminds me of a joke, that does.

A 13-year old boy is talking to his grizzled sailor uncle. "Uncle Jeff, have you ever slept with a blonde?"

"Arr, Billy! Many's the fine blonde I've slept with!"

"How about brunettes?"

"Arr! I've slept with any number of brunettes, each one better than the one before!"

"Have you slept with any black-haired women?"

"Arr! Haven't I ever, boy!"

"Have you slept with any redheads, Uncle Jeff?"

"Nary's the wink I've gotten with them, me boy!"

[Why Yes I am a Silly Nose]

Wow, everyone's talking about "subtle lines, subtle lines"... I've seen more subtle lines than a cokehead with a well concealed habit.

That being said, I agree that the comic is a little over the top, but it certainly keeps me coming back and reading it.

[spinyhedgehog]

Well, this strip is where the comic officially went about a thousand miles over the shark for me.

I guess Jeph is writing to his audience now, which is fine, but that audience won't be including me anymore.

I totally agree. I gave up on the comic about a year ago because of the overlong story arcs, needless drama/sex, and tendency to create awesome comic relief characters and then drop them in a month.
(My roommate pointed this one out to me and I was curious about its reception. Hence, a brief return.)
Sidenote: anyone wondering what happened to Faye's chest scar? The guest comic had it and none of Jeph's own have.

A lot of strips over the past couple years have looked to me like someone who is writing something but thinking in the back of his mind that he'd really rather be writing something else.  I'm not sure he ever wanted QC to turn into as much of a soap opera as it has now.  Especially given how bad he is at writing arguments (see: Dora vs. Marten recently).

QC was smart aleck over-your-head music and fiction/fantasty/politics references. Now its fights and sex. I have to agree with this.

I think that was more for those of us who wondered about the mechanics of such a relationship.

Like Beauty and the Beast.

Final sidenote: I don't understand why people are saying he is catering to his audience when a good part of his audience seems to not like what just happened, or at least not totaly be comfortable/satisfied with it. Thoughts?

[sealionsarah]

Joined for this one message, because ya'll make me sick, and I'll never be visiting this pathetic subforum again.

The author is drawing and writing this comic to tell a story. It's not written to mirror the reader's relationships, or make them feel better about their insecurities, or to end in a way that makes them happy. If a plotline makes you unhappy, you are NOT allowed to say that it's a bad story just because of that. If you do, you need to seek professional help, because you're getting emotional validation out of a comic strip.

If you don't like the story, stop reading. But to claim because there's a sex scene (and a damn funny and story-appropriate one at that) that he's doing "fanservice" (especially stupid because there's only one minor character in the strip, and probably not one that freaky obsessives want to see naked), or that an activity is "out of character" when you don't *know* the character (you just think you do), makes you a worse-than-useless fan. What the hell is it with people who say "fanservice"? L9osers.

I'm not saying that Jeph is Charles Dickens, but man, if Dickens had this horde of buttheads hounding him as he read each page, he would have never finished anything.

In a story, characters do things because a) the author thinks it will be fun, or b) because it advances the plotlines of that story. They don't do it solely to please the reader unless they're a hack writer, and in a lot of cases they SHOULD be doing things that piss the readers off, or at least make them uncomfortable. I think Jeph does a damn fine job myself.

P.S. Don't bother emailing me about what a bad person I am. Fake email address, and PMs will be laughed at because they prove my point.

I am giving you a high five!

[Bob_Mozark]

I fail to see how this is "selling out".  Good fiction needs conflict, and I'd rather watch something meaningful than Dora and Marten fighting about little stupid stuff.  At least this way we'll see some more character development.

This is completely within Sven's character; he likes Faye more than he's willing to admit, that's why he cut back on the womanizing, but he's drunk, and he hasn't actually changed.  He just told himself that he has.

And I think this is why Faye is screwing him in the first place; he's the safe guy for her to date because she knows he's going to mess up and do something like this, so that when he lets her down, she can be angry at him for a while instead of her dad.

I agree with your first two points.  As for the reason Faye has hooked up with Sven, besides her loneliness and a desire to "scratch an itch" and the obvious spark between them, could it not also be that she knows that he is not going to change and so she doesn't have to worry about a having to deal with the eventual compromises required for a long-term relationship.

[Superkid11]

I have pretty much nothing to say on this except I'd like to see Steve actually jump over a shark on water skis.

[Surgoshan]

While drunk.  And with the Monster riding shotgun.

[Superkid11]

Also, I think the last panel was meant for humor rather than fanservice, at least that's how I took it.

[Crab]

Also, I think the last panel was meant for humor rather than fanservice, at least that's how I took it.

The facial expression is awesome.

[eddie]

Final sidenote: I don't understand why people are saying he is catering to his audience when a good part of his audience seems to not like what just happened, or at least not totaly be comfortable/satisfied with it. Thoughts?

I think Jackie Blue is upset that comic is no longer just made up of jokes and references to indie bands.

[lolwut]

I have pretty much nothing to say on this except I'd like to see Steve Wil actually jump over a shark on water skis.

[Nerin]

There's a lot of talk about whether or not Jeph is pandering to his fan base.  Nobody who isn't Jeph can tell how much of the comic is really what he wants to write instead of just what he thinks his audience will like...but I'm not clear on why this is bad.  In general, authors, artists, musicians etc who don't perform what people like don't meet with much success.  Are some people suggesting that he should write storylines that people won't like, lose readership, and lose his income for the sake of staying true to his art? A lovely idea, but not exactly practical.

Plus there's the fact that an artistic endeavor like this is supposed to be fun for the artist as well as the reader. I'm a writer (sort of) myself; I post stories on a story board in serial form, and sometimes I like throwing in a cliffhanger or something just to mess with people's minds. At that point I have two mediums: the story itself, and people's reactions to the story. I like creating that kind of emotion; I like imagining the "Nooooo!" and seeing comments with people arguing about the possible outcome. It's FUN. Which, if I were to guess, is why Jeph writes/draws this comic in the first place - to have fun.  I don't think that makes Jeph, me, or anyone else less of an artist.

Keep in mind, though, that if I were the writer of this comic, I'd be scanning the forums and snickering at the reactions my latest comic got - angry, happy, angsty, or otherwise.  Hehehe...mind games are FUN!

[lolwut]

There's a lot of talk about whether or not Jeph is pandering to his fan base.  Nobody who isn't Jeph can tell how much of the comic is really what he wants to write instead of just what he thinks his audience will like...but I'm not clear on why this is bad.

artists who are creating what they think their audience wants rather than something that they love tend to creating poorer works.

[Dunnoe]

seconded

[Nerin]

There's a lot of talk about whether or not Jeph is pandering to his fan base.  Nobody who isn't Jeph can tell how much of the comic is really what he wants to write instead of just what he thinks his audience will like...but I'm not clear on why this is bad.

artists who are creating what they think their audience wants rather than something that they love tend to creating poorer works.

Can you give examples of this?  And how can you differentiate between the two?  How do you ever truly know what's going on in an artist's head unless the artist jumps out and says "Yeah I don't really give a crap about this; I'm just doing it to make some money/be popular!"

[lolwut]

There's a lot of talk about whether or not Jeph is pandering to his fan base.  Nobody who isn't Jeph can tell how much of the comic is really what he wants to write instead of just what he thinks his audience will like...but I'm not clear on why this is bad.

artists who are creating what they think their audience wants rather than something that they love tend to creating poorer works.

Can you give examples of this?  And how can you differentiate between the two?  How do you ever truly know what's going on in an artist's head unless the artist jumps out and says "Yeah I don't really give a crap about this; I'm just doing it to make some money/be popular!"

(i'm playing devils advocate)

uhhh...

there's that guy who's written a thirty book fantasy trilogy... piers anthony? anyway, you can see what happened after... fuck, book five? iunno.

laurell k hamilton (her books weren't always poorly disguised pornography)

indie bands who SELL OUT

[jeph]

Just to be clear, the fanservice is, in my view, not the sex scene itself but rather the drama that he is creating by setting up a Faye-Sven Explosion.

Also, I think Jeph has been pandering to his audience (which, for the past couple years, has become mostly composed of people a decade or more younger than him who have very little in common with him) for a while now; this strip just made it super-obvious.

You don't know who my audience is.

And if "doing something I thought would be interesting" is "pandering" then OH NO I GUESS I'M GUILTY

[LunchBagArt]

I really liked this one!  sven is in character, and we've been expecting this forever.

Not only that, but the final panel is just sexy.  The art does what it's supposed to: it shocks with its nudity, and the story shocks with sven's dastardliness.  Both on the same panel. 

http://lunchbagart.tumblr.com/

[KeepACoolin]

Can you give examples of this?  And how can you differentiate between the two?  How do you ever truly know what's going on in an artist's head unless the artist jumps out and says "Yeah I don't really give a crap about this; I'm just doing it to make some money/be popular!"

The Pussycat Dolls vs. Fugazi.
Britney Spears vs. Silkworm.
Van Halen vs. Black Flag.
Stephanie Meyer vs. Knut Hamsun.

I mean I can do this pretty much forever, but you get the idea. When you sacrifice artistic integrity for cash, it turns from art into a job.

To be fair, I don't think any of the left-column peoples ever really had artistic integrity.  Or even artistry, with the possible exception of Eddie Van Halen, who was at least talented.  In their defense, I don't think most of them even know what music is supposed to sound like, so you can't really blame them for "selling out."  They were out to begin with.

[threedee]

Why do i get this feeling that Jeph just wanted to mess with all of you ? And now he's laughing his @ss off reading all the flame we've got here ? Maybe you're overthinking all of this ? Maybe Swen is just having a "withdrawal halucinations" and dreaming this scene in the shower ?

[KeepACoolin]

so what you're saying is "we're ignoring these people because I don't like their music"?

All I'm saying is that there are better examples of sellouts.  For instance, people who were "in" orginally, a la pre-"Beverly Hills" Weezer.  Although some say that they sold out after Pinkerton.

[Jack Faros]

Don't get me wrong, I love Dora, but the Faye-Marten thing is something we would all love to see.

No, it isn't, and quite frankly, I'm starting to get annoyed at how often people keep saying that.  Not all of us are closet Fay+Marten shippers. 

[JD]

http://lunchbagart.tumblr.com/

I love that link, but why did you post that here?

[Surgoshan]

Because he just lost his job and is spamming the interwebs is my guess.

Why does this thread have like five thousand newbies?  Are we infested with sock puppets, or is Sven's infidelity that engrossing?

[Norton Quintessential]

Are we infested with sock puppets, or is Sven's infidelity that engrossing?

It's very engrossing infidelity, Surgoshan.

[The_Bartender]

Well, as one of the newbies, I just stumbled on QC a little over a week ago, and this is the first chance I had to register and spend some time reading so i could make some semi-informed comments.  Without this strip, I would have done so anyway, maybe a few days later.  Things like this tend to be lightning rods, for good, bad or both.  This is one of those moments that makes people form solid opinions and feel compelled to express them.

A few less than random thoughts:

The poster who went on the rant about people here being pathetic:  I'm a volunteer admin on the Car & Driver forums.  Every so often, we get somone who will wander in and say almost the same thing in the middle of some heaeted debate about "Ford vs Chevy", or "OHV vs. OHC".  I see nothing pathetic about people having strongly held opinions and expressing, no matter the topic.  Pathetic is refusing to admit the other side could have valid points, and really pathetic is feeling morally smug because you think you dressed down a bunch of folks who didn't need your input.  To paraphrase a friend of mine: "I may be opinionated, but you're an ASS, and I can change my mind."

The whole "selling out" issue.  I've always found this amusing.  Most musicians are into music as an artistic effort.  But the side effects of fame of money are generally a factor as well.  Some think you can't become a rich, famous musician without selling out.  But if you keep making music you like and you also happen to be damn good at it, what's wrong with the money and fame?  Okay, I am well aware that there are other definitions of selling out, like allowing your music (or words, or art, or any other personal talent based effort) to be used for fast food advertisements.  I think any artist who has fans will at least occasionally consider what the fans want to see.  This doesn't mean you're pandering to the fans.  I don't see this strip with Sven as pandering.  My take is that it's another bit of character development, and is also setting up some potential future story arcs.  It odes not seem out of chracter with Sven in any way.  Every now and then, stirring the pot is good.  I like QC, but strip after strip of the characters sitting around the couch talking would get old real quick.

Jeph is doing what any good artist with a fan base SHOULD do: Challenging your existing mind set and opinions.  There have been strips I liked and ones I disliked.  But I won't stop reading just because I disagreed with something.

[Dunnoe]

Don't get me wrong, I love Dora, but the Faye-Marten thing is something we would all love to see.

No, it isn't, and quite frankly, I'm starting to get annoyed at how often people keep saying that.  Not all of us are closet Fay+Marten shippers. 

...aaaand this

...Pathetic is refusing to admit the other side could have valid points, and really pathetic is feeling morally smug because you think you dressed down a bunch of folks who didn't need your input.  To paraphrase a friend of mine: "I may be opinionated, but you're an ASS, and I can change my mind..."I think any artist who has fans will at least occasionally consider what the fans want to see.  This doesn't mean you're pandering to the fans.  I don't see this strip with Sven as pandering.  My take is that it's another bit of character development, and is also setting up some potential future story arcs.  It odes not seem out of chracter with Sven in any way.  Every now and then, stirring the pot is good.  I like QC, but strip after strip of the characters sitting around the couch talking would get old real quick.

Jeph is doing what any good artist with a fan base SHOULD do: Challenging your existing mind set and opinions.  There have been strips I liked and ones I disliked.  But I won't stop reading just because I disagreed with something.

[celticgeek]

...comments...

From one cranky old guy to another:  I like your attitude.

[Guido Sarducci]

I have always thought people who leveled accusations of "selling out" were basically angry because the artist wasn't "selling out" to them. If the artist were  producing work the complainant liked, the complainant would have nothing to complain about, and would be causing other people to complain that the artist is..."selling out."

It seems somewhat sophomoric to come onto an artist's website, and complain that you don't like the work and infer he should change it to suit your tastes. If you want work that isn't what he produces, why are you bothering to continue reading  it? Or are you making the assumption that when you insult him that he will respond by slavishly throwig away his own moral compass and following yours instead?

And more importantly to me, why are you wasting my time posting on this site that Jeph is a sellout instead of starting your own damn forum and complaining there that you sold out. It would be more sensible after all. You could sit there at you desk and draw the art, post it, and save all the middlemen and confusion by immediately complaining about how the work is shite and you've sold out. Because the minute you start offering up your work for someone else to look at, judge, and enjoy (or not) you have begun the process of selling your soul for money. Just like every other artist who has ever lived. And if you want to actually earn a living at it, you might as well slit your own throat because of course, you can't survive and not pander to the people you want to sell your art to.

And meanwhile we (those of us who actually like his work) can all stay here and enjoy the....cartoon. It is a cartoon, you realize, right? We're not speaking of Van Gogh or Renoir. Jeph may one day be looked back at as one of the greatest artists of his generation. But you can bet if he does get there, it won't be by listening to [eople accusing him of selling out.

*sits back and waits for everyone to cry*

[Jackie Blue]

You don't know who my audience is.

Wait, I thought you didn't read the discussion forums anymore?

[jeph]

sigh

[MikeKaede]

Remember that Sven told Faye he doesn't consider them exclusive or anything...and it didn't seem like he was really expecting it anyway.
What happened is (by my understanding) in-character and expected in a "holy crap there's nekkie people on QC today" way.