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[Is it cold in here?]

What do you see as QC's distinguishing features?

[ModernRonin]

Early on, I think it was the indy rock references and hilarious girl-on-boy violence.

As I read on, it was interesting to see how Jeph's art style evolved.

In the more recent stuff (>800) I've taken a real liking to the characters.

Humor permeates the whole thing. I know that sounds kind of redundant for a comic strip, but QC manages to make with the funny very consistently. Some days I think I find QC more consistently funny than Penny Arcade. Whether they're being snarky or random, the good humor of the characters is always enjoyable.

And... might as well turn in my hetero club membership card as I say this... I like how it talks about relationships very openly and no-bullshit. I consider it a a good example of a more enlightened way to live, in contrast with my everyday life which still occasionally manages to astonish me with its screaming Victorianism (OMG! I saw one frame of Janet Jackson's booby!) and 1950's anachronisms (what, you're smoking WEED? OMG! JAIL!!!!!).

[Is it cold in here?]

What stands out for me is the qualty and depth of the characterization.

[Mr. Skawronska]

The amazing, quotable one-liners and sarcasm.  That's what keeps bringing me back.

The deadpan stuff like Sven's "I'd self immolate but I don't want to inconvenience the neighbors," to Faye's hilarious hyperbole: "To the Mall!  Where I shall Burn and Pillage!  And also Try On Shoes!"

And my two all time favorites:

"God, you're to humor what Helen Keller would be to competitive paintball."
"What ELSE have I failed to notice today?  Are my pants on Backwards?  Am I on FIRE?  DID I KILL A GUY EARLIER???"

That's what makes this comic stand out in my mind, from Ctrl Alt Del, to Dilbert, to MegaTokyo, to Irregular Webcomic, to Legostar Galactica, to Least I Could Do, to 8-bit theatre, to Order of the Stick, to Schlock Mercenary, to The Whiteboard, to VG Cats, to Cyanide and Happiness, to Chivalry and Knavery, to Something Positive, to Girls With Slingshots, to XKCD, to Darths & Droids, to finally come to rest here as my last stop for my morning entertainment.

Because I really do save the best for last.

Thanks, Jeph.

S

[Is it cold in here?]

I have to agree about the quotability. Every now and then there's a thread about people's favorite lines, and it's always a busy thread. Xkcd sometimes reacches the same level (my wife and I love to say "someone's WRONG on the Internet!"), but not as often.

[Spluff]

Updates daily.

[Zingoleb]

it's got a forum with a good community, and it has got some funny jokes.

Also Jeph is an all sorts of rad guy who one day said "fuck you" to his regular job and started living off of drawing a comic, even though he didn't have a lot of experience with it from before, without a company backing him up. Now he runs his own business and has hired a couple more people. That deserves a LOT of fucking respect.

Really? I was under the impression that his job said "fuck you" to him, not the other way around.

As for why I like it...regular updates, consistently quotable lines, just enough randomness (man, I got tired of Chef Brian so easily).

[SilentJ]

Updates daily.

Plus there is no sponsor/members only area, which is kind of nice.

[Zingoleb]

And he never succumbed to doing hentai to get more hits.

Thank god.

[DonInKansas]

Updates daily except on weekends.

Fixed.

Damn lazy Jeph takin' weekends off.....

[AngelofShadows]

I only read a few web comics, and QC has been no that list since high school I forgot how I found it, but I did, and I haven't stopped since.

It's weird, but I appreciated the indy music references, but don't like indy music. Suppose it wasn't what they were talking about that hooked me, but more in the way they were talking about it. It's how I talk to people about music, and that's one of the big things with me. If I can connect some aspect of my life to a comic, it pulls me in deep. Also, I see a lot of myself in Martin (I even moved out of state for a girl, and that didn't work out. I don't have a hot goth wanting me though....dag nab it)

Also, I like Pintsize. QC has Pintsize

[lolwut]

And he never succumbed to doing hentai to get more hits.

Thank god.

i know, i would have looked terrible

[Zingoleb]

Darling, even if Jeph did decide to do hentai for whatever fucking reason, I somehow doubt he'd put a gloryhole in the fourth wall just for you.

[Surgoshan]

Key Difference 1)  The art is excellent.  I'm willing to sacrifice a lot of art if the humor/story is awesome, but I do like looking at pretty pictures.  I'm not willing to sacrifice humor/story for the sake of art.  Pretty but boring = dating a hot idiot; fun for a bit but quickly stale.

Key Difference 2)  The humor is excellent.  Jeph combines a lot of pop culture, indie culture, and geek culture to come up with some outstanding humor.  Add to this a definite "whacky" quality, perhaps even a touch of "zany" and you've got consistent funny.

Key Difference 3)  The story is compelling.  The characters are compelling.  He doesn't sacrifice either for the sake of humor, nor does he allow them to get in the way of the humor.  It's a difficult balancing act, but Jeph manages it superbly.

Key Difference 6)  It doesn't suck.  1+2+3=6.  There's a lot of suck out there, and QC isn't among it.

[Zingoleb]

I dunno, he's a damned good artist whether you compare him to his earlier stuff or not.

To be honest, Jeph is an inspiration to me. I'm tempted to pick up drawing again.

Looking through those two links and waiting for them to load...god I hate dial up...

I prefer QC to Stuff Sucks in terms of artwork.
Freak Angels...wow, that's really good. That wins in comparison.

[Siibillam-Law]

As far as the art goes, I reckon QC gets it right. FreakAngels looks great, but in small squares is that much detail needed?  It makes it look cluttered, I reckon. Dr McNinja is my favourite in terms of art, though. That shit's awesome.

At the beginning it was the indie jokes that got people into QC, then the characters developed and people read it now to see what the characters are gonna get up to. Keeps a joke at the end of every panel (unless it's drama) so it never really falls flat if the specific script of the strip isn't very good, at least there's the joke to carry it.

[Surgoshan]

Yeah, FreakAngels is clearly drawn by someone who's been a professional artist his whole life, whereas Jeph started as a hobbyist and has only been a professional artist for a few years.

However, those few years have been a huge change for Jeph and I think his work should be compared, often favorably, to the artwork of others.  I don't know if QC should be compared to FA in terms of skill; I think a portion of it is a difference in style.

FreakAngels is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.  QC is in a mildly alternative modern day setting.  FreakAngels is drawn with a gritty realism.  QC is more cartoonish, with a greater color palette available.  However, Jeph has shown, on multiple occasions, that he has an excellent sense of space and perspective.  For example, the odd perspective after Dora smacked Sven hard enough to knock him down.  And, on another occasion, a really odd perspective at a flight of stairs.  And don't forget the awesome distorted perspectives he did which perfectly reflected Hanners' anxiety.

Of course, he's not perfect.  Dora's head looks really weird in panel 2.

All told, if a 'C' represents what the average person can do, then Jeph started out at a C+ and has gradually improved over the years to A/A-.  FreakAngels represents sold, A+ work.

[Lyrical]

I prefer the artwork in QC to Freak Angels, which has a very angular, slightly distorted look to the people and backgrounds. *shrugs*

Anyway, I enjoy QC's plot and humor!  Xkcd can be fun, but there isn't an ongoing story.

[zynk]

Also, I like Pintsize. QC has Pintsize

It's his ability to actually have a great compelling plot and still have random funny parts to it (i.e. almost every strip pintsize is in).

Most comics can do 1 or the other, but rarely can both be accomplished as effectively as QC.

[jeph]

Key Difference 1)  The art is excellent.  I'm willing to sacrifice a lot of art if the humor/story is awesome, but I do like looking at pretty pictures.  I'm not willing to sacrifice humor/story for the sake of art.  Pretty but boring = dating a hot idiot; fun for a bit but quickly stale.

I know I'm venturing into asshole territory here, but I'm going to state that I never understood this point of view.

The QC artwork has never been amazing. Amazing comic artwork is seen in Stuff Sucks or FreakAngels. I mean, as far as personal progress goes Jeph has improved immensely (this should be obvious to anyone who's read the comic), but compared to people who have been drawing for their entire life, like Liz Greenfield, Sam Logan and Paul Duffield, Jeph is still pretty far from being an "amazing" artist.

Jeph, please don't take it as an insult, it ain't meant to be. Like I said, you're a swell guy and I respect you hells of lots.

oh I know I am not in the same league as those guys. I will be someday, but by then they'll have all improved too, so it's not like I'm ever gonna catch up. I would currently rate QC's art a "C" at best. At least it's improving.

[Siibillam-Law]

Yeah,I mean I wouldn't call it amazing, but the art is right for what QC is all about. If Jeph starts going into Freakangels stuff it won't really fit the style or the tone of the comic

[bhtooefr]

To be completely fair, that stuff IS a matter of taste.

I don't care for the art of Stuff Sucks.

I'll give you FreakAngels, but... yeah, QC needs a lighter, more... I don't want to say whimsical, but it's kinda the best word for the situation... tone than that.

And the art is a HELL of a lot better than a C.

Besides, as long as the art doesn't detract from the storyline, who cares?

[Mallli_kite]

I'm among the story over art folks -- a good story will carry me when the images don't.  However, in Jeph's work, the art serves the story really well.  I mean, watching him develop has been great (I read the comic for a very long time before I came to the forums).  I enjoyed when he used to comment on the art, too.  I miss that.  Sometimes I worry that QC is moving into the "job I do" category and away from the "fucking great gig I'd do because I love it".  Stuff you love can lose its shine when you HAVE to do it.  I hope Jeph can keep his enthusiasm alive.

Second reason for preferring QC to almost everything else -- characters worth getting involved with.  That's back to the writing side of things.  Of all the other comics I have read or am currently reading, I've never gotten THIS involved with the characters.  I want to talk about them (yay forums), I want to think about them, and they stand up to analysis.  They change and develop over time as the events of their lives take place.  Sure, gag-a-day strips are fun, but I'm a writer -- I like plot and character.  Jeph does this.  The funny is great, but it's nicely balanced by more thoughtful moments.  And the humor isn't always the same level of humor.  It has nuance.  I like that, too.

I enjoy the forums, but sometimes I worry about them, though, that Jeph is too influenced by what we say.  Artists and creative types have a particular weakness -- a tendency to hear the negative more loudly than the positive.  Thirty posts of praise don't balance one troll post full of shit - the shit stinks more than the praise smells nice.Three hundred kisses don't really erase one solid sock in the jaw, and the punch leaves bruises for days.  It's nice that he tries to keep in touch with the portion of his audience that gives detailed feedback, but considering the unfiltered nature of the feedback, I wonder if it helps or hurts more.  Critique is an art that's more than just spouting a negative opinion.  Many people wield their opinions like clubs, just for the joyous whacking noises they can make.  Even the best self image can suffer under that onslaught.

Gah, I need more caffeine.  Much to sensitive and thoughtful here.  Make with the humor!  Har har! Nekkid people!  Hit someone!  RUuUURUuuur!

[Mr. Skawronska]

Hurr Hurr...Malli said Nekkid peeple...Hurrr!

S

[jeph]

I enjoy the forums, but sometimes I worry about them, though, that Jeph is too influenced by what we say.

hahahahaha

hahahahaha

hahahahahaha

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Mallli_kite]

I enjoy the forums, but sometimes I worry about them, though, that Jeph is too influenced by what we say.

hahahahaha

hahahahaha

hahahahahaha

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

At least I provide a laugh

[giant_bug]

The difference is that most of the humor is provided by the female characters.
Contrast it to TV comics like "The Simpsons" where Homer exists to provide loud, coarse, slapstick comedy and Marge is largely there to react to him.

[bhtooefr]

Yeah, I use XKCD as an example of how BAD my drawing skills are.

As in:

I couldn't even draw XKCD.

 

[championofkhorne]

I enjoy the forums, but sometimes I worry about them, though, that Jeph is too influenced by what we say.

hahahahaha

hahahahaha

hahahahahaha

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

it is funny if you watch his avatar as you read that post

[AngelofShadows]

Jeph brings forth mental images of a indy Bill Watterson.

[Thiefree]

For me, it's because Jeph's really worked hard at improving absofuckinglutely everything about QC. His art has clearly gone through so much improvement that it gives hope even to me; the humour is wonderful; and it's been going on for long enough know that the characters are complex and believable personalities.

The best thing is that I know it's not going to jump the shark or sell out; because it's not just his livelihood, it's also his BABY and nobody in the world would be more annoyed if it got crap than Jeph himself.