Topic: WCDT 7th-11th December 2015 (Strips 3106-3110) (Read 25930 times)

BenRG · « **Reply #100 on:** 08 Dec 2015, 23:14 »

With Tai's new 'do and Claire switching to contacts, it seems like it's 'all change aesthetic' at the library. Seriously, Claire seems to only need her glasses for reading; maybe she's decided to do without today? It does make her seem different, though; younger like a pre-grad. Maybe she feels the need to be 'student' rather than 'librarian' today?

Emily is cute here. She really seemed to think that she needed a reason to come to Northampton to hang out with Claire!

Finally... Well, Tai may be the boss but it's clear to me who does the managing at the library! Penny could learn a lot from Marten's example!

mad hands murphy · « **Reply #101 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 00:08 »

I enjoyed seeing Tai discomfited

I still hate her ugly haircut though

J · « **Reply #102 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 01:20 »

jeph is trying some new things with layout and composition here. fewer/bigger panels, tighter shots on character faces from lower angles. i likes it.

Tova · « **Reply #103 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 01:53 »

Quote from: mad hands murphy on 09 Dec 2015, 00:08

I enjoyed seeing Tai discomfited

I know what you mean! Because she knows, deep down, how fortunate she is to have a friend who knows her so well, right?

BenRG · « **Reply #104 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 02:04 »

Quote from: Tova on 09 Dec 2015, 01:53

I know what you mean! Because she knows, deep down, how fortunate she is to have a friend who knows her so well, right?

It never ceases to fascinate me how many younger sisters Marten has. I'm not sure if it's just a talent on his part but he has all these young women who really do seem to have this emotional place in his life. He's their adviser, confessor and, sometimes, their guardian. He sometimes even finds himself protecting them from themselves. Tai is an excellent example here. She knows that Marten is right to ensure that she doesn't forget to do the evaluations but she's still an annoyed little sister because her big brother has manipulated her into doing work when she'd prefer to be doing something fun.

Regarding Claire in panel 2... My impression was that she's nervous because she's lying to Tai and she's the sort of woman who doesn't like lying to the boss, even when it is to both parties' benefit!

Satan · « **Reply #105 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 02:41 »

What the hell happened, the art in this one is incredible. Jeph is knocking it out of the park recently.

HannahRose · « **Reply #106 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 04:32 »

CLAIRE IS SO FUCKING PRETTY OH MY GOD I CAN'T EV-

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dexeron · « **Reply #107 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 05:34 »

Seriously, let me second (third? fourth? What are we up to by now?) everyone else's sentiment. Just awesome art today (I am also loving Tai's new hair) and cutest Claire E. V. E. R.

Omega Entity · « **Reply #108 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 07:28 »

Quote from: emsilly on 09 Dec 2015, 00:56

CUTEST CLAIRE EVER.

That's actually the panel I dislike in today's comic. Her hair is way too flat to her head in that one compared to the other panels, so it just doesn't reflect the sheer volume of it that we know she has, and I don't care for the way her face looks either. I think it's because her eyelashes are going the wrong direction on her right eye (our left). It makes her look like one of those old cartoons back in the 50s.

Love her hair in other panels, though, and her expression in panel one makes her look really pretty, IMO.

Reaver · « **Reply #109 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 07:50 »

Dora's attitude of "Sure I can, it's my shop! Handle my sporatic decision baii" Is just as bad, if not worse than her controlling every aspect

ischaemia · « **Reply #110 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 08:24 »

Quote from: ischaemia on 07 Dec 2015, 10:29

Edit: As an emissary from the future, expect a super cute rendition of Claire to come. I suppose, however, you didn't even need me to tell you this; this path was inevitable.

WAS IT NOT AS I SAID

bhtooefr · « **Reply #111 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 08:46 »

Or maybe Hanners yelled at her really loudly.

Endellion · « **Reply #112 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 15:23 »

Is it just me or has Claire had a haircut?

hedgie · « **Reply #113 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 15:49 »

Quote from: Satan on 09 Dec 2015, 02:41

What the hell happened, the art in this one is incredible. Jeph is knocking it out of the park recently.

Jeph is getting more familiar using Manga studio for doing the comic (I think previously, he was just using it for colour and PS for everything else). I'll assume this is the point where his new workflow is really working for him.

MooskiNet · « **Reply #114 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 16:03 »

Whatever it is, it is definitely working for him. The last few days look like the work of someone who's just pushed themselves past a barrier, especially his line art. Continuing to push yourself after more than twelve years and three thousand pages is pretty damn impressive.

Gladstone · « **Reply #115 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 18:47 »

Joke's on Claire, though--the timeline's so borked, this Friday was last week.

Perfectly Reasonable · « **Reply #116 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 19:01 »

Cute girls bumping into things for the Win!

Method of Madness · « **Reply #117 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 19:22 »

Quote from: Gladstone on 09 Dec 2015, 18:47

Joke's on Claire, though--the timeline's so borked, this Friday was last week.

Arguably this Friday was a decade ago.

~~mustang6172~~ · « **Reply #118 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 19:38 »

Between school and library duty, Emily won't be getting as many hours as Penelope so that should work out... For about a week or two.

dreed · « **Reply #119 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 19:54 »

Art is indeed really sweet.

Faye sas was one of the things which made Caffè of Doom popular. Without it won't Dora lose part of her clientele?
Budget wise it sees wages expenses will stay the same although might be a slight increase which was the point in the beginning.

Perfectly Reasonable · « **Reply #120 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 19:57 »

Give that girl an MBA! (I didn't say which girl... )

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #121 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 20:28 »

Didn't Pennelope say once that she had trouble with math? Might be a handicap for her new responsibilities, though with Hannelore available to help she can get through some rough patches.

RetroRefractive Noodle · « **Reply #122 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 22:34 »

Quote from: Satan on 09 Dec 2015, 02:41

What the hell happened, the art in this one is incredible. Jeph is knocking it out of the park recently.

Clearly Canada has done something to him.

BenRG · « **Reply #123 on:** 09 Dec 2015, 23:36 »

Yes, Penny, Dora sometimes runs the shop on luck rather than preplanning. Don't knock it; it works. Maybe she's just one of those people who have an instinct for these things. Still, she's kind of distracted at the moment, what with trying to decide whether to start therapy or not, so it might be a good idea to keep an eye on where things are going!

Quote from: Endellion on 09 Dec 2015, 15:23

Is it just me or has Claire had a haircut?

Yeah, she seems to have cut it from butt length to mid-back length. Probably just routine maintenance that she does twice a year or so.

TheEvilDog · « **Reply #124 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 01:51 »

Quote from: Perfectly Reasonable on 09 Dec 2015, 19:57

Give that girl an MBA! (I didn't say which girl... )

Or at the very least, a calculator.

dragonspike · « **Reply #125 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 06:20 »

Of course this will work out. There are now the exact same number of employees at each pay scale as there were before Faye was fired, assuming Hanners isn't getting a raise to go with her roaster-training. Think about it - one employee was fired. One employee was hired. There was one Ass Manager before, there is one now.

The only difference is that Dale is getting more hours, but we don't know how many. It may only be a couple extra hours per week, especially when you factor in that Cosette will be working fewer hours now that school is starting up. This is unlikely to seriously cut into CoD's profits, assuming it wasn't on the brink of failing before. And the last time Dora hired a new employee (Dale), she admitted that the shop was doing fine, she just liked the extra income from putting in more of the hours herself. So Dora may be taking a small personal paycut, but that's a reasonable tradeoff for working fewer hours - we've never had any indication that she was struggling financially.

BenRG · « **Reply #126 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 06:26 »

Quote from: dragonspike on 10 Dec 2015, 06:20

The only difference is that Dale is getting more hours...,

Those are to cover Dora doing less, IMO. So, a lot depends on the hourly rate Dora pays herself (if she handles it that way). It's possible that Dale, being very much junior to her, may get a lower rate so him doing the hours will wind up less expensive in payroll terms. Dale won't mind; just being able to quit another of his hell-spawned other jobs will make him a happy man.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #127 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 09:31 »

Welcome, new person!

Timemaster · « **Reply #128 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 09:57 »

Quote from: hedgie on 09 Dec 2015, 15:49

Jeph is getting more familiar using Manga studio for doing the comic (I think previously, he was just using it for colour and PS for everything else). I'll assume this is the point where his new workflow is really working for him.

Manga Studio 5 (aka Clip Studio Paint, it´s the same software) is very good. My daughter uses it for her manga. Especially in combination with Jeph´s Wacom Cintiq it is extremely poweful. Just take a close look at the lines in the last strips.
The art has definitely improved the last weeks. I like it very much.
By the way, for the next five days Clip Studio Paint is offered for 70% off. I just got a mail withe the offer.

I think Penelope looks absolutely gorgeous in the last strips. She featured the strip rarely the last years. Maybe she will appear more frequently. I like her role as the voice of reason here. It´s a nice change of pace for QC, a little more real world feeling.
And I like women with glasses.

TM

Kugai · « **Reply #129 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 11:43 »

Quote from: dragonspike on 10 Dec 2015, 06:20

Of course this will work out. There are now the exact same number of employees at each pay scale as there were before Faye was fired, assuming Hanners isn't getting a raise to go with her roaster-training. Think about it - one employee was fired. One employee was hired. There was one Ass Manager before, there is one now.

The only difference is that Dale is getting more hours, but we don't know how many. It may only be a couple extra hours per week, especially when you factor in that Cosette will be working fewer hours now that school is starting up. This is unlikely to seriously cut into CoD's profits, assuming it wasn't on the brink of failing before. And the last time Dora hired a new employee (Dale), she admitted that the shop was doing fine, she just liked the extra income from putting in more of the hours herself. So Dora may be taking a small personal paycut, but that's a reasonable tradeoff for working fewer hours - we've never had any indication that she was struggling financially.

You make the points I was thinking of when I saw this.

DSL · « **Reply #130 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 12:28 »

Is Hanners' wealth known to anyine besides Marten and Faye? I wonder if Jeph's ever toyed the idea of Dora asking Hanners in as an investing partner, not just a caffeine slinger? (Mama Beatrice is right out, I know; I remember the storyline in which Dora rebuffed Queen Bea's unsubtle offer to make CoD into a Starbucks-crushing coffee empire.)

hedgie · « **Reply #131 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 12:56 »

I think it's safe to say that anyone who knows her full name knows about the money. Even Sam was told about the orbital bombardment app.

Nepiophage · « **Reply #132 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 15:07 »

Dora certainly knows. Hannelore made Dora make up with Sven by threatening to buy the building and turn CoD into a junk food outlet. Also Beatrice (Hannelore's mother) offered to finance a chain of CoDs to be run by Dora.

Somebody · « **Reply #133 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 17:04 »

Quote from: dragonspike on 10 Dec 2015, 06:20

Of course this will work out. There are now the exact same number of employees at each pay scale as there were before Faye was fired, assuming Hanners isn't getting a raise to go with her roaster-training. Think about it - one employee was fired. One employee was hired. There was one Ass Manager before, there is one now.

The only difference is that Dale is getting more hours, but we don't know how many. It may only be a couple extra hours per week, especially when you factor in that Cosette will be working fewer hours now that school is starting up. This is unlikely to seriously cut into CoD's profits, assuming it wasn't on the brink of failing before. And the last time Dora hired a new employee (Dale), she admitted that the shop was doing fine, she just liked the extra income from putting in more of the hours herself. So Dora may be taking a small personal paycut, but that's a reasonable tradeoff for working fewer hours - we've never had any indication that she was struggling financially.

Or, to put it simply:

Manager: Dora->Dora->Dora
Ass. Manager: Faye->Dora (covering)->Penelope
Barista (full-time): Penelope->Penelope->Dale
Barista: Hanners->Hanners->Hanners
Barista: Cosette->Cosette->Cosette
Barista: Dale->Dale->Emily

Tova · « **Reply #134 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 18:47 »

I can't actually comprehend why it took so long to happen.

Well, I can - because Dora - but, you know. It's about time.

sluthy · « **Reply #135 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 19:30 »

Comic.

Subtle differences make Claire look COMPLETELY different.

J · « **Reply #136 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 19:32 »

wow, claire looks like a completely different character in panel 2

Method of Madness · « **Reply #137 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 19:38 »

Quote

I guess I'm drawing lips on everyone again[/img]

I guess that's it. Dang, though.

solemnwar · « **Reply #138 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 19:46 »

Hoo boy, that second panel Claire... I really think Jeph should've redrawn that one. Not only does she look like someone else, she looks *unbelievably creepy*.

HannahRose · « **Reply #139 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 19:47 »

I demand to know what product Claire has been using in her hair.

Method of Madness · « **Reply #140 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 19:47 »

Creepy? How?

bhtooefr · « **Reply #141 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 19:48 »

Why do I think Claire's panel 2 face resembles an earlier version of Cossette's?

sluthy · « **Reply #142 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 19:49 »

The lips are the main difference, but something about the eyes too, are they smaller? Panel 2 looks quite...un-Jeph-like (not bad though, just different)? Especially standing next to regular Emily. Maybe just trying something different in Manga Studio.

TheRedMaiden · « **Reply #143 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 20:02 »

Yikes, that doesn't even look like Claire at all. I loved her look because she was adorable without being "conventionally" pretty. This one looks like a model who's cosplaying her or something. I'm glad Jeph's improving his art, but she looks like a generic background character now. Where did the personality of her dorky look go? Where's her hair poof? Does she even have an overbite anymore? What the heck happened to her eyes? I hope this is just an experimental look and Jeph goes back to a style closer to how she looked a couple comics ago, because this just....isn't Claire.

Gladstone · « **Reply #144 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 20:12 »

Her overbite is still pretty prominent in the third panel, but I have to agree with the rest of that assessment. That doesn't really look like Claire. The lips especially. ESPECIALLY THE LIPS.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #145 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 20:18 »

Anyone who likes it is welcome to use the phrase "As frustrated as Claire's comb".

chaospersonified · « **Reply #146 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 20:20 »

I know some people would use this as an example of Tai being a fuckhead stoner, but you are the people who dislike her and therefore disagree with me, for your own equally valid reasons. I see this as an example of Tai working smart, not hard. Emily is happy, do not be pissed off on her behalf.

K1dmor · « **Reply #147 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 20:22 »

Just a quick edit for comparison, Claire and Emily without lips:

(click to show/hide)

Omega Entity · « **Reply #148 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 20:32 »

See, they look like themselves there. I like 'no lips' better.

RetroRefractive Noodle · « **Reply #149 on:** 10 Dec 2015, 20:34 »

Ok I think I know what happened.

Jeph was killed by a rabid beaver third week after moving to Canada, and Canada didn't want to enrage us (the fanbase) with the tragic news. So they developed an AI based on Jeph's tweets and news-posts and attached it to a plotter... then uploaded his story notes for the next five years.

I mean no other explanation makes sense here, the art has improved by several orders of magnitude in a very short period of time.

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Author Topic: WCDT 7th-11th December 2015 (Strips 3106-3110) (Read 25930 times)

TheEvilDog