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The Liberation of Bubbles

43 (54.4%)

Beatrice Goes Too Far (Tilly's Introductory Arc)

2 (2.5%)

Union Robotics

14 (17.7%)

Claire Moves In

3 (3.8%)

The Chronicles of Brun

9 (11.4%)

The Life Trials of Clinton Augustus

6 (7.6%)

Renee - More than Alt-Faye

1 (1.3%)

Other (Please specify in contents)

1 (1.3%)

Total Members Voted: 76

[MrNumbers]

Okay so that thing I said about how Tilly was an annoying character but I was super pumped to see the Hannelore arc behind it?

Hannelores growth is... I scared myself so much with my (justified, positive growth showing) actions, I'm going to go find myself offscreen goodbye

Thats... I mean... That sucks man. That makes me feel bad in my heart.

It's so abrupt and badly telegraphed. Like, this payoff doesnt match the setup. You can argue that it's reasonable for the character but I'm not saying that; I'm saying this reads like an author flipping the table in frustration to me.

I really really hope it isn't

[Bad Superman]

Although it's sad to see Hannelore (and Winslow) go, giving her some time off seems to be the right decision at this point. In my opinion it's better this way, than having her suddenly fade into the comics background-limbo as other storylines emerge, with other characters in focus.

I'm fully aware that I was one of the people who heaped a lot of criticism on this story arc, but the way it closes leaves me no other choice than to say that I'm satisfied with how well things worked out in the end.

This was Hannelore's heroes journey and it has taken a lot out of her. We have seen her slaying one of her biggest and meanest personal dragons. But, this story, it seems, is over (for now), and the heroine, victorious but wounded, leaves the stage (for now)! It has to be this way. Things need to cool down, to heal, and now they can.

Of course her hardcore fans are even sadder to see their beloved Hannelore go away for an uncertain amount of time, but maybe think of it this way:
Imagine, if you will, you, browsing QC somewhere in the future. You're just lazily re-reading the last couple of strips, as you wait for comic to update.
Then it does.
And we see Hannelore return.
Will that not be a moment of pure joy?

[Is it cold in here?]

Hannelore, when you are in a crisis then breaking contact with your support structure is a big mistake.

[OldGoat]

Hannelore, when you are in a crisis then breaking contact with your support structure is a big mistake.

But, she's taking her most loyal (and recently anthropomorphised) friend with her.  Tilly is a loyal mercenary, but still a mercenary - loyalty out of duty to their job description.  Winslow's loyalty is out of pure friendship and even platonic love for Hanners.

I don't think Hanners needs physical proximity to be in contact with the rest of her supporters, either.  Indeed, in her case distance may still be insulation.

Comic-wise, it's a brilliant move.  Jeph can insert a message from Hannelore into the strip anytime he feels the need without a large time investment in artwork and still move the story along.

[Morituri]

I doubt she's "breaking contact."  She is literally traveling with the guy who used to be her PDA.  I anticipate text message conversations, daily or several times a day, and Winslow's obsessive social-media plus blogging everything.

[Timemaster]

@Bad Supes,
Thank you for this comment. It pretty much summs up how I think about the end of the arc and Hanners leave. (And so removes the need to write this myself.  )

@traroth,
I see no hint that Hanners ordered Winslow to follow her. That would be completely out of character. I rather think that she asked him and he of cause followed her. Because he is her friend. And that's what friends do.

Claire doesn't have a profile picture. Why? Because maybe she didn't make one. Because all of this social media bullshit is too unimportant for her than to care for such a useless thing as a profile. All the people she writes with know how she looks. So why a picture?

I'd like to see Hanners and Winslow travel the world. It would certainly be interesting (and hilarious). Or maybe she'll start posting her whereabouts on Instagram or send pics to her friends. I'd love to see that.

I think Jeph put a lot of thought and heartblood in this arc and the new character Tilly. And I suppose he was kinda disappointed by the negative reactions Tilly created. Heck, I was too, I loved them! Best character invented for a long time, better even than Bubbles and Brun. But that's just me. And maybe Jeph.
Shooting Tilly to space and sending Hanners on her own  New Pilgrims' Progress (The Innocents Abroad) ended this arc rather abruptly. Maybe Jeph had planned things otherwise and now removes those characters to rethink them? Or all this went exactly as planned and maybe we're in for something completely new and amazing?
I don't know.
But we'll find out.
In my honest opinion Jeph cares too much for Hanners to simply write her out of the strip in such a clumsy way. No, this must be something bigger. Maybe not in the next few months in RL, but I'm sure, we'll hear and see her again.

And maybe Tilly too. 
Hope springs eternal.

Timemaster

[Welu]

Wow, this was a gut punch. Partially because I've been in this situation a few times where a friend did something like this. It's scary to only be able to support from far away but feel like you can't actually be there to help, even if you're still in contact somehow but sometimes contact was cut. Partially because I would never have expected this from Hannelore, but it does makes sense to me now it's here.

Yeah. This one hurt.

[brasca]

Unexpected. Interesting tho.

I'm actually sorta sad we wont see more of Winslow at the community center. That looked interesting...

Yeah, that's a bit unfair. Winslow was starting to find his own thing, here. Hannelore is behaving like an owner, not like a friend.

How do you know?  Hannelore could’ve asked and if he said no then she’d find another alternative, but Winslow might want to travel and this is a chance in a lifetime. 

[pwhodges]

I felt that way about Angus and I'm still worried that he may never return.

The difference is that getting a new job elsewhere is typically permanent, whereas going on a journey to "find yourself" or some such includes the likelihood of a return.

[Cornelius]

Well,, there's one other example of a QC character leaving to find himself - and he did return, before he faded into the background.

[ChipNoir]

Figured its been long enough since the last time QC made me cry, which was whatevrt week where we find out Bubble's memories were ear ed forever.

[TheEvilDog]

Hannelore, when you are in a crisis then breaking contact with your support structure is a big mistake.

I think though that Hanners is removing herself from a state of complacency. Part of that complacency has been her friends, yes she's grown since her post intro characterisation, but then she's always been a character in flux, largely due to her illness. But this arc has revealed that Hanners is more like her mother than she would like to think; she needs time to process that revelation and to come to terms with that. Sadly, at times like that, the worst thing you can do is be surrounded by friends, especially when none of them particularly challenge Hanners like they do with Dora or Faye.

And I think Hanners realises that. She needs introspection, away from the familiar. She needs to grow in response to that and I don't think that can happen with her friends around her. They've helped her immensely, but this last leg is something she needs to do herself.

[A Duck]

So, here's the thing: is Hanners actually gonna get some comic time off, or are we gonna get a timeskip ending with her return?

[Shjade]

This sure seems like a whole lotta panic over nothing.

You guys realize Jeph is allowed to write in other settings, right? I mean, he just demonstrated he would if he felt like it with Hanners' trip to her mom's office.

So Hannelore being on a trip isn't the same thing as writing her out. Even if she stays on the road for a while we very well might get strips of Hannelore and Winslow abroad, and I don't see any indication from this strip that the plan is to have her disappear from their lives forever anyway.

The comic is not restricted to Coffee of Doom and its immediate surroundings.

Take a breath.

[Timemaster]

But this arc has revealed that Hanners is more like her mother than she would like to think.

Would you like to explain that? I don's see any similarities between Hanners and her mom.

TM

[A small perverse otter]

This doesn't necessarily mean she's out of the strip - her and winslow traveling could be an arc later.

I would be happy too see the penny that Claire put on Faye's head drop sometime.

I'm eagerly awaiting the point at which that hint Bubbles up to into Faye's consciousness.

[A small perverse otter]

But this arc has revealed that Hanners is more like her mother than she would like to think.

Would you like to explain that? I don's see any similarities between Hanners and her mom.

TM

I can't speak for the original poster, but I'd thought the same thing.

Hannelore walked into a room, took over, and told someone off, with absolutely no consideration for what they wanted. And then, just a few strips later, she walked into her mother's office and demanded that others *obey* her, again with no consideration of their persons.

Who is that like? Not Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham. Not John Ellicott-Chatham. Not Marten, not Dora, nor any of her other friends.

No, there's really only one person in the comic who acts that way: Beatrice Chatham.

Hanelore used to need to be tied to a bed to survive. Now she's just shown all the drive, self-possession, and willfulness of her mother.

[pwhodges]

Even if she stays on the road for a while we very well might get strips of Hannelore and Winslow abroad,

After all, we saw Wil on the road while he was away.

[Akima]

"You break his heart, I find you. Feed you to peegs!"

[TheEvilDog]

But this arc has revealed that Hanners is more like her mother than she would like to think.

Would you like to explain that? I don's see any similarities between Hanners and her mom.

TM

I can't speak for the original poster, but I'd thought the same thing.

Hannelore walked into a room, took over, and told someone off, with absolutely no consideration for what they wanted. And then, just a few strips later, she walked into her mother's office and demanded that others *obey* her, again with no consideration of their persons.

Who is that like? Not Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham. Not John Ellicott-Chatham. Not Marten, not Dora, nor any of her other friends.

No, there's really only one person in the comic who acts that way: Beatrice Chatham.

Hanelore used to need to be tied to a bed to survive. Now she's just shown all the drive, self-possession, and willfulness of her mother.

Pretty much.

Hanners is one of the nicest characters in the comic, but there have been times that when she has been really pushed that Hanners becomes...quite forceful. I mean, getting to the point where she was so angry with Beatrice's actions that she shoved her and effectively disowned her own mother. That's enough to shake anyone to their core, that realisation that all their patience, they can get to a point where they do something like that.

And so, the Hanners World Tour.

[BillGuy]

On the chat-heads thing Claire has two twitter accounts (actual twitter https://twitter.com/hanneloreEC/following ) The open account is the third head at the top of the chat. The avitar-less Claire is the locked account. I'm more surprised that she didn't include Marigold in her goodbye group as she had grown quite close to her in a relatively short time.

[dna_level_c]

Interesting that the claireaugustus2 account was created last month.

[brasca]

On the chat-heads thing Claire has two twitter accounts (actual twitter https://twitter.com/hanneloreEC/following ) The open account is the third head at the top of the chat. The avitar-less Claire is the locked account. I'm more surprised that she didn't include Marigold in her goodbye group as she had grown quite close to her in a relatively short time.

I noticed that too, but it’s possible Marigold doesn’t have a Twitter account.  She was never big on social networking.

[Akima]

I just did the poll. I was torn between the liberation of Bubbles, and Union Robotics, because essentially I regard them as parts of the same arc. I went for the former, but was pleased to see that Union Robotics was the second-most popular choice.

[Shjade]

I'm a little surprised Claire moving in is so low.

[Is it cold in here?]

I remember tweets from Marigold years ago about how easy it is to repair a mil spec chassis, and about people catcalling when she went out.

Also asked Marten why guys don't get their balls wet when sitting on a toilet.

[A Duck]

Marigold's twitter was even acknowledged in-comic. She posted spoilers at some point and was trying to smooth it over with cat gifs.

(IIRC, that was a reference to something Jeph did by accident)

[TheEvilDog]

Actually what I'm really worried about is something from Faye's contribution towards the end.

"Jack is a bitch"

Could she perhaps be talking about Jack Daniels?

Because the rest of the comments from Faye...feel very much like Drunk!Faye and I'm wondering if she's fallen off the wagon.

[cesium133]

She's referring to the CEO of Twitter, whose first name is Jack. (I don't remember his last name.) He is a bitch.

[TheEvilDog]

Well nevermind then.

[BillGuy]

On the chat-heads thing Claire has two twitter accounts (actual twitter https://twitter.com/hanneloreEC/following ) The open account is the third head at the top of the chat. The avitar-less Claire is the locked account. I'm more surprised that she didn't include Marigold in her goodbye group as she had grown quite close to her in a relatively short time.

I noticed that too, but it’s possible Marigold doesn’t have a Twitter account.  She was never big on social networking.

If you actually followd the link and scroll throw all of Hannelore's follows you would notice she is following Marigold.

[ANeM]

Yeah, that's a bit unfair. Winslow was starting to find his own thing, here. Hannelore is behaving like an owner, not like a friend.

How do you know?  Hannelore could’ve asked and if he said no then she’d find another alternative, but Winslow might want to travel and this is a chance in a lifetime.

It also seems in keeping with his desire to try new things that his old chassis wouldn't have allowed. I can't imagine the giant-ipod-with-stubs chassis would be good for travelling.

It might have been nice to see him handle life on his own, and continue to help out with his volunteer work. Still, ultimately he wanted to use his new body to help people and right now the person who needs his help the most is Hanners. It is a big ask, but it definitely seems in character for him to agree.

[Near Lurker]

We know absolutely nothing about her, but I can already say this girl is a better match for her than Li'l Sis.

[WoaLG]

Comic's Up

Now, does anybody have a spare lampshade? Dora seems to have used hers.

(I apologize in advance for the TV Tropes link.)

[BenRG]

Wow! Jeph wasn't kidding when (back before Tilly's first appearance) he said he'd been going through his list of characters. How long has it been since we last saw Amanda? The answer? It was over 3,000 strips ago, when Faye helped her and her mother to come to terms with Amanda's sexuality, that's when!

This could be one of two things: This could be just a throw-away one-off joke about families and how they can throw out a life that's found its balance. However, it could also be the start of a longer Faye arc with Amanda returning the favour, helping Faye get over her indecision loop over certain things in her life. FWIW, the girl with her is probably her current girlfriend. From what I remember about her, I do get the impression that Amanda is a bit of a flake when it comes to relationships and commitment. However, I also remember that she is at least as quick-witted as Faye, so any interaction could quickly turn into a special invitation Olympic event: Smartassery Badminton.

I'm not sure who 'Sarah' is, but I think Jeph is referring to Sara, a short-term character in the first 100 strips who was Marten's potential love interest back then.

[traroth]

I missed Dora and Faye...

[hakko504]

Actually what I'm really worried about is something from Faye's contribution towards the end.

"Jack is a bitch"

Could she perhaps be talking about Jack Daniels?

Because the rest of the comments from Faye...feel very much like Drunk!Faye and I'm wondering if she's fallen off the wagon.

I was reading that as a take that to some guy whose name is pronounced Jeff Jack...

[Near Lurker]

@jack is the guy who runs Twitter.

Although I agree that she does sound a bit... convivial.

[Tova]

Comic's Up

Now, does anybody have a spare lampshade? Dora seems to have used hers.

(I apologize in advance for the TV Tropes link.)

It was indeed a lampshade, but she also kinda explained the joke...

[Near Lurker]

Wow! Jeph wasn't kidding when (back before Tilly's first appearance) he said he'd been going through his list of characters. How long has it been since we last saw Amanda? The answer? It was over 3,000 strips ago, when Faye helped her and her mother to come to terms with Amanda's sexuality, that's when!

Here's the thing: the most recent appearance I can think of was over 3,000 strips ago, but Faye and her mother never broached the topic in that one - it was when Faye took a trip to Georgia after telling Marten about her father.

[JoeCovenant]

Nothing much to add to any discussion...

But I am now more convinced than ever that Jeph is tinkering with his art stylings..

'Brush' work looks much heavier in places and both Faye and Dora are looking off-model to recent strips.

(I know art evolves.. I mean, look at the first few strips! But this one seems to have suddenly crashed down into place!)

[shanejayell]

Ha! That was a good one. 

[daphne]

I'm sad to see Hannelore go  . I wish Jeph brings her back at some point, I like her character!

[Technoir]

This sure seems like a whole lotta panic over nothing.

You guys realize Jeph is allowed to write in other settings, right? I mean, he just demonstrated he would if he felt like it with Hanners' trip to her mom's office.

So Hannelore being on a trip isn't the same thing as writing her out. Even if she stays on the road for a while we very well might get strips of Hannelore and Winslow abroad, and I don't see any indication from this strip that the plan is to have her disappear from their lives forever anyway.

The comic is not restricted to Coffee of Doom and its immediate surroundings.

Take a breath.

And it's not like this strip takes place in the 1800's.  With the enhanced level of technology in QC-world, Hannelore will easily be able to check in and let her friends know how she's doing. I suspect that we'll hear from her occasionally (maybe in the form of the twitter group chat thing that announced her selfquest)....

[BenRG]

Personally, I think it would be sweet and in-character for Hannelore's friends to decide that they don't want her to forget them. So, every now and then, one of them will send her a long text updating them on the latest events (e.g.: "So, Faye's little sister just 'dropped in' and you'll never guess what happened next!"). The strip will always end in the same way - a silent panel of a smiling (perhaps tearful) Hanners reading her 'phone screen with a different background every time like Angor Wat, Oxford, Machu Piccu, Nazca, El Dorado, K'un-Lun, etc. Maybe for laughs, in the background Winslow running away from the local headhunter tribe (location-specific every time).

Or maybe: "I wonder what Hanners is doing right now?" Cut to her in a yoga position atop a 10-foot high pole, having a cup of tea with a monkey dressed as a sage or sword-fighting with a half-dozen ninja.

Or, for maximum freak-out, an anonymous figure in black standing on the roof of a skyscraper in the same city as ECE's headquarters with the following text in yellow narration boxes: "Dog carcass in alley this morning, tire tread on burst stomach. This city is afraid of me. I have seen it's true face. The streets are extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'Save us!'...

"...and I'll look down, and whisper 'No.'"

Last panel you see it is Hanners wearing a black hood and a domino mask, reflected in Beatrice's office windows.

[A Duck]

Interesting. Jeph went from having a new character in an arc where people were complaining about not seeing old characters and not developing currently active characters to pulling probably the biggest development in a long time (with Hanners) and then jumping to a character that hasn't been properly seen in YEARS.

Trust the Jeph, people. He knows what he's doing.

[TinPenguin]

Jephzibah is certainly moving in mysterious ways...

[JimC]

"how many times can I ask for free drinks before it gets weird"

The answer is never. Over here at least. If a business chooses to let you have free drinks, then that's very nice, but expecting it, let along asking is appalling manners.

[jwhouk]

Of COURSE.

It makes SENSE now.

See, Hanners can't play her role right now in QC, because her character-actor has another gig - and it's gonna take up a LOT of her time for the next three to four years.

Of course, I'm talking about...

[Jedit]

Wow! Jeph wasn't kidding when (back before Tilly's first appearance) he said he'd been going through his list of characters. How long has it been since we last saw Amanda? The answer? It was over 3,000 strips ago, when Faye helped her and her mother to come to terms with Amanda's sexuality, that's when!

I was going to say ... no, no I don't remember Faye's sister.  I've had to come in here for the first time in years to ask.