Questionable Content

Questionable Content

A sample QC panel, featuring characters (L-R) Faye, Marten, and Pintsize.
Author(s) Jeph Jacques
Website questionablecontent.net
Current status / schedule Updates every weekday
Launch date 1 August 2003
Genre(s) Humor/Slice-of-Life

Questionable Content (abbreviated QC) is a slice-of-life webcomic written and drawn by Jeph Jacques. It was launched on August 1, 2003. Jacques currently makes his living exclusively from QC merchandising and advertising, making him one of the few professional webcomic artists. By 2004, Jacques was able to support himself and his future wife based on income from merchandise and advertising sales.[1]

The plot centers on Marten Reed, an indie rock aficionado; his roommate, Faye Whitaker; and Faye's boss, Dora Bianchi. Supporting characters include employees of the local coffee shop, neighbours and anthropomorphized personal computers. QC's storytelling style combines romantic melodrama, sitcom, humor about indie rock music, and sexual humor. The artistic style has notably changed over the lifetime of the comic, as Jacques has been constantly refining his drawing methods. He has on occasion redrawn older strips in his more recent drawing style.

On the 26th of August 2011, the comic reached its 2000th strip.

Contents

Background

In 2003, Jacques worked at a local Easthampton paper answering telephones. According to Jacques, the large amount of free time and access to the Internet led him to read webcomics "as something to do".[2] Jacques stated that of the webcomics he read, "I've always been really interested in music, and indie rock specifically, and I never saw any other comics that dealt with that aspect of our culture. I felt like there was a niche there that would work."[3]

Publication

Originally, Questionable Content was updated twice a week, and later bumped to three strips a week.[4] In September 2004, Jacques left his day job to begin updating Monday through Friday,[5] and kept this schedule even after a knife accident that sliced an artery in his drawing hand in 2006.[6] QC's thousandth strip appeared on October 26, 2007.[7] Unlike many other webcomic artists supported by their work, Jacques has not expanded his business outside of the comic and related merchandise.[8]

According to Jacques, at one point he would have sought newspaper syndication for Questionable Content, but the thought no longer appeals to him because he does not want to surrender editorial freedom.[9] Instead, Jacques planned a Questionable Content book.[9] The first volume was released October 25, 2010[10] and the second on September 9, 2011.[11]

Style

Both the methods of storytelling and the artistic style of the strip have changed considerably since its inception. Originally, Jacques intended the strip to be about "a depressed lonely guy and his robot", but the introduction of the female character Faye led to an increase in Jacques' ideas for the strip.[2] While QC is still seen as one of the main rock comic strips,[12] the story has come to focus more on the character development and humor of the strip.[13] Jacques informed interviewers that he makes sure every individual QC strip "has at least one thing in it that someone who does not know anything about obscure band x would find funny."[14]

Jacques spoke on the evolution of his art in an interview at ComixTalk in March 2006:

The art is constantly changing, as anybody who reads the comic for more than two weeks could probably tell you. I'm always trying different things with the artwork- it's been a goal from day one to continually improve my drawing ability, and I think it's finally beginning to get to the point where I'm halfway decent at it. It's basically survival of the fittest- changes that I think fit in with the overall look I'm going for stick around and get refined, and changes that do not fit in get phased out, sometimes in the course of three or four strips, sometimes over a much longer span of time. I'm trying to get better at using different "camera angles" in each panel and doing more involved backgrounds, both of which are really just a matter of being patient and taking my time with the artwork. There's still tons of room for improvement, and always will be, but I think I'm at least making progress.

—Jeph Jacques, ComixTalk[14]

Jacques uses a Wacom Cintiq graphics tablet[15] (previously a Wacom Intuos) to draw his strips and Adobe Photoshop to color them. He cites Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes and the webcomic Scary Go Round as his main influences.[13]

Synopsis

Setting

Questionable Content takes place in Northampton, Massachusetts; frequent settings include an apartment shared by Marten and Faye; Coffee of Doom, Dora's coffee shop, where Faye, Raven, Penelope and Hannelore work; and Smith College's Williston Library[16] where Marten is employed. (The real Williston Library is at Mount Holyoke College; the public library in Easthampton, Jacques' current residence, is also called the Williston Library. The main library at Smith is Neilson.) The comic is mostly realistic (with occasional bouts of absurdity), and action primarily focuses on banter between the characters, with slowly-progressing plot developments. Due to the emphasis on inter-character dialogue, Jacques rarely uses thought bubbles in the comic.

The comic appears to be set in modern times, though the presence of anthropomorphic robots with individual personalities (called "AnthroPCs" within the comic)[17] implies some sort of futuristic technology. However all music and band references in the comic are current at the time of each individual strip's publishing. The AnthroPCs are the only consistent signs of advanced technology in the series. When other technological advances are referenced, they rarely get developed beyond one or two strips. Some of the memorable technological creations in QC are the Deathbot 9000;[18] a Vespa scooter that transforms into a battle droid;[19] humans living permanently in space, and orbital defense satellites capable of conversation.[20] Jacques remarked of the setting:

Something people do not often realize is that the world in which QC takes place is considerably stranger than our own. You'd think that with all the little talking robots running around everywhere that this would be obvious, but I am consistently surprised at how often people take it for granted.

—Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content[21]

The internal chronology of the strip is somewhat ambiguous; on January 13, 2006, Jeph Jacques stated on a LiveJournal fan community that he has "never sat down and exactly tabulated," but he suspects the total amount of elapsed QC time at that point was "no more than six months."[22] Jacques also estimated that by the 1,400th comic, the elapsed time will have been "greater than six months and less than two years."[23]

Characters

Recognition

Questionable Content was used along with Penny Arcade, Fetus-X and American Elf as an example of comics using the web to create "an explosion of diverse genres and styles" in Scott McCloud's 2006 book Making Comics.[92] The comic has been used in the Create a Comic Project, a New Haven, Connecticut youth literacy program sponsored in part by Yale University.[93]

Questionable Content has been recognized several times by the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards:[94]

Year Wins Nominations
2004
  • Outstanding Newcomer
  • Outstanding Reality Comic
  • Outstanding Romantic Comic
2005
  • Outstanding Romantic Comic
  • Outstanding Character Writing
  • Outstanding Comic
  • Outstanding Reality Comic (honorable mention)
  • Outstanding Character Writing (honorable mention)
2006
  • Outstanding Romantic Comic
  • Outstanding Character Writing
2007
  • Outstanding Character Writing
  • Outstanding Dramatic Comic
  • Outstanding Slice-of-Life Comic
  • Outstanding Romantic Comic
2008
  • Outstanding Character Writing

References

  1. ^ Villarreal, Yvonne (2009-05-22). "Comic strip artists feeling the squeeze". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-comic-strips22-2009may22,0,1154522.story. Retrieved 2009-05-22. 
  2. ^ a b Brown, Joel (2008-08-29). "No question, he's a success; Easthampton artist's comic strip is a surprise hit on the Web (pg. 1)". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2008/08/29/no_question_hes_a_success/. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 
  3. ^ Farnsworth, Anna (2007-10-21). "From doodles to Web star; Artist fulfills dream, finds success with online comic strip". The Boston Globe: p. R10. 
  4. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "You're Ruining The Moment (Newspost)". Questionable Content. http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=16. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 
  5. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "I Am Sorry, Arcade Fire Dude (Newspost)". Questionable Content. http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=178. Retrieved 2008-07-29. 
  6. ^ Jacques, Jeph (2006-10-17). "Is it whining if I had a serious medical emergency? Probably". Questionable Content. http://qcjeph.livejournal.com/62135.html. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 
  7. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Gratuitous Nudity!". Questionable Content. http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1000. Retrieved 2008-09-08. 
  8. ^ Hiltzig, Andrew (2007-07-28). "Big boys enter the Web-comic arena". Los Angeles Times: p. E20. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jul/28/entertainment/et-webcomics28. Retrieved 2008-07-31. 
  9. ^ a b Brown, Joel (2008-08-29). "No question, he's a success; Easthampton artist's comic strip is a surprise hit on the Web (pg. 2)". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2008/08/29/no_question_hes_a_success/?page=2. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 
  10. ^ Jacques, Jeph (2010-10-25). "It Does a Body Good (Newspost)". Questionable Content. http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1781. Retrieved 2010-10-25. 
  11. ^ Jacques, Jeph (2011-09-09). "PokeMasters (Newspost)". Questionable Content. http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2010. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  12. ^ Moorman, Trent (2007-03-06). "Toilet Humor". The Stranger. http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=171354. Retrieved 2008-07-31. 
  13. ^ a b O'Rourke, Matt (2007-03-16). "Pioneer Valley comic artist uses the web to reach readers". The Daily Collegian. http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper874/news/2005/01/25/ArtsLiving/Pioneer.Valley.Comic.Artist.Uses.The.Web.To.Reach.Readers-1557946.shtml. Retrieved 2008-07-31. 
  14. ^ a b Curtis, George (March 2006). "Questionable Creator: George Curtis Interviews Jeph Jacques". ComixTalk. http://comixtalk.com/index.php?q=node/7276. Retrieved 2008-07-31. 
  15. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Over The Bodies Of The Fallen". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1040. 
  16. ^ a b Jacques, Jeph. "That One Never Gets Old". Questionable Content. http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=691. 
  17. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Accostation". Questionable Content. http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=428. 
  18. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "A Very Literal Flame-War". Questionable Content. http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=642. Retrieved 2009-02-14. 
  19. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Custom Package". Questionable Content. http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=745. Retrieved 2009-02-14. 
  20. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Made from Cows?". Questionable Content. http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=665. Retrieved 2009-02-14. 
  21. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Her Arch-Nemesis."
  22. ^ Jacques, Jeph (2006-01-13). "Question". QC_Comic. LiveJournal. http://community.livejournal.com/qc_comic/187089.html. Retrieved 2008-07-31. 
  23. ^ "About". Questionable Content. 1 May 2009. http://questionablecontent.net/about.php. Retrieved 1 May 2009. 
  24. ^ a b Ordonorff, Patrick (2008-08-18). "10 Great Webcomics You Should Not Share With Your Kids". Wired. http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2008/08/10-geeky-webcom.html. Retrieved 2008-09-03. 
  25. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "A Democratic Decision". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=554. 
  26. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Bad News". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=910. 
  27. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "The Talk, Part 5". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=504. 
  28. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "The Most Dangerous Toast". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=22. 
  29. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Poison Dart Insults". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=751. 
  30. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Burns". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=143. 
  31. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Achtung Nipple". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=13. 
  32. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Vision Test". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=69. 
  33. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Microcosm". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=123. 
  34. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Don't Say It". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=172. 
  35. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Questions". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=186. 
  36. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "He Is So Smooth". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=305. 
  37. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "No Fit State". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1818. 
  38. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Miss Manners". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1080. 
  39. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "NSFW Content". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1334. 
  40. ^ a b Jacques, Jeph. "True Professionals". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3. 
  41. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Cockegaard". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1667. 
  42. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "SURPRISE". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1724. 
  43. ^ a b Jacques, Jeph. "Lose 4 Turns". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1725. 
  44. ^ a b Jacques, Jeph. "Her Blemfrem". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1943. 
  45. ^ a b Jacques, Jeph. "Much Too Much Information". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1047. 
  46. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Hipster Sweeties". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=116. 
  47. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Manly Drinks". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=82. 
  48. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Lost In Translation". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=293. 
  49. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Cheat Sheets". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1746. 
  50. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Tracking Sounds Alone". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1799. 
  51. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Provocative". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=75. 
  52. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Dreams Come True". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1224. 
  53. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Be Prepared". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=556. 
  54. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Those Damn Windows Took Forever To Draw". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=313. 
  55. ^ a b Jacques, Jeph. "I Would Be Terrible At That Job". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=523. 
  56. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Shame,shame". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1549. 
  57. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Actually They Do It In Every Song". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=864. 
  58. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Smokin' In The Boys Room". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=515. 
  59. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Post-Dinner Conversation". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=562. 
  60. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Holy, Shining Flower". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=376. 
  61. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Quite Beyond Her". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=444. 
  62. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Nice Jacket, Raven". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=488. 
  63. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Stop Poking Me". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1509. 
  64. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Mneep Mneep". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=423. 
  65. ^ Japanese dictionary entry for 姫
  66. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Hot Topic is going to sue me". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=46. 
  67. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Curses". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=102. 
  68. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "QC Cast Page". Questionable Content. Archived from the original on 2008-02-09. http://web.archive.org/web/20080209200653/http://questionablecontent.net/cast.php. Retrieved 2008-09-05. 
  69. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Her Name Is Tortura And She Is Happy To Meet You". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1350. 
  70. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Ask and Ye Shall Receive". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1543. 
  71. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Comrades At Arms". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1718. 
  72. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Achy Breaky". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=330. 
  73. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Break Out The Polygraph". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=797. 
  74. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Check Your Local Listings". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1081. 
  75. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "He's Quite Tall". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=328. 
  76. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Humans Have Problems Too". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=877. 
  77. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "For Some Reason A Witty Title Is Eluding Me". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=725. 
  78. ^ a b Jacques, Jeph. "...OR IS SHE???". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=698. 
  79. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Not Sure What Her Super-Power Actually Is". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=374. 
  80. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Mo Chaucer Mo Problems". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1932. 
  81. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Or Born To Be Wild". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1432. 
  82. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Those Poor Horsies". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=527. 
  83. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Stephen Colbert Incorporated". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1384. 
  84. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Regularity". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=710. 
  85. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "All That And A Bottle Of De Grave". http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1123. 
  86. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "FOR THE HORDE". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1668. 
  87. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Oh The Memories". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1534. 
  88. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "YAOI ZONE". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1413. 
  89. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Secret Crush". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1628. 
  90. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Just Because You're Paranoid". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1411. 
  91. ^ Jacques, Jeph. "Odd Time For An Alarm". http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1992. 
  92. ^ McCloud, Scott (2006). Making Comics. New York: Harper Collins. pp. 227. ISBN 0-06-078094-0. OCLC 71225478. 
  93. ^ McLoughlin, Pamela (2007-03-19). "Cartoons propel creative process". New Haven Register. http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18096585&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=624602&rfi=8. Retrieved 2008-07-31. 
  94. ^ "WCCA Awards". http://www.ccawards.com/. Retrieved 2008-09-13. 

External links