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 August 1, 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 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 then fiancée based on income from merchandise and advertising sales.[1] On July 11, 2015, the comic reached its 3000th strip.[2]

The plot centers on Marten Reed, an indie rock aficionado; his roommate, Faye Whitaker; and their friend, 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 while considering questions of relationships, futurism, artificial intelligence, sexuality, and dealing with emotional trauma. The artistic style has notably changed over the lifetime of the comic. Occasionally older strips were redrawn in a more recent drawing style.

Background

In 2003, Jacques worked at a local Easthampton, Massachusetts, newspaper 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".[3] 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."[4]

Publication

Questionable Content was originally updated twice a week and later bumped to three strips a week.[5] In September 2004, Jacques left his day job to begin updating Monday through Friday.[6][7][8] QC's thousandth strip appeared on October 26, 2007[9] and on August 26, 2011, the comic reached its milestone 2000th strip.[10] Unlike many other webcomic artists supported by their work, Jacques has not expanded his business outside of the comic and related merchandise.[11]

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.[12] Instead, Jacques planned a Questionable Content book.[12] The first volume was released October 25, 2010,[13] containing the first 299 strips of the webcomic, the second on September 9, 2011,[14] containing the second set of strips numbered 300 to 599 and the third in October 2012, containing strips 600 to 899.

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.[3] While QC is still seen as one of the main rock comic strips,[15] the story has come to focus more on the character development and humor of the strip.[16] 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."[17]

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[17]

Jacques uses a Wacom Cintiq graphics tablet[18] (previously a Wacom Intuos) to draw his strips and Adobe Photoshop to color them. He cites Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and the webcomic Scary Go Round as his main influences.[16]

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 Raven, Penelope, Emily, Cosette and Hannelore work; and Smif College's Williston Library[19] where Marten is employed. (The real Williston Library is at Mount Holyoke College; the public library in Easthampton, Jacques's former residence, is also called the Williston Library. The main library at Smith—our universe's analogue to Smif—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)[20] 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;[21] a Vespa scooter that transforms into a battle droid;[22] humans living permanently in space, and orbital defense satellites capable of conversation.[23] 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[24]

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."[25] In a Q&A Tumblr post on January 23, 2012, Jacques estimated that it had been "at least a couple years in comic-time since the strip started."[26]

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.[111] The comic has been used in the Create a Comic Project, a New Haven, Connecticut youth literacy program sponsored in part by Yale University.[112]

Questionable Content has been recognized several times by the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards:[113]

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 (May 22, 2009). "Comic strip artists feeling the squeeze". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  2. Jacques, Jeph (10 July 2015). "Post-Beyonce Comedown". QuestionableContent. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Joel (August 29, 2008). "No question, he's a success; Easthampton artist's comic strip is a surprise hit on the Web (pg. 1)". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  4. Farnsworth, Anna (October 21, 2007). "From doodles to Web star; Artist fulfills dream, finds success with online comic strip". The Boston Globe. p. R10.
  5. Jacques, Jeph. "You're Ruining The Moment (Newspost)". QuestionableContent.net. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  6. Jacques, Jeph. "I Am Sorry, Arcade Fire Dude (Newspost)". QuestionableContent.net. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  7. Jacques, Jeph (October 17, 2006). "Is it whining if I had a serious medical emergency? Probably". QuestionableContent.net. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  8. Jacques, Jeph. "Number 732: Bad Color Scheme". QuestionableContent.net.
  9. Jacques, Jeph. "Gratuitous Nudity!". QuestionableContent.net. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  10. (ref name=qc2000Jacques, Jeph. "Yaoizone.cx". QuestionableContent.net. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  11. Hiltzig, Andrew (July 28, 2007). "Big boys enter the Web-comic arena". Los Angeles Times. p. E20. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  12. 1 2 Brown, Joel (August 29, 2008). "No question, he's a success; Easthampton artist's comic strip is a surprise hit on the Web (pg. 2)". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  13. Jacques, Jeph (October 25, 2010). "It Does a Body Good (Newspost)". Questionable Content. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  14. Jacques, Jeph (September 9, 2011). "PokeMasters (Newspost)". Questionable Content. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  15. Moorman, Trent (March 6, 2007). "Toilet Humor". The Stranger. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  16. 1 2 O'Rourke, Matt (March 16, 2007). "Pioneer Valley comic artist uses the web to reach readers". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  17. 1 2 Curtis, George (March 2006). "Questionable Creator: George Curtis Interviews Jeph Jacques". ComixTalk.com. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  18. Jacques, Jeph. "Over The Bodies Of The Fallen".
  19. 1 2 Jacques, Jeph. "That One Never Gets Old". QuestionableContent.net.
  20. Jacques, Jeph. "Accostation". QuestionableContent.net.
  21. Jacques, Jeph. "A Very Literal Flame-War". QuestionableContent.net. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  22. Jacques, Jeph. "Custom Package". QuestionableContent.net. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  23. Jacques, Jeph. "Made from Cows?". QuestionableContent.net. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  24. Jacques, Jeph. "Her Arch-Nemesis."
  25. Jacques, Jeph (January 13, 2006). "Question". QC_Comic. LiveJournal. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  26. Jacques, Jeph (January 23, 2012). "QA Dump #24". jephjacques.com. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  27. 1 2 Ordonorff, Patrick (August 18, 2008). "10 Great Webcomics You Should Not Share With Your Kids". Wired. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  28. Jacques, Jeph. "A Democratic Decision".
  29. Jacques, Jeph. "Bad News".
  30. 1 2 Jacques, Jeph. "True Professionals".
  31. Jacques, Jeph. "The Talk, Part 5".
  32. Jacques, Jeph. "The Most Dangerous Toast".
  33. Jacques, Jeph. "Poison Dart Insults".
  34. Jacques, Jeph. "Burns".
  35. Jacques, Jeph. "Achtung Nipple".
  36. Jacques, Jeph. "Vision Test".
  37. Jacques, Jeph. "Microcosm".
  38. Jacques, Jeph. "Don't Say It".
  39. Jacques, Jeph. "Questions".
  40. Jacques, Jeph. "He Is So Smooth".
  41. Jacques, Jeph. "No Fit State".
  42. Jacques, Jeph. "Miss Manners".
  43. Jacques, Jeph. "NSFW Content".
  44. Jacques, Jeph. "Cockegaard".
  45. Jacques, Jeph. "SURPRISE".
  46. 1 2 Jacques, Jeph. "Lose 4 Turns".
  47. 1 2 Jacques, Jeph. "Her Blemfrem".
  48. 1 2 http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2815
  49. Rosenberg, Alyssa (January 22, 2015). "How webcomics gave us a fresh take on women and alcohol". Washington Post. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  50. Jacques, Jeph. "Homeward Bound".
  51. 1 2 Jacques, Jeph. "Much Too Much Information".
  52. Jacques, Jeph. "Hipster Sweeties".
  53. Jacques, Jeph. "Manly Drinks".
  54. Jacques, Jeph. "Lost In Translation".
  55. Jacques, Jeph. "Cheat Sheets".
  56. Jacques, Jeph. "Tracking Sounds Alone".
  57. Jacques, Jeph. "Provocative".
  58. http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1944
  59. http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2246
  60. Jacques, Jeph. "Dreams Come True".
  61. Jacques, Jeph. "Be Prepared".
  62. Jacques, Jeph. "Those Damn Windows Took Forever To Draw".
  63. Jacques, Jeph. "I Would Be Terrible At That Job".
  64. Jacques, Jeph. "7kHz at 120dB".
  65. Jacques, Jeph. "Shame,shame".
  66. Jacques, Jeph. "Actually They Do It In Every Song".
  67. Jacques, Jeph. "Smokin' In The Boys Room".
  68. Jacques, Jeph. "Stephen Colbert Incorporated".
  69. Jacques, Jeph. "Regularity".
  70. Jacques, Jeph. "All That And A Bottle Of De Grave".
  71. Jacques, Jeph. "FOR THE HORDE".
  72. Jacques, Jeph. "Oh The Memories".
  73. Jacques, Jeph. "YAOI ZONE".
  74. Jacques, Jeph. "Secret Crush".
  75. Jacques, Jeph. "Just Because You're Paranoid".
  76. Jacques, Jeph. "Odd Time For An Alarm".
  77. Jacques, Jeph. "Post-Dinner Conversation".
  78. Jacques, Jeph. "Holy, Shining Flower".
  79. Jacques, Jeph. "Quite Beyond Her".
  80. Jacques, Jeph. "Nice Jacket, Raven".
  81. Jacques, Jeph. "Stop Poking Me".
  82. Jacques, Jeph. "Mneep Mneep".
  83. Japanese dictionary entry for 姫
  84. Jacques, Jeph. "Hot Topic is going to sue me".
  85. Jacques, Jeph. "Curses".
  86. Jacques, Jeph. "QC Cast Page". QuestionableContent.net. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
  87. Jacques, Jeph. "Her Name Is Tortura And She Is Happy To Meet You".
  88. Jacques, Jeph. "Ask and Ye Shall Receive".
  89. Jacques, Jeph. "Comrades At Arms".
  90. Jacques, Jeph. "Achy Breaky".
  91. Jacques, Jeph. "Break Out The Polygraph".
  92. Jacques, Jeph. "Check Your Local Listings".
  93. Jacques, Jeph. "He's Quite Tall".
  94. Jacques, Jeph. "Humans Have Problems Too".
  95. Jacques, Jeph. "For Some Reason A Witty Title Is Eluding Me".
  96. 1 2 Jacques, Jeph. "...OR IS SHE???".
  97. Jacques, Jeph. "Not Sure What Her Super-Power Actually Is".
  98. Jacques, Jeph. "Mo Chaucer Mo Problems".
  99. Jacques, Jeph. "Or Born To Be Wild".
  100. http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3106
  101. 1 2 Jacques, Jeph. "Hubbert's Peak".
  102. Jacques, Jeph. "A Budding Romance".
  103. Jacques, Jeph. "Roamin' Candles".
  104. Jacques, Jeph. "So Sweet And Demure".
  105. Jacques, Jeph. "The Man Who Fell To Earth".
  106. Jacques, Jeph. "Everybody Likes Dale".
  107. Jacques, Jeph. "Acid Meet Base".
  108. Jacques, Jeph. "Willingly Ignorant".
  109. Jacques, Jeph. "Nose Grows Some".
  110. Jacques, Jeph. "You And Me".
  111. McCloud, Scott (2006). Making Comics. New York City: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-078094-0.
  112. McLoughlin, Pamela (March 19, 2007). "Cartoons propel creative process". New Haven Register. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
  113. "WCCA Awards". Retrieved September 13, 2008.
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