Questionable Content XIX: Give Jeph Just A *Little* Credit, Here

[Traab]

Space is the ocean on steroids. Every part of it wants to kill you. And in fact is actively trying to kill you in a dozen ways slow fast and medium speed. And yet people still want to go there.

[Agi Hammerthief]

Space is the ocean on steroids. Every part of it wants to kill you. And in fact is actively trying to kill you in a dozen ways slow fast and medium speed. And yet people still want to go there.

it’s a corporate billionaire’s wet dream: A place where they can charge for the air their workers need to breathe.

[Beelzebub1111]

A former cult member runs a yoga studio. That's an interesting reversal. Usually it's the yoga studios that get you to join cults.

[Wraith]

In defence of Willow, I did a lot of LARPing in my teens and early 20's, and I know for a fact that I met more than a few people who were barely a tiny hop, step, and laminated card away from unironically worshipping Cthulhu. A handful of them even brought actual Kool Aid to events (the fruity kind, not the... y'know....)

I'm not sure where I was going with this anecdote. Something about the increased need for mental health support within the community, possibly.

Also; obligatory crude euphemism about earning the rank of head wizard. I think most of us would be proud of such an accomplishment.

[BRC]

A former cult member runs a yoga studio. That's an interesting reversal. Usually it's the yoga studios that get you to join cults.

Eh, I could see it. The renfaire aesthetic aside, If this was a new-agey cult it's possible they did a lot of Yoga there, so that would be one of Willow's marketable skills after she left, I doubt living in a yoga renfair cult for most of her life would result in her having the sort of educational background needed for a lot of careers.


Also, here's hoping that Jeph leaves this as an interesting background bit for Willow, rather than trying to do a Thing About Cults And How Cult Survivors Are Affected By Their Experiences.

[VoxRationis]

Well, so much for those hopes...

It strikes me as kind of unusual that Willow would have left such a community and still be so New Age-y, rather than becoming some sort of Calvinist ascetic or the like. I was under the impression that people who leave controlling subcultural groups tend to exhibit something of a hardline reaction to their points of origin (though I'll admit I don't have a rigorous data set on such instances).

[Traab]

Well, so much for those hopes...

It strikes me as kind of unusual that Willow would have left such a community and still be so New Age-y, rather than becoming some sort of Calvinist ascetic or the like. I was under the impression that people who leave controlling subcultural groups tend to exhibit something of a hardline reaction to their points of origin (though I'll admit I don't have a rigorous data set on such instances).

It sounds more like it was her parents that got her out so maybe she doesnt have the same visceral reaction to rejecting the old life.

[Beelzebub1111]

at what point does teasing girl/girl relationships stop being progressive and start being a fetish? I feel like jeph is teetering on that line.

[Lumus]

The angle on Willow's spine there is horrifying. That is extremely broken.

[Traab]

The angle on Willow's spine there is horrifying. That is extremely broken.

Its a Marvel to see.

Spoiler

Show

[Radar]

Its a Marvel to see.

Spoiler

Show

Super Stupor parodied it excellently, but the site is unfortunately not working currently. It is however stored by archive.org.

[geoduck]

On the QC Reddit forum, there's a guy who does a parody re-dub of every strip which often features much better dialogue than the original. With this one, he replaced Willow with a picture a flexing She-Hulk in a catsuit.

[Wraith]

I renew my complaint that this looks like the lamest party ever conceived. No food, no mood lighting, just 5 drunk girls being stared out by a weapons-grade tsundere edgelord....

What even would a song to which you can twerk AND do The Monkey AND The Robot AND ballroom twirls even sound like?

at what point does teasing girl/girl relationships stop being progressive and start being a fetish? I feel like jeph is teetering on that line.

For me it was the point where he introduced Faye's sister's girlfriend, Evie, who we had never seen before and have not seen since, had her look straight down the camera, and all but explain to Faye that she had feelings for Bubbles. Up until that point it was cute, not-quite-subtext that was inevitably going to end in romance but at least teased the possibility that it could have gone either way, but Evie was a literal Deus Sex Machina where Jeph invented a lesbian couple in order to directly arrange another one.

I know that Amanda was established as being gay for a while so that isn't so surprising, but for her to turn up unannounced with a new character in tow who fulfills exactly one function and then is never mentioned again feels like Jeph just gave up on storytelling and started slamming his action figures together, unable to wait to get to 'the good stuff' no matter how abrupt or unsatisfying it was.

[Beelzebub1111]

Clinton: *Literally Just Stands There.*
Claire: Ugh I hope that guy dies and goes away forever that weirdo freak. Stop Embarasing me.

And we are supposed to like Claire?

[Keltest]

Clinton: *Literally Just Stands There.*
Claire: Ugh I hope that guy dies and goes away forever that weirdo freak. Stop Embarasing me.

And we are supposed to like Claire?

Is this the same Clinton who just admitted to stalking his sister's colleagues?

[Rodin]

Is this the same Clinton who just admitted to stalking his sister's colleagues?

No, it's the Clinton who is about to admit to stalking his sister's colleagues.

Let's go through the strip. First, we're told that we aren't seeing Eliot, despite this being the single best time to reintroduce him and allow us to see him again. "I've got work in the morning" is apparently code for "Help help I've been eaten by an Allosaurus."

Then Claire comes in and doesn't give any kind of greeting to the brother she's about to move hundreds of miles away from. Instead, she hands him over to Liz like he's a dead raccoon in a paper bag. This is before he's said anything.

Then Clinton admits to creeping on Claire's colleagues, when a much simpler "I heard about you from Claire and I like science" would have sufficed.

And Liz's response on hearing that somebody is actually interested in her work (after just getting over a major breakdown about said work) is to arrogantly dismiss them and demand they write a paper on it!?

Our wacky cast of sitcom characters, ladies and gentlemen! Aren't they fun to hang out with? Aren't you invested in their relationships?

What's most infuriating is the strip from Monday with Faye, Marten, and Pintsize. A classic QC conversation with friends riffing on each others jokes. And every time we flash back to them, I get the same vibe - Jeph can write like that still, he is actively choosing not to.

[Beelzebub1111]

Not to mention that Liz unironically did the "Oh you like <band>, name 5 of their songs" meme that people stereotype male fans as doing.

also, I think stalking is a bit strong for what he's doing. If my sister is a literary agent and I look up info author's she's representing, how is that stalking?

[Traab]

Not to mention that Liz unironically did the "Oh you like <band>, name 5 of their songs" meme that people stereotype male fans as doing.

also, I think stalking is a bit strong for what he's doing. If my sister is a literary agent and I look up info author's she's representing, how is that stalking?

Honestly, thats more of a generic gatekeeping thing than a male music fan thing. Though it does get ascribed to guys more often. Im pretty sure thats sexist. /serious nod. But yeah "Oh you like xmen? name 72 members of the team!" "Oh you like star trek? How many times has worf been worfed in tng alone?" "Oh you like nickelback? GET OUT!"

[Mechalich]

Reading someone's dissertation - which is what Clinton says he did - would be kind of creepy, mostly because a dissertation averages 250-300 pages in length (though admittedly, in STEM a good half of that can be some combination of tables, figures, and works cited). It's not like reading a 1000-word paper in Nature or even a 10-page paper in Ecology or something. Also, usually dissertations are only published by the university and to get a look at one you have to go an specifically ask for a copy (I referenced a Master's thesis from the 1970s once, it had to be mailed to me via interlibrary loan). Usually, however, if a dissertation contains legitimate publication quality work, portions of it will have been published in proper journals prior to the completion of the degree.

[Beelzebub1111]

Well I appreciate the attempt to have Clinton stand up for himself after constantly being talked down to by his family members. (#relatable) Although I'm not sure that was the intent.

[Traab]

Reading someone's dissertation - which is what Clinton says he did - would be kind of creepy, mostly because a dissertation averages 250-300 pages in length (though admittedly, in STEM a good half of that can be some combination of tables, figures, and works cited). It's not like reading a 1000-word paper in Nature or even a 10-page paper in Ecology or something. Also, usually dissertations are only published by the university and to get a look at one you have to go an specifically ask for a copy (I referenced a Master's thesis from the 1970s once, it had to be mailed to me via interlibrary loan). Usually, however, if a dissertation contains legitimate publication quality work, portions of it will have been published in proper journals prior to the completion of the degree.

Its also possible that its become widely read because its from the latest teen genius. i could see there being a lot of professional interest in the scientific community over what sort of work this person is releasing when normally they wouldnt care much about random phd student #76534756.

[Errorname]

The combination of the jarring cut between panels 2 and 3 plus Liz's cybernetic arms being easy to read as just human arms with armbands made this comic considerably stranger than it needed to be.

[Beelzebub1111]

How long has claire been making the same joke about his hand that he feels the need to open with that? Guy gets his hand blown off by a firecracker and that's not bad enough?

Do we ever get a reason WHY Claire treats her brother like ass?

[Keltest]

How long has claire been making the same joke about his hand that he feels the need to open with that? Guy gets his hand blown off by a firecracker and that's not bad enough?

Do we ever get a reason WHY Claire treats her brother like ass?

Because theyre siblings? Unironically. Claire is actually rather tame compared to how some of my family behaves towards their siblings.

[Beelzebub1111]

I guess I'd feel better about it if he gave as good as he got, but from what I've seen it's mostly Claire being dismissive or talking down to her brother and he just sulks over it.

But I feel like if he tried to snipe back everyone would shut him down with a "not cool" look and he would have to learn a lesson.

[Keltest]

I guess I'd feel better about it if he gave as good as he got, but from what I've seen it's mostly Claire being dismissive or talking down to her brother and he just sulks over it.

But I feel like if he tried to snipe back everyone would shut him down with a "not cool" look and he would have to learn a lesson.

Clinton has a mental image of himself as the protective sibling, something Claire has been shown to understand but not especially appreciate in the past. On top of that he's... shall we say, awkward. Claire's trepidation about him putting his foot in his mouth is not especially unwarranted.

[Durazno]

Also, before Willow interrupted, we could view this as Claire's treatment of Clinton blowing up in her face.

[Cikomyr2]

I have to say i loved this cutaway joke.

[Beelzebub1111]

"we might be 2-dimensional data on an infinite surface" haha. it's funny because they are.

"reality may be a lie and all past and future experiences may be fabricated at any instant" Okay, the physicist crossed over into navel gazing philosophy. We have been talking about this since 400 BC. Ultimately it doesn't matter if reality is a fabricated illusion of our memories, we experience events in a continuity and treat other people as though they do because it's polite to assume the other people around you are not automatons, and we hope they afford you the same respect. We call that "society."

[Traab]

I mean, when your realm of research is the basic underpinnings of reality and how it all works, id imagine its hard to not get philosophical from time to time.