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

[Radar]

Maybe its a hank scorpio scenario? Yeah bad guy, but takes really good care of his people.

If it was Hank Scorpio, Cubetown would be way better managed and all the employees would be taken care of according to their needs. The whole debacle with Liz could never happen in Globex.

[Ionathus]

It doesn't piss me off, but I do find it pretty weird that Dora & Marten think "teaching how to pull a shot" carries any significance at all. Dora being paranoid about it would fit Dora's past neuroses, if I had any belief that's intentional on Jeph's part. Marten's immediate agreement makes me think that's just Jeph's overall opinion. Which is just plain silly.

As others have said, if I was starting a business, I would want to spend as much time as possible learning from the person in my life who has owned a similar business for years, not the person in my life who did it for a few months and hated it. Dora has trained at least half a dozen baristas -- including Claire. She's the obvious choice. The "always talk about Claire" joke is overdone but also not totally off base

[Traab]

It doesn't piss me off, but I do find it pretty weird that Dora & Marten think "teaching how to pull a shot" carries any significance at all. Dora being paranoid about it would fit Dora's past neuroses, if I had any belief that's intentional on Jeph's part. Marten's immediate agreement makes me think that's just Jeph's overall opinion. Which is just plain silly.

As others have said, if I was starting a business, I would want to spend as much time as possible learning from the person in my life who has owned a similar business for years, not the person in my life who did it for a few months and hated it. Dora has trained at least half a dozen baristas -- including Claire. She's the obvious choice. The "always talk about Claire" joke is overdone but also not totally off base

I mean, you cant really sell coffee if you cant make coffee. At least, not the way most people think of when they think coffee shop.

[Ionathus]

I mean, you cant really sell coffee if you cant make coffee. At least, not the way most people think of when they think coffee shop.

Sorry, what do you mean by this? I agree with you -- I just think Dora would be a better teacher than Claire.

[Traab]

Sorry, what do you mean by this? I agree with you -- I just think Dora would be a better teacher than Claire.

It was in answer to your issue with teaching him to pull a shot at all. While yes, dude needs a lot of business training too, being able to make the product he intends to sell is also pretty high up there on importance, and fairly easy to teach as we see here. Once he gets the basics down its a matter of practice.

[Ionathus]

It was in answer to your issue with teaching him to pull a shot at all. While yes, dude needs a lot of business training too, being able to make the product he intends to sell is also pretty high up there on importance, and fairly easy to teach as we see here. Once he gets the basics down its a matter of practice.

Ah, I see what you mean! Thanks for clarifying.

When I said "carries any significance at all," I should've specified "relationship significance." Learning how to pull a shot is absolutely important for him becoming a coffee shop owner (*heavy sigh* I still can't believe that's what we're going with). It's just really weird for both of them to attach relationship baggage to a pretty straightforward skill training.

Of course, Dora worrying she's overstepped is understandable, because she had control issues when she was dating Marten. Marten agreeing that her worries are valid is the part that really annoyed me.

[Cikomyr2]

Ohhh performative underdogging.

I mean, group therapy can take weird turn eh?

[Beelzebub1111]

Was ayo a freshman psych major? Because shes doing the "I have this thing that I just heard about based on a single symptom, maybe you have that thing too."

[Durazno]

Marten might have rolled with it, knowing that Dora has those issues. Rolling with things is kind of his thing, to his detriment.

[Traab]

Marten might have rolled with it, knowing that Dora has those issues. Rolling with things is kind of his thing, to his detriment.

Normally its not. Being able to roll with whats going on around you isnt a bad trait by itself, there are just times when rolling with it isnt a good option. Like here, there was no reason for him to object to dora palming off teaching him to pull a shot to claire.

[Ionathus]

Normally its not. Being able to roll with whats going on around you isnt a bad trait by itself, there are just times when rolling with it isnt a good option. Like here, there was no reason for him to object to dora palming off teaching him to pull a shot to claire.

He's not just "not objecting" to Dora's statement -- he's agreeing with it wholeheartedly. He says that he was thinking it too.

[Beelzebub1111]

Is this the first time the disorder was given a name? Did I miss some therapy where she was diagnosed with anything or is this a backpedal to disassociate this from the dysphoria analog that he was going for in the beginning.

[VoxRationis]

I think this might be the first time it's been mentioned as a pseudo-official diagnosis.

Does Union Robotics keep its door only half-open throughout its operating hours? I feel like we've had a bunch of scenes of people ducking under it, and it looks as though it's in the same position the whole conversation in this latest strip.

[BRC]

Looks like it. They seem to be set up in an old garage and keep the door half open. There's probably a real door people can use, but everybody just ducks under the garage door.

[Cikomyr2]

I actually love the whole "treating it like Roko is ***really*** hurt and needs comforting because her knee isnt just a replaceable piece of hardware" is actually acknowledged.

**** Ayo and Liz. I actually empathise a lot more to Roko's struggle to be happy with her body. Even if its for an ill that is utterly alien to me.

[Errorname]

I actually empathise a lot more to Roko's struggle to be happy with her body. Even if its for an ill that is utterly alien to me.

I really like Roko as a character, honestly, usually happy to see her

[Wraith]

Looks like it. They seem to be set up in an old garage and keep the door half open. There's probably a real door people can use, but everybody just ducks under the garage door.

On Reddit, there's a guy called SquirrelClamp who does strip-slays of Questionable Content. The goal isn't so much "rewrite QC to make it better/funnier", but more along the lines of "have the characters narrate both a bit of snark and give a 'iteral reading' of what is happening in the comic. The first two panels for todays strip-slay go like this:

Faye: "Holy sh-BUBS! I think we have an actual customer!"
Roko: "Try raising the goddamn door so it looks like your store is open."

Also, I resume my complaints about Jeph's blocking of characters.

Panel 1: Roko enters Stage Right.
Panel 2: Zoom, Roko remains Stage Right.
Panel 3: Truck the camera 180 degrees left to show Roko, that damned Desktop computer and the blank grey wall from the opposite side of the room
Panel 4: Truck 90 degrees back to the right. Teleport Faye to Stage Right and have her talk over her shoulder to the person now stood behind her.

Just... Why? Have Roko enter from Stage Left, and make Faye walk to the right, where Bubbles is? Why spin your characters around like this, for the sake of showing a plain brown rectangle of a door? If you must show a particular angle, put up a poster or an easter egg or something worth seeing!

[BRC]

On Reddit, there's a guy called SquirrelClamp who does strip-slays of Questionable Content. The goal isn't so much "rewrite QC to make it better/funnier", but more along the lines of "have the characters narrate both a bit of snark and give a 'iteral reading' of what is happening in the comic. The first two panels for todays strip-slay go like this:

Faye: "Holy sh-BUBS! I think we have an actual customer!"
Roko: "Try raising the goddamn door so it looks like your store is open."

Also, I resume my complaints about Jeph's blocking of characters.

Panel 1: Roko enters Stage Right.
Panel 2: Zoom, Roko remains Stage Right.
Panel 3: Truck the camera 180 degrees left to show Roko, that damned Desktop computer and the blank grey wall from the opposite side of the room
Panel 4: Truck 90 degrees back to the right. Teleport Faye to Stage Right and have her talk over her shoulder to the person now stood behind her.

Just... Why? Have Roko enter from Stage Left, and make Faye walk to the right, where Bubbles is? Why spin your characters around like this, for the sake of showing a plain brown rectangle of a door? If you must show a particular angle, put up a poster or an easter egg or something worth seeing!

The easy answer: Dialogue ordering

I can't speak to the exact blocking of the scene, but the initial panels have Faye speaking before Roko, and then fay "Crosses" roko, so the last panel can be Roko->Faye->Bubbles without doing weird dialogue bubble tricks to make the order clear.

[Ionathus]

I really like Roko as a character, honestly, usually happy to see her

Same. Most of Roko's plots have felt pretty interesting and her struggles with her body adjustment were a unique and interesting bit of storytelling. Not always: I didn't care for the social media rant arc, and her weird dynamic with Spookybot, going from "Scary Omnipotent AI God" to "Teasable Younger Sibling" haven't done it for me, but other than that she's a pretty likeable character for me.

[Erloas]

Having people walk around when talking, especially in this context seems entirely appropriate and not at all weird.
Having people, especially friends and regulars, coming through a garage door rather than the front door also tracks for a "local mechanic garage" like they're essentially being.

It just seems like a lot of people are hurting for things to complain about.

[Errorname]

It is a cruel trick to taunt me with a scene switch to characters I actually like to go back to these two jokers again.

Also, I resume my complaints about Jeph's blocking of characters.

I feel very bad about saying this but I'm usually impressed when I see like, basic competence or even creativity with scene blocking in this comic. It's always felt very cheap sitcom to me, minimum viable visuals to convey the dialogue.

[Beelzebub1111]

There is a word for people who ask for forgiveness instead of permission. The line "but what if she says no?" is very telling to ayo's character and priorities and none of them say good things. Someone to extract yourself from with extreme prejudice. Of course Dora hired her without an interview because she didn't want to hire someone who...seems genuinely positive and is a morning person. If there's one thing you don't want in a coffee shop is someone who is happy to get up in the morning and greet the day with a smile?

[Radar]

It is a cruel trick to taunt me with a scene switch to characters I actually like to go back to these two jokers again.

John Mulaney at least made a great stand up skit out of his similar prank.

[Johanny]

If there's one thing you don't want in a coffee shop is someone who is happy to get up in the morning and greet the day with a smile?

It's Coffee of Doom, not Coffee of Bloom

Meaning Ayo is doomed, even if I'd prefered the doom to be themactical only and keep having alternative/goth people behind the counter. But that era is so dead remaining goths are now legitimately mourning.

[Beelzebub1111]

Meaning Ayo is doomed, even if I'd prefered the doom to be themactical only and keep having alternative/goth people behind the counter. But that era is so dead remaining goths are now legitimately mourning.

Alternative culture died the day so-called-punks tried enforcing a code for what colors your shoelaces could be. I cannot think of anything less punk than a shoelace code.

[Errorname]

John Mulaney at least made a great stand up skit out of his similar prank.

That is a great routine, and it's absolutely what just happened.

[Johanny]

Alternative culture died the day so-called-punks tried enforcing a code for what colors your shoelaces could be. I cannot think of anything less punk than a shoelace code.

Well you'll be glad to know then that the code is not surviving frontiers (nor time).
Would be useful though, since it permits not to associate with people that you only discover after three bar encounters and four pints in the last are neo nazis (no there were'nt any signs before).

[Beelzebub1111]

Well you'll be glad to know then that the code is not surviving frontiers (nor time).
Would be useful though, since it permits not to associate with people that you only discover after three bar encounters and four pints in the last are neo nazis (no there were'nt any signs before).

All it would do in the long run would make actually subversive and dangerous people not follow it to make their potential victims feel at ease around them and would make people who really are raging against the machine wear the wrong lace colors out of spite for attempting to impose order on an inherently anarchic subculture.

To today's page: What exactly is this party for? What do any of the people who want a party have to celebrate?

[Rodin]

Liz wants one because she somehow got through two PhDs without ever partying and this is her first holiday in two years. Ayo wants to party because she’s a party girl who wants to take her mind off her current woes.

Nobody else (other than Willow now) seems remotely interested, but they’re all going to go because…ummmm.

I give up. Why is anyone else going along with this? None of the gang are Liz or Ayo’s friend. The only person with a responsibility here is Yemisi, and she’s strongly opposed.

[Wraith]

I'm going to go out an a limb and suggest that Willow actually just means jello-shots. Not vodka-jello-shots, JUST jello in a shot glass.

I think that would be funny, because it demonstrates just how naïve Willow is (or perhaps secretly savvy; why would she give vodka to a couple of minors?) and because it would ruin Ayo and Liz' night, which is probably the most noble of actions that could be undertaken here.

I feel very bad about saying this but I'm usually impressed when I see like, basic competence or even creativity with scene blocking in this comic. It's always felt very cheap sitcom to me, minimum viable visuals to convey the dialogue.

I'm not saying that Jeph can't do good layouts. On more than one occasion he's done something really cool looking - the introduction of Boaty in the middle of a wide blue ocean, the use of isometric viewpoint when Willow showed Hannelore around her bedroom, depicting 'movement' by having them both appear in different places around the same space. They were great.

But my big complaint is, those are rare spectacles and normally he just squeezes people into a panel in whatever order their dialogue appears, and they just move without indicating motion and end up talking to each other at strange, 70+ degree angles.

In short; Jeph has been a professional artist for over 15 years; at this point, "basic competence" shouldn't be impressive.