Questionable Content

Here's the good thing about Questionable Content. Unlike XKCD, there are quite a lot of people out there who realize how shitty it is. The bad thing is, there are also a lot of people who think that it is the FUNNIEST THING EVAR ON THE INTARWEBS OMGGG. Now, I don't think I have to say this, but those people are wrong. In fact, I'll even go so far as to say that QC is a steaming pile of turd to XKCD's ruby-crusted diamond ring.

Let's start with the art, shall we? Unlike Randall Monroe, J. Jacques (the artist and "writer" of Questionable Content) can actually draw. He's no Raphael, to be sure, but the last couple hundred strips have been... pretty. Pleasant. Harmless, art-wise. The last couple hundred strips. But let's go back to the beginning now, hm?

The difference in the art styles is as clear as night and day. I'm particularly loving the square eyes, and the main character's pose in panels 2 and 4 (incidentally, the only reason Jacques can keep his characters' proportions the same in this strip is because the art's clearly copy-pasted.) Does Jacques deserve credit for trying to improve (and succeeding)? Absolutely! Otherwise I'm not sure I'd be able to bear reading through all 1300 pieces of shit in the archive. But the first few hundred still made me want to vomit pretty regularly. And besides, Jacques, why start out shitty when you can start strong? CAD started over six years ago, and from day one the art style's hardly changed a bit.

And it's not like you can skip those first few hundred strips, either. No, QC is heavily, heavily story-based. Clicking "Random comic" a few times, I found this one. Now, without having read the 460 strips before it, how much in that strip can you understand? Since you're probably a fan of Questionable Content and therefore retarded, I'll answer for you: Not much. The dark-haired chick is the guy's mom, who may or may not like the brown-haired chick. There's also apparently a Dune reference, presumably meant for Randall Monroe fans. Now, I have nothing against story in general (Half-Life's one of my favorite games, and it's where I get half of my nom de plume), but if Penny Arcade is Halo, then QC is something like Final Fantasy VII. Or I guess Lost, if you're a retarded faggot who'd rather sit around watching TV than do something that requires using your brain. The point is, it overdoes it.

Another thing it overdoes, that we see in full force in that comic? References. Specifically, nerdy references like Dune and Star Wars conventions, and indie rock references. Oh god the indie rock references. To each his own and all that, and I'm sure that Decemberists fans cream themselves when their favorite band is mentioned IN QUESTIONABLE CONTENT SQUEEEEEE but really, if there were that many Breaking Benjamins references in PvP, I'd stop reading it. Hell, if there were that many references to turning machines in XKCD, people wouldn't read it!

The last thing that QC does all the FUCKING time is fanservice. All of the major female characters have, by now, been drawn in various states of undress. All of them, even the main character's flat-as-a-board dyke boss. Of course, they're all so very lovely and sexy as well (seriously, even the "fat" one with body image issues would be hotter than 75% of the girls I know) so HEY MORE FAP MATERIAL AMIRITE? No, no you're not. Questionable Content's name is laughably misleading, and if it even starts to think about turning you on, you need to go and find real porn. And maybe put on some indie music while you're at it, and turn on the Sci-Fi channel while you jack it, you fat, pitiful, disgusting, unloved loser. Fuck you, and fuck this shitty-ass comic too.

At least there aren't any male-on-male naked scenes. A webcomic catering to nerdy indie rocker fags? I shudder at the thought.

I'm about a third of the way through the Achewood archives (Jesus CHRIST, are there a lot of those things). I'll have a review for you within the next few days.