Webcomic Pick - Questionable Content

February 28th, 2008 at 02:14pm Andrew Wright

Have you ever been told about a really great TV show that’s been running for years by a friend with excellent taste, rented the DVD of the first season and found yourself sitting on the couch in the grips of one great episode after another?  Discovering a long-standing story-based webcomic can be just as satisfying and every bit as entertaining.

This past week, I’ve become introduced to and subsequently addicted to a romantic sitcom style webcomic named Questionable Content written by Jeph Jacques.  QC is a serial comic strip about a group of 20-somethings dealing with romance, jobs, anxiety and little talking robots.  The cast features Marten, a wry indie-rock guitarist who works in a library, his cynical roomate Faye and his girlfriend Dora who both work in a coffee shop.  If the setup sounds a little too familiar, the writing far exceeds what could be a heavily cliched and bland comic in the wrong writer’s hands.  J. Jacques adeptly handles the complex neuroses of the various characters in an honest way - while Marten’s personality always seems to be wishy washy, we watch Dora’s insecurities emerge, and Faye deal with an underlying depression behind her snarky remarks.  Secondary characters are well fleshed out too, whether it’s neighbor Hannelore’s OCD, Raven’s search for her own identity, or any of a number of other character’s subtle flaws. 

Bringing comic relief to this bunch is the tiny robot Pintsize, an “AnthroPC” whose duty it is to annoy the guests and tenants of Marten and Faye’s apartment through wacky hijinks and goofy costumes.  A Pintsize strip is always a nice interlude between storylines.

What makes QC an addictive read is that the strips are written to occur over a short period of time.  Many times 50 or more comics are committed to one day in the lives of these characters.  It’s a bit like reading an amusing but moving comic strip verson of 24 only with the terror bits replaced with general coffee shop sharp-tongued wit.

Questionable Content is updated 5 times a week. 

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized