hey! i’m the indian kid with the TARDIS phone case who brought you coffee in austin on sunday. i’ve been rereading vol. 1 in print, and i’d just like to say that i’m SO glad that you added all of the little footnotes. reading your really in depth commentary/quasi-blogging is one of my favorite parts of early QC and it really had the same feel. thanks for being awesome! [:

Thanks for the coffee! And I’m glad you like the commentary, it is my favorite part of putting the print collections together.

Wow, Dora looks really nice in #2078. Did you change anything specifically or did she just end up that way today?

It’s just been a while since I drew her and my artwork has improved a lil’ bit in the interim.

Hey Jeph. I was wondering, ever since Dora and Marten split up, have you found it more pleasant to write their dialogue? You’ve said before you hate writing fights and Marten and Dora argued a lot. Dora seems a lot more happy in the later comics and it’s really nice to see because she’s such a great character and I felt bad for disliking her when she was in crazy girlfriend mode.

Definitely easier. Writing friendly people is way less stressful.

Hey Jeph, I’ve been seriously considering getting a QC tattoo, and I wanted to ask the man himself, do you think getting Tai’s star elbow tat would be the best type of QC tat that isn’t just crudely transferred sketches of yours or the initials of the comic? And would you happen to know anyone who’s had a elbow tattoo before or have you gotten one yourself? I imagine they hurt like much more than most other places, do they? And is there anything special to watch out for?

I don’t think Tai’s elbow-star would actually work very well in real life- yellow is a really tricky tattoo color and one of the first to fade/look shitty after a little while. But if you just wanted to do black outlines, or maybe red, I guess you could pull it off.

I’ve heard that elbow tattoos hurt like sons of bitches. Talk to a qualified artist, I’m no expert by any means.

I’m a total nerd who loves to knit. Do you know if anyone’s made a pattern for the Worry Hat? If no one has, would you object to my making such a pattern (and subsequently making the hat)? Or am I the only weirdo who could really use a Worry Hat sometimes and is thus actually considering making one?

Quite a few people have made Worry Hats of their own, feel free to do the same.

I recently read through the entirety of questionable content up until this point, and it seems that the story has progressed from a comic poking fun at the “indie/nerd” stereotype to a comic filled with drama/relationship troubles. Was this intentional from the start, or did it just end up happening that way?

The drama and relationship stuff was always there. I just stopped making Guided By Voices jokes.

what piercings do you have and how long have you had them?

Currently:

11/16” gauge primary earlobe piercings (those started out as 14g way back in 1998)

4g secondary earlobe piercings, which I’ve had for a little over a year. Probably gonna stretch them down to 0 or 00g eventually.

Labret stud, which I’ve had since 2002ish.

Septum, which I’ve had for about 3 months now.

I’ve also had eyebrow rings, a second lip ring, and cartilage punches in my upper ears, but removed them all because they were more trouble than they were worth.

I know you mentioned going to New Zealand next month and, more recently, that you would be gone longer than expected. For those of us die hard readers who are afraid of your absence, can you walk us through what will happen while you’re gone and when you’ll be back? I think you mentioned a stand alone comic in a news feed recently?

At this point it should just be comics as usual while I’m gone. The “stand-alone” thing is still gonna happen, but it may not start until after I get home, just depending on how many other comics I write before I leave.

Any advice on dealing with The Depression? I’m on meds and I was doing really good, and then I lost my job and everything took a sharp turn directly into a pile of shit. I know the new owner of the restaurant will hire me, and it’s just a couple weeks away, but I still feel like such total shit. How do you deal with something like this?

Just gotta keep in mind that things will get better, no matter how much your brain tells you they won’t.

How tall is Marten?

5’8” - 5’10”, I think?

Any chance of you putting up a list of the guitars you have owned and currantly own? Just mildly curious as to what kind of gear you have. Or just kink me to any list you may have made in the past (didn’t realise you were on tumblr till now). Or, if that’s too much bother, fuck it. Don’t do it. Keep up the drawingsisms.

The current gear list:

Gibson Les Paul Standard

PRS McCarty

PRS Standard 24 with EMG pickups

Creston Telecaster-style

Kauer Daylighter Express

Anderson Cobra-S

Ibanez Prestige somethingorother

Weird-ass Malinoski art guitar

PRS Singlecut

LTD Stef Carpenter baritone 7-string

Siggery fanned-fret 8-string

G&L P/J bass

Mesa/Boogie Roadster head

Engl Fireball head

Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cabinet

Axe-FX Ultra guitar pre-amp/effects processor

Jesus christ that is a lot of gear. ಠ‿ಠ

Not a question, but the other day I was sitting in the dining common at UMass, catching up on QC, and a stranger startled but then delighted me by coming up and telling me, “I just wanted to say, I saw you reading that over your shoulder and I love that comic!” And I felt pretty cool.

Did you immediately give them a passionate kiss? Because that’s what you’re supposed to do in that situation. I hope you didn’t blow it, dude.

do you enjoy QC as much as you used to?

More so.

What is your go-to doodle? Excluding QC characters. :)

BONERCAT

Hey Jeph. Do you enjoy travelling internationally? If so, what countries have stuck out for you? Also, ever thought about coming down to Australia? You have a pretty substantial following here and would definitely make a splash!

I hate traveling, but I enjoy being in places (if that makes any sense). South Africa was probably the craziest place I’ve been (almost got killed by elephants), but Germany will always hold a special place in my heart. I have high hopes for New Zealand and Australian in a couple weeks!

Hey Jeph, just out of curiosity—do you have voices for the characters inside your head as you imagine them? Sometimes I try to imagine a voice as I read QC and it’s pretty elusive.

Nothing specific, aside from Hanners and Marigold. Hanners is super squeaky. Marigold is nasal and has a bit of a speech impediment.

Since you posted about the newest Rustie album, my iTunes says I have listened to it 87 times. So, I am now attempting to find all of the things you posted in your top albums of 2011 post. Here’s the question: How do you perform your musical research? How do you find new music? I use things like allmusic to find similar artists to things I already like, or to explore a genre, but obviously I’m falling short. Help a serious QC fan out here.

Blogs, recommendations from friends, and the top 10 list on an invite-only music sharing service I frequent. Resident Advisor is great if you’re looking for electronic music.

I like Faye’s new hairstyle. Where did you get the idea?

It was inspired by a barista at a local coffee shop, appropriately enough.

Just so you know, there was a girl featured on the show “Geek Love” (TLC, where else) wearing an “I Make Bread Fun!” t-shirt. I laughed heartily.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOMEONE FIND ME VIDEO OF THIS

What is your drawing set up like now? e.g. monitor cintiq etc.

I’ve got one of those big fancy 24” Cintiqs on one side of my desk, with my 2nd monitor and everything else on the right. I can switch back and forth just by rotating in my chair, because it’s a corner desk.