+
+he's only a medium-level silly
+]]>
+
+it's got kitties on it!
+]]>
+
+GREAT
+]]>
+
+the mortifying ordeal of being Ayo
+]]>
+
+Beep beep
+]]>
+
+Whew! Sorry for the long absence of RSS. I think we've finally got it figured out.
+]]>
+
+The space station arc! Definitely the most ambitious thing I had attempted in the comic at that point, and honestly beyond my capabilities at the time. But that’s how you grow- you bite off more than you can chew, and you fuckin figure out how to chew it anyway. And then you choke a little and cough bits of food all over the place and everyone at the restaurant stares at you and you realize that the metaphor has escaped containment and is rampaging through the countryside. I forgot where I was going with this. Anyway, Hannelore is the best.
+]]>
+
+Welcome to the start of Director’s Commentary month! Or as I call it, Directember. I don’t call it that. ANYWAY
+ +It felt appropriate to start with the first QC strip I ever made! For the rest of these entries I think I’m just gonna hit the “random comic” button and write about whatever pops up.
+ +It’s funny how even this incredibly rough comic still held some elements that persist to this day. I was in the ballpark with Pintsize’s original design, but making him less baby-shaped was definitely a good choice. The vertical panel layout was also a smart move, considering how small displays/browser windows were back then (and we didn’t even have smartphones yet, dear god). On the flip side, losing the goofy dialog font and drop-shadow speech bubbles was also a good decision. I don’t really remember why I thought the zigzag panel thing was cool, I guess because it looked “different?” And of course there’s Marten’s TEH shirt which somehow persists to this day.
+ +Fun fact: up until I was about 14, if you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said “a cartoonist.” Then I heard Nirvana and my head exploded and I was like “FUCK comics I wanna be a ROCK STAR” and so I only did music stuff for the next several years. Looking back, I would not have been happy as a rock star. I’m glad I went back to comics, which ironically happened because I was tired of being in bands and wanted a creative outlet I could do on my own. I remember when my BIG UNREALISTIC GOAL was “maybe one day I’ll have 10,000 people reading my comic.” Several hundred thousand of you and 21 years later…
+]]>
+
+And that concludes QC for this year! I'll be posting some Director's Commentary on old strips I find interesting for the next couple weeks, as well as maybe some other stuff. Just gonna chill and do what seems fun for December. Regular QC will resume in January. Thank you so much for the kind messages and support, I'm so incredibly lucky to have such amazing readers and I can't express how grateful I am to have you reading my work.
+]]>
+
+eider you get the joke or you don't
+]]>
+
+Y'all, I have been drawing QC for 22 years without anything even resembling an actual vacation in longer than I can remember. I have drawn over 5000 comics. I am tired.
+ +So I'm taking December off. The last regular QC comic of 2024 will be this Friday. It will resume in January. This is not the end of QC. I promise.
+ +I'll still be posting stuff to patreon and to the website. There'll be a couple weeks at least of "director's commentary" on random old strips. I spent some time today hitting the "random comic" button on my site and writing a lil' thing about whatever comic I happened to land on. And maybe I'll do some other stuff, I dunno. The main thing I need to do for the next 4 weeks is, for the first time since 2003, not make comics.
+ +I'd appreciate it if you stuck around. I have to admit it is pretty fucking scary to be taking a break for the first time ever. What if everyone leaves and doesn't come back? AAAAAA.
+ +But despite that (hopefully irrational?) worry, the moment I actually said the words "I'm thinking about taking a break" to my wife a couple months ago, I knew it was something I desperately needed. I need time to recharge, and do things that aren't related to the comic, and just fucking chill for a little while. So that's what I'm gonna do.
+ +Thanks for your patience and understanding. It may sound fake but I am honestly already looking forward to getting back to work in January. I have a ton of ideas I'm really excited about, and the thought of coming at them fresh feels really good.
+]]>
+
+THESE two….
+]]>
+
+These two
+]]>
+
+it was Chair Pose Night at yoga tonight and my legs are very angry at me
+]]>
+
+now *I* want donuts >:(
+]]>
+
+a co-opolycule
+]]>
+
+:(
+]]>
+
+okapi Hannelore...
+]]>
+
+Richard is in safe hands
+]]>
+
+more like RIPchard
+]]>
+
+more like RIPchard
+]]>
+
+don't EVER think about who you are as a person
+]]>
+
+A kinder, gentler Faye(?)
+]]>
+
+Hannelore smells like fabric softener
+]]>
+
+PICKLED
+]]>
+
+PERVERTS
+]]>
+
+Anh no
+]]>
+
+THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKIN' YOU
+]]>
+
+A noble death
+]]>
+
+RICHARD
+]]>
+
+nice grimace, Tai
+]]>
+
+and if she was a catgirl she'd be a necro-nepo-neko-baby
+]]>
+
+don't worry it's non-alcoholic bitters
+]]>
+
+who even invited her
+]]>
+
+Anh is just awful (writing awful people is fun)
+]]>
+
+Choo choo
+]]>
+
+don't ever buy pants at the dress store
+]]>
+
+wait, who's funding this research anyway
+]]>
+
+Hannelore doesn't have much experience when it comes to hand-holding
+]]>
+
+These two…
+]]>
+
+DARK EMMETT
+]]>
+
+omg
+]]>
+
+
+]]>
+
+
+]]>
+
+It's good to know the floating black slab emitting a low hum is a regular customer
+]]>
+
+She's just got a chunk of her butt missing now
+]]>
+
+it's probably fine
+]]>
+
+go to bed Moray
+]]>
+
+NO MORE CLUBBING
+]]>
+
+And the elbows
+]]>
+
+do not perceive her
+]]>
+
+]]>
+
+it's a boob joke
+]]>
+
+house centipedes are our friends. our creepy, disturbing little friends.
+]]>
+
+Hi Cosmo
+]]>
+
+Roko I know you're worried but I don't think that would be survivable
+]]>
+
+Get it???
+]]>
+
+Bubbles is doing her best
+]]>
+
+Hooray!
+]]>
+
+Liz knows her place
+]]>
+
+a confederacy of dunces (four of them are Yay)
+]]>
+
+training for marten's future barista job
+]]>
+
+Questions, questions
+]]>
+
+never change, Sven. wait no, maybe change
+]]>
+
+dont make it weird!!!
+]]>
+
+the neighbors are noisy though
+]]>
+
+RIP
+]]>
+
+I mean, yes,
+]]>
+
+pizza up in da club
+]]>
+
+Dog in da club
+]]>
+
+Gencon was amazing! It was so nice to meet so many of y'all in person after all these years away from conventions. Thanks so much to everyone who came by and said hello!
+]]>
+
+I'm gonna be at Gencon at booth 1237 this weekend! I'll have some books and stuff and will be doing sketches and complimenting your pet photos. SEE YOU THERE???
+]]>
+
+I'm gonna be at Gencon at booth 1237 this weekend! I'll have some books and stuff and will be doing sketches and complimenting your pet photos. SEE YOU THERE???
+]]>
+
+Gencon is this week! I will be at booth 1237! Come say hi and buy some stuff! WOO
+]]>
+
+I'm gonna be at Gencon at booth 1237 this August! I'll have some books and stuff and will be doing sketches and complimenting your pet photos. SEE YOU THERE???
+]]>
+
+I'm gonna be at Gencon at booth 1237 this August! I'll have some books and stuff and will be doing sketches and complimenting your pet photos. SEE YOU THERE???
+]]>
+
+I'm gonna be at Gencon at booth 1237 this August! I'll have some books and stuff and will be doing sketches and complimenting your pet photos. SEE YOU THERE???
+]]>
+
+I'm gonna be at Gencon this August! I'll have some books and stuff and will be doing sketches and complimenting your pet photos. SEE YOU THERE???
+]]>
+
+I'm gonna be at Gencon this August! I'll have some books and stuff and will be doing sketches and complimenting your pet photos. SEE YOU THERE???
+]]>
+
+put those down, Moray
+]]>
+
+:)
+]]>
+
+
+]]>
+
+turns out I don't have Pintsize's usual dialog font on my ipad so he gets to have the same voice as the human characters while I'm traveling
+]]>
+
+two girls, a guy, and a robot, sitting on a couch, playing video games. it's 2002 babey
+]]>
+
+i's bri'ish, innit guv
+]]>
+
+Video james
+]]>
+
+Yay has the worst poker face(s) in history
+]]>
+
+Liz is A-tier imho
+]]>
+
+Yay could have had the conversation entirely within their head, but they were trying to impress Roko
+]]>
+
+Hi Yay
+]]>
+
+I'm gonna be at Gencon this year! Assuming the USA still exists by then lol [SWEATING EMOJI]
+]]>
+
+wait this ISN'T Liz's villain arc?!
+]]>
+
+Lotta heavy lifting
+]]>
+
+Yay more like boo
+]]>
+
+I set this up a WHILE ago and lemme tell you it's very funny to drop the shoe now
+]]>
+
+the quest reward isn't even that good
+]]>
+
+mmm spaghettification
+]]>
+
+apologies to the real life Dr. Burnell
+]]>
+
+You're probably not still high, Ayo
+]]>
+
+I was laughing the whole time I was drawing that last panel
+]]>
+
+Hi Tai
+]]>
+
+(it was TS Eliot)
+]]>
+
+THE BATTLE SPATULA
+]]>
+
+Claire knows Yay, but doesn't know there are multiple Yays
+]]>
+
+Rajesh is a good dude
+]]>
+
+Rajesh is chill
+]]>
+
+whatchoo tolkien about
+]]>
+
+Pintsize is doing book reviews now???
+]]>
+
+It's pretty average tbh
+]]>
+
+I want spicy M&Ms!!!!
+]]>
+
+the oldest recorded joke in human history is a fart joke
+]]>
+
+Hanners has never been more okay in her life
+]]>
+
+or TWO knives
+]]>
+
+Hanners is having a good time
+]]>
+
+Poke poke poke
+]]>
+
+Tolerability
+]]>
+
+the Joyce special
+]]>
+
+lurking…
+]]>
+
+Could be!
+]]>
+
+and Moray is Moray
+]]>
+
+banana
+]]>
+
+Evan's never tried Dora's tea
+]]>
+
+Dutch angles, get it
+]]>
+
+Hi Moray
+]]>
+
+A good day to be Willow
+]]>
+
+eeeeee
+ +haaaaaahhhh
+]]>
+
+just $9.99 per inch
+]]>
+
+watch out for leeches Ayo
+]]>
+
+eggplant and peach emoji
+]]>
+
+eeeep
+]]>
+
+I wonder if I still have the extra-tough silly putty from when I had to do hand rehab. That shit was cool
+]]>
+
+Just butts and weenies as far as the eye can see
+]]>
+
+Hip and with it
+]]>
+
+Clinton is helping
+]]>
+
+Brat Benatar
+]]>
+
+I have TWO NEW T SHIRT DESIGNS up for pre-order! Click that graphic below if you agree that A) shit is fucked or B) people should be nice to you or C) all of the above. Thank you.
+ +