# I don't quite get today's "Questionable Content" strip **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [April 13, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967 "2010-04-13T17:48:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 75
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1481 "2014-10-19T07:21:06Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I stopped reading Sluggy altogether around the middle of the interminable Bun-Bun In No-Time self-indulgent twaddle. That’s been at least five years now. And the archive was huge way before even THAT. ARGH! I was reading Sluggy Freelance and seeing Schlock Mercenary! God only knows how I got those two crossed in my mind, they are nothing alike! Shlock is a fast moving story, Sluggy had slowed to a crawl the last time I looked at it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1482 "2014-10-20T12:16:44Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I stopped reading Sluggy altogether around the middle of the interminable Bun-Bun In No-Time self-indulgent twaddle. > [@Yookeroo](#): > > I bailed around the same time. You are not alone. And I have no inclination to go back (…and I’m the owner of several Sluggy t-shirts. I was a _fan_!) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1483 "2014-10-24T07:11:56Z")
I’m getting hit by malware when I view the site today. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1484 "2014-10-31T13:52:52Z")
Today’s strip makes me wonder if Jeph has forgotten he wrote [strip 2810](http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2810). ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1485 "2014-10-31T14:25:35Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Today’s strip makes me wonder if Jeph has forgotten he wrote [strip 2810](http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2810). Why? In that strip, the gang are gossiping and speculating. In this week’s strips, Martin confirms it to Tai and today to Faye. No inconsistency. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1486 "2014-10-31T14:34:37Z")
Except that Faye’s not acting like this is a conformation of what she figured out days ago, but like it’s news. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1487 "2014-10-31T16:13:36Z")
Faye’s reaction overall is pretty muted (“Haha. Wow.”) which stands to reason since she’s not in the happiest of inner places right now. It felt more like she was just going along with it because she’s happy for Marten rather than really reacting one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1488 "2014-10-31T17:16:03Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Except that Faye’s not acting like this is a conformation of what she figured out days ago, but like it’s news. All she saw a few days ago was that they had hooked up. Now he’s telling her that it’s become an actual relationship. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1489 "2014-10-31T17:26:05Z")
Well, she _speculated_ about a hookup. And Marten and Claire haven’t yet “hooked up”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1490 "2014-11-06T17:48:14Z")
Marten and Claire dating doesn’t feel right to me. She’s so much younger and less experienced than him and is so in awe of him that it just seems icky and exploitative for him to date her, like if a professor dated a student they had last semester. Legal and all, but just with weird power dynamics. I dunno. I have a friend who Claire really reminds me of, she’s about Claire’s age and dating experience and if she got into a relationship like this I’d be really wary of the guy. Luckily my friend just started dating a guy her age and awkwardness level so I can just be happy for her. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1491 "2014-11-06T18:24:14Z")
Exactly how old do you think Marten is? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1492 "2014-11-06T19:23:33Z")
Claire is 23, according to the strip. Marten should still be in is mid-'20s, thanks to the magic of comics. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1493 "2014-11-06T19:28:28Z")
I’ve just always assumed that everybody in the strip, barring the occasional parent or child, is 20-something. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1494 "2014-11-06T19:42:46Z")
I don’t think there’s a major age difference between Marten and Clare. Clare’s 24. I don’t think Marten’s age has ever been explicitly stated but he seems to be in his mid-to-late twenties. There’s the ongoing time issues with the strip. We get five strips a week and sometimes the events of a single day can cover dozens of strips. This means that events which are happening over the course of a week within the story’s continuity may be spread out over months of the appearance of the strips involved. As an example of this, it’s now apparently Monday in the strip (the one where Clare and Marten are going on their first date). The incident where Emily kissed Marten was ninety strips ago - over four months ago by publication time. But in the story, it was only four days ago. Marten’s one night stand with Delilah happened ten months ago in publication time. But it was last weekend in story time. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1495 "2014-11-06T20:28:08Z")
Hmm, he’s more of a player than he seems… ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1496 "2014-11-07T00:03:59Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > There’s the ongoing time issues with the strip. We get five strips a week and sometimes the events of a single day can cover dozens of strips. This means that events which are happening over the course of a week within the story’s continuity may be spread out over months of the appearance of the strips involved. For an extreme example of this kind of thing, check out [Freefall](http://freefall.purrsia.com/). I’m fuzzy on the exact numbers, but I believe that, when I started reading it, that strip had been publishing for around six years, on a 5-days-a-week schedule, and had only covered a period of about two weeks in-universe. Of course, part of the reason for that is that’s it’s a 3-panel, joke-a-day strip, but it has a detailed, ongoing storyline. So it’s going to move slowly. ETA: Today’s strip would seem to indicate that _less than a month_ has passed since the beginning of the story. Which started in 1998. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1497 "2014-11-07T00:51:37Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Now go read _Something Positive_ and _The Order of the Stick_. If you like scenery porn along with a fun comic, try _Stand Still, Stay Silent_ or _The Redtail’s Dream_ (RTD is complete). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1498 "2014-11-07T02:47:29Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > If you like scenery porn along with a fun comic, try _Stand Still, Stay Silent_ or _The Redtail’s Dream_ (RTD is complete). Unusual recommendations. I’m pretty sure nobody’s reading _Something Positive_ or _The Order of the Stick_ for the scenic artwork. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1499 "2014-11-07T02:51:31Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Unusual recommendations. I’m pretty sure nobody’s reading _Something Positive_ or _The Order of the Stick_ for the scenic artwork. It actually is kind of shocking to go back to the first few S\*Ps and contrast the art style with how Milholland does it today. The modern style is really amazingly good compared to the initial stuff. Of course, that goes for a lot of webcomics (and paper comics, for that matter), like QC itself. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967/1500 "2014-11-07T03:52:06Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It actually is kind of shocking to go back to the first few S\*Ps and contrast the art style with how Milholland does it today. The modern style is really amazingly good compared to the initial stuff. Of course, that goes for a lot of webcomics (and paper comics, for that matter), like QC itself. Schlock Mercenary is another one where it’s worth just clicking on the first comic and today’s to see the change. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967.md?page=74) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-quite-get-todays-questionable-content-strip/535967.md?page=76)