Alice Grove: A new webcomic by Jeph Jacques of QC

Yep: He launched a new webcomic. So far there's a guy who likes to run apparently. Also a wind turbine.

Its official site quickly got overwhelmed, but meanwhile it's being posted on Tumblr here.

Looks like the tumblr link is also broken or something.

I'm thinking:

1. He fixed the site. 2. He redirected the tumblr link to the site. 3. The site's broken again.

Someone should tell him.

The main site is working for me now...and I just noticed that it looks like there's someone sitting at the top of the turbine.

Yeah, I just noticed that too... my guess is they were racing or something.

Or he's rushing to meet them.

Either way... two updates a week? An update being so short? Jeph's liberal use of Web Comic Time? I can't help but feel like I'll be old and gray before the story wraps up.

edited 26th Sep '14 1:11:53 PM by Larkmarn

It feels like this might be a pre-written story, with a defined beginning and end. Maybe even a middle.

Like you can see from Questionable Content that he started off with an Author Avatar and a bit of wish fulfilment, but then he filled out the characters and made the great bundle of alcohol and neuroses that is Questionable Content. Hell, the comic is what it is today due to a reckless decision to change the dynamic after 20 or so strips, and the direction of the story has forked and twisted since then. The comic exists as it does now because he free-balled it from day 1, and made some kick-ass split-second decisions.

But this story seems much more deliberate, more cinematic. If you begin a webcomic with 2 wordless panels, from all these ambiguous camera angles, then it's most likely going to be a thing that you've sat on for a while - planned out, written the gist of the story, thought about what's going to go into the comic. It's not usually something you want to free-ball - it'll show.

To keep with my confusing tendency to refer to free-styling something as free-balling, I present QC and what I think Alice Grove will be as 2 separate pairs of pants. QC is kind of like a pair of sweat-pants - it's snug around the waist (the story, setting etc. are flexible and strong), and there's enough room below that to let things do their thing without accidentally outlining your junk (making a bad decision that everyone regrets). Alice Grove seems like a nice pair of jeans - it's aiming for a more refined look, but as a consequence, free-balling could be a bit harder due to camera angles, established story etc.

Though really, that's me talking out of my ass about 2 pages. I just thought the analogy was funny and I decided to take it to its ultimate conclusion. Alice Grove could be super-cool but also filled with dick jokes and surprising swerves like QC, and have no defined middle or end. All I know is that I'm looking forward to it.

There's been an update. I can't permanently link to it, since it seems every new page takes the url of page one (the first page is at page 3 right now, for instance), but for now it's here.

Looks to me like Alice(?) wasn't expecting the guy.

Here. Just click on the date of posting below any comic to get the permalink.

Until her name is revealed, I will provisionally call her Turbine Girl.

I, on the other hand, will assume she is the title character.

Aside from not bringing a proper harness or sufficiently strong enough rope; why the hell would you rappel down a windmill on the side with the spinning blades?

edited 2nd Oct '14 10:07:37 PM by Malchus

For the thrilling juxtaposition between life and possible death?

So.....short comic, then.

They're not spinning. There's probably a locking system at the foot of the windmill, for maintenance.

Someone in the QC thread said that a comic like this should have been launched with about 20 pages, with the pace it's going. I disagree, but I do think that it needs a better update schedule.

So far we've had like 4 pages in 2-3 weeks, and very, VERY little has happened in them. It's hard to stay excited for the comic when there's a 5 day gap between a thursday-to-tuesday update, and next to noting happening in those pages.

Doing 2 comics is a new sensation, and I imagine Jeph needs some time to adjust to doing 2 different comics in the same week. This is probably a tough transition to make - I understand on that level. But at the same time, you could probably have more fun racing snails. Like painting their shells with nail polish and glitter, and keeping them as pets... Man, now I want to keep snails as pets.

No you don't. The movie Turbo made snails look more fun than they are.

Even then, they're dangerous. I have done some rappelling (admittedly, only twice), and one of the things the instructors warned us about was that the rope could oscillate by a surprisingly great amount given sudden wind or you moving wrong. Those blades, even unmoving, are a possible tangling hazard. Or you could get smacked into them.

edited 3rd Oct '14 2:06:02 AM by Malchus

Wouldn't a windmill like that have a ladder of some kind going up? After all she may have been rappeling down but how did she get up in the first place?

Probably the strip is named for blondie but I was also thinking it might be named for the woods around them.

I'm guessing that Alice Grove is the name of a town.

Actually I like that theory. I'm going with that.

Dialogue!

Yeah but you fell with style.

edited 7th Oct '14 11:40:14 AM by tricksterson

Flying involves some lateral movement. Alice fell.

Blue guy! Guess this isn't another Slice of Life comic.

Also, names.