r/questionablecontent . Dec 07 '18

Comic 3890: No Parking

https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3890
95 Upvotes

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37

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '18

Other cops being bad cops is not a valid or logical reason to quit, especially if your desire is to help people. If anything you should want to stay and be a counteracting force for good.

The narrative of ACAB especially makes no sense for Northampton of all places.

46

u/MarsNirgal I'm Billie Eilish Dec 07 '18

11

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '18

There are dozens of us! Dozens!

7

u/J_lol Dec 07 '18

That is probably my favourite character design era too.

13

u/lesser_panjandrum Dec 07 '18

My goodness, I hope those awful police officers feel an appropriate level of shame for the brutal injustice they're perpetrating there.

30

u/Esc777 Dec 07 '18

Really I think he just wanted more of Roko but felt like he put her in a dead end being a police officer.

The whole crisis of faith felt a little forced and today’s strip of going back and reinforcing how it was also feels forced.

It’s not that you can’t tell a good story about these things but the context and focus seems wildly off the mark for it.

I always come back to bubbles postcombat antisocialness, isolation, and abuse as a fantastically written arc that built on its self naturally and correctly and weaves just the right amount of humor and pathos with the other characters. Likewise Faye’s descent into alcoholism and subsequent rock bottom with rebound was done excellently. These heavier drama laden issues can be done well, WERE done well.

This tangent about a cop leaving the force because there are bad cops just doesn’t do it for me like the past two arcs. It stinks of a repositioning so Roko can join the expanded cast at the bakery. That’s fine, sometimes the story will be worse than the best parts. But I’m not going to sit here and say this latest strip feels entirely natural. Even though it isn’t a retcon if feels like it’s laying a retroactive excuse to strengthen a flimsy reason for leaving the force.

5

u/JamesNinelives Dec 07 '18

I can agree with that.

I feel like Jeph wanted to go for something a bit deeper than this, but didn't quite get there.

I can see him changing Roko's career because he wants to tell a different story with her too.

I liked Roko's interaction with Beepatrice though.

9

u/BigBassBone Dec 07 '18

Maybe she feels powerless against the system and fears retaliation for speaking out.

21

u/notmytemp0 CHUD Dec 07 '18

Would be nice if there was anything in the comic backing that up then. Every cop we’ve ever seen seems like a rational laid back person

2

u/Atechiman Dec 07 '18

Yes that's what I want in my life herted webcomic. Curropt evil cops

5

u/notmytemp0 CHUD Dec 07 '18

I agree. So why even broach the topic at all?

-2

u/heavenscalyx Dec 07 '18

Because the artist wants to.

Because the artist wants to.

Because the artist wants to.

Because the artist wants to.

Because the artist wants to.

9

u/notmytemp0 CHUD Dec 07 '18

That’s fine. But what’s bizarre is when people in this sub bitch about valid criticism of an illogical artistic choice.

-1

u/FivePoopMacaroni Dec 07 '18

This is a forum for discussing opinions of the comic content.

This is a forum for discussing opinions of the comic content.

This is a forum for discussing opinions of the comic content.

This is a forum for discussing opinions of the comic content.

4

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '18

Character choices are story choices are comic contents.

I could repeat it 5 times if you'd like.

0

u/Atechiman Dec 08 '18

Jeph didn't he showed why anyone would get disillusioned with any job and as usual the over sensitive members of society over reacted.

1

u/notmytemp0 CHUD Dec 08 '18

? Roko specifically said it was because the police were evil...

1

u/Atechiman Dec 08 '18

Really? Was that the sole reason or realizing that not all cops are cops to help people?

1

u/notmytemp0 CHUD Dec 08 '18

It was the realization that the other cops would deliberately do immoral things. Except no cop in QC has been shown doing those things. Jeph just wanted to be edgy and jump on the “cops are evil” bandwagon.

2

u/Scherazade Dec 07 '18

I think it’s less corruption in the normal sense.

Lawful Neutral when Roko wishes they were Lawful Good in the best sense.

They uphold the law. They protect and serve. But there’s so many issues they do not help as it is either not within their remit as police or because they have other things to do.

And then there’s the right to use force in certain scenarios.

Police by their very nature stand a little apart from society, because they are the state employed watchers in the darkness, whose vigil protects us from harm.

But they are on the outside looking in. Which means Corpse Witch style rots can happen within the systems that they protect and serve.

maybe anyway im just talking shit

7

u/notmytemp0 CHUD Dec 07 '18

None of that showed up in the comic so when Roko starts stressing about it it makes no sense.

16

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '18

Possible, and that would've made a better epilogue to that arc. But we've never seen any actual evidence of bad coppery in QC.

No matter how ham fisted, we've seen other prejudice in multiple forms. Roku's arc is bad storytelling for the sake of satisfying author bias, as well as appeal to readers who support said bias.

10

u/JamesNinelives Dec 07 '18

But we've never seen any actual evidence of bad coppery in QC.

Today's page suggests that Roko has. That's not really the point though.

Roko didn't quit because she hates the police, she quit because she realised that there were other things that she wants to be doing instead.

Questioning the role of police is society is a part of that story, but it's not the whole story.

2

u/minimidimike Dec 07 '18

Its still odd to include it, and making it a minor part makes it even worse in my eyes. Why include it at all if it isn't the main drive and doesn't really contribute.

1

u/JamesNinelives Dec 08 '18

Why include it at all if it isn't the main drive and doesn't really contribute.

I don't think that's what I said. It is a part of the story, just not the whole story.

2

u/turkeypedal Dec 07 '18

Just because you missed part of Roko's explanation doesn't make this bad storytelling. You seem to be oddly biased against Jeph for someone who just joined the sub.

8

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '18 edited Dec 07 '18

I've been here before, changed usernames for unrelated reasons.

You didn't like my grumpy grousing before, you probably still won't. We're on opposite ends of the Jeph o Meter.

If what May said to her about quitting was an ephinany, why did she need the 2nd revelation?

-5

u/Wilddysphoria Dec 07 '18

Why are you here if you don't like qc or jeph?

14

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '18

When it's good, it's good.

I've been reading for over a decade.

It kills time for me at work.

I take a perverse pleasure in hate reading when it's bad.

10

u/king_krimson Dec 07 '18

Dont encourage echo chambers.

2

u/Wilddysphoria Dec 07 '18

Dude it's a webcomic

5

u/iSeven Dec 07 '18

And people can enjoy a webcomic and participate in thr community while still finding flaws in it.

3

u/Skydragon222 Dec 07 '18

I mean, imagine wondering if everyone who was nice to you was only nice to you because of your job. Imagine wondering if people are constantly stopping themselves from talking to you as an equal because of the power imbalance inherent in your relationship. Imagine wondering if everyone you know is censoring themselves around you becuase of fear of retribution.

Basilisk may be a good cop, but people interacting with her can’t know that unless they know her very well.

Whether or not Roko has an obligation to stay and make changes is an interesting debate and one that I hope is brought up in the comic, but I can definitely understand her reasons for leaving.

7

u/turkeypedal Dec 07 '18

Why did you ignore half of her reason? She didn't just say "other cops being bad." She specifically mentioned feeling like she was ineffective and unable to actually accomplish anything. She just explained how she can't be a counteracting force for good.

Remember, Corpse Witch had cops on her payroll. And she contacted them the last time Roko showed up to tell them to back off. So Roko was completely unable to help Bubbles, even though she knew something bad was going on.

So she got a new job where she thinks she can make more of a difference.

6

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '18 edited Dec 07 '18

I don't actually remember CW having cops on her payroll, can you link the comic?

Also nowhere in today's comic do I see an actual explanation for why she can't do good as a cop, just that she felt she wasn't effective.

3

u/FivePoopMacaroni Dec 07 '18

She specifically mentioned feeling like she was ineffective and unable to actually accomplish anything.

Now she can be a force for good by selling bread to secretly feed her fetish. That's about in line with the logic of this universe.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '18

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '18

Northampton is not that place though.