View source for Jeph Jacques

{{short description|Comic author and illustrator}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{BLP primary sources|date=April 2012}}
{{notability|Biography|date=May 2023}}
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2015}}

{{Infobox comics creator

| image         = Jeph_Jaques.jpg
| imagesize     = 
| caption       = Jacques in 2012
| birth_name    = Jeffrey Paul Jacques
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1980|06|17}}
| birth_place   = [[Rockville, Maryland]]
| nationality   = [[United States|American]]
| area          = Writer, artist, musician
| alias         = 
| signature     = 
| notable works = ''[[Questionable Content]]''
| awards        = 
| website       = http://questionablecontent.net/
}}

'''Jeffrey Paul "Jeph" Jacques''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|ɛ|f|_|ˈ|dʒ|æ|k|s}} {{respell|JEF|_|JAKS}}) (born June 17, 1980) is an American-Canadian [[cartoonist]] who writes and draws the [[webcomic]] ''[[Questionable Content]]''. Jacques has formerly created the webcomics ''indietits,'' ''Derelict Orbital Reflector Devices'' and ''[[Alice Grove]]''.

== Personal life ==
Jacques was born in [[Rockville, Maryland]], and was later adopted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=648|title = Questionable Content}}</ref> He has a younger brother named Justin.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/jephjacques/status/193219300033699840|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730161400/http://twitter.com/jephjacques/status/193219300033699840|archive-date=July 30, 2012|title=Happy birthday... |work=Twitter.com |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |date=April 19, 2012 |access-date=April 20, 2012}}</ref>

Jacques lived near [[Northampton, Massachusetts]], where ''Questionable Content'' is set; in 2015, he moved to [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/jephjacques/status/637347983894446081|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305120631/https://twitter.com/jephjacques/status/637347983894446081|archive-date=March 5, 2016|title=Jeph moves to Halifax...  |work=Twitter.com |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |date=August 28, 2015 |access-date=August 28, 2015}}</ref>

Jacques graduated from [[Hampshire College]] with a degree in music. He was married to his business manager Cristi until their amicable separation in 2014.<ref name=about>{{cite web |url=http://www.questionablecontent.net/about.php |title=Frequently Asked Questions |work=Questionable Content |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |access-date=December 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806055628/http://questionablecontent.net/about.php |archive-date=August 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2612 |title=Questionable Content #2612 |access-date=May 20, 2014 |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |work=Questionable Content}}</ref>  In 2017, Jacques travelled to [[France]] and remarried.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3556 |title=Questionable Content #3556 |access-date=Aug 28, 2017 |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |work=Questionable Content}}</ref>

==''Questionable Content''==
{{main|Questionable Content}}
''[[Questionable Content]]'' (QC) is a comedic [[slice-of-life]] [[webcomic]] that Jacques started on August 1, 2003. It was initially published two days a week, and then moved up to three updates a week when Jacques published strip #16.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=16 |title=Strip #16 News Blog}}</ref> On September 4, 2004, Jacques lost his day job, and decided to try publishing QC every weekday and [[List of professional webcomic artists|make a living]] selling QC-related T-shirts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=174 |title=Strip #174 News Blog}}</ref><ref name="questionable">{{cite web |url=http://www.questionablecontent.net/faq.php |title=Frequently Asked Questions |work=Questionable Content |last=Jacques |first=Jeph}}</ref>

==Other artistic endeavors==
Jacques was a member of Dayfree Press, an online webcomic [[syndicate]] which included other artists such as Christopher Hastings of ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja]]'' and [[Ryan North]] of ''[[Dinosaur Comics]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/07/17/interview-jeph-jacques-on-questionable-content/ |title=Interview: Jeph Jacques on 'Questionable Content' |date=July 17, 2008 |publisher=Comicmix |first=Rick |last=Marshall}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marshall |first=Rick |date=2008-06-04 |title=Interview: Chris Hastings on 'The Adventures of Dr. McNinja' |url=https://comicmix.com/2008/06/04/interview-chris-hastings-on-the-adventures-of-dr-mcninja/ |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=ComicMix |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Questionable Content |url=https://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=896 |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=www.questionablecontent.net}}</ref>

Jacques launched ''indietits'' as an anonymous [[side project]] on April 1, 2005, to use ideas that did not fit into ''Questionable Content''{{'s}} setting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indietits.com |title=WHODUNIT |date=November 3, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://marisa.com.au/jeph-jacques-music-review-weblog/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131204193529/http://marisa.com.au/jeph-jacques-music-review-weblog/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 4, 2013 |title=Jeph Jacques Music Review Weblog |first=Marisa |last=Wikramanayake |date=June 2, 2009 }}</ref> Compared to ''Questionable Content'', it is a simple strip, eschewing detailed art and linear storyline in favour of reusable pre-drawn panels and one-shot jokes. To further broaden his drawing limits, Jacques created ''Jephdraw'' to place unnamed drawings of his onto the [[Internet]]. He puts anything from favored panels to simple sketches for others to see what he does in his spare time.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

In September 2014, Jacques launched a new comic, ''Alice Grove'', which updated once per week until the story finished in July 2017.

Early in 2015 Jacques purchased the domain name walmart.horse (using the more recently available [[List of Internet top-level domains#ICANN-era generic top-level domains|ICANN-era generic top-level domains]]). The website's sole page is an image of a horse in front of a [[Walmart]] store. Jacques created the website as a piece of postmodernist "nonsense-art".<ref name=moran>{{cite news |last1=Moran |first1=Lee |title=Walmart issues cease and desist to walmart.horse owner |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/walmart-issues-cease-desist-walmart-horse-owner-article-1.2143849 |access-date=March 12, 2015 |work=New York Daily News |date=March 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402133458/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/walmart-issues-cease-desist-walmart-horse-owner-article-1.2143849 |archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> In March Jacques posted a [[cease and desist]] letter he received from Walmart who claimed the website diluted their intellectual property. Although Jacques said he believes the site to be [[fair use]], he said he would be willing to post a disclaimer on the site indicating that it is parody if Walmart requested it.<ref name=moran/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kravets |first1=David |title=Why the long face? Retailer says walmart.horse domain infringes its IP |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/03/why-the-long-face-retailer-says-walmart-horse-domain-infringes-its-ip/ |access-date=March 12, 2015 |work=Ars Technica |date=March 9, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Geier |first1=Ben |title=Why this sweet-looking horse is a major headache for Wal-Mart |url=http://fortune.com/2015/03/10/walmart-horse-website/ |access-date=March 12, 2015 |work=Fortune |date=March 10, 2015}}</ref> Jacques gave up the domain after Walmart filed a domain dispute.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/19/jeph-jacques-walmart-horse-website |title=Supermarket giant shuts Walmart.horse website after joke has bolted |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Alex |last=Hern |date=May 19, 2015 |access-date=July 2, 2015}}</ref>

In October 2015, Jacques launched a new strip titled ''Derelict Orbital Reflector Devices'' at the URL "dord.horse".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3069|title=Questionable Content}}</ref> The strip revolves around a pair of sentient solar collection satellites (known as "DORDs"), part of a network of 2{{e|13}} similar satellites<ref>{{cite web |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |url=https://66.media.tumblr.com/732f54e25cbfdbbc61d51beb356d3354/tumblr_nw7vnuvYtv1uj6rtfo1_1280.jpg |title=DORD comic from Oct. 14 2015 (archive.org) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524083556im_/https://66.media.tumblr.com/732f54e25cbfdbbc61d51beb356d3354/tumblr_nw7vnuvYtv1uj6rtfo1_1280.jpg |archive-date=24 May 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> that were placed around the Sun to gather energy for a civilization that has long since departed,<ref>{{cite web |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |title=DORD comic from Oct. 14 2015 (archive.org) |url=http://dord.horse/image/131159448942|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814151024/http://dord.horse/image/131159448942 |archive-date=August 14, 2018 }}</ref> leaving the DORDs to contemplate their purpose and while away vast stretches of idle time.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |title=DORD comic from Oct. 27 2015 (archive.org) |url=https://66.media.tumblr.com/a0a954da82647e1628c3a7c6afa91548/tumblr_nwwriyx7QT1uj6rtfo1_1280.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020070814im_/https://66.media.tumblr.com/a0a954da82647e1628c3a7c6afa91548/tumblr_nwwriyx7QT1uj6rtfo1_1280.jpg |archive-date=20 October 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Each strip consists of a centrally-placed white sun disk on a black starfield, with the two DORDs assuming various positions in front of the sun, and text balloons for either or both of them in most panels.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} DORD updated on a daily basis, but no strips have been published since November 19, 2015.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} The domain registration for "dord.horse" expired.

===Deathmøle===
In 2005 Jacques launched '''Deathmøle''', a virtual [[post-metal]] band whose works are available online.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.questionablecontent.net/deathmole/ |title=Moletopopolis demos |work=Questionable Content |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://questionablecontent.net/deathmolequestion.html |title=Deathmole- ''???'' |work=Questionable Content |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=554 |title=A Democratic Decision |work=Questionable Content |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref> The band is currently composed of three characters from his comic, ''[[Questionable Content]]''. The name for the band appears in Strip 554 for the first time.<ref>See also {{cite web |url=http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=554 |title=A Democratic Decision |work=Questionable Content |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |access-date=October 6, 2022}}</ref> Since its inception, Jacques has periodically released individual Deathmøle songs through his [[LiveJournal]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://qcjeph.livejournal.com/ |title=I Am Afraid Of Everything |work=Livejournal.com |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref> or his [[Tumblr]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jephjacques.tumblr.com/ |title=jephjacques |work=Tumblr.com |access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref> where they remain available; newer albums have been released on [[BandCamp]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Jacques |first=Jeph |title=deathmole.bandcamp.com |url=http://deathmole.bandcamp.com/ |publisher=BandCamp}}</ref>

Jacques states that Deathmøle's style "...started out as a joke- I wanted to write and record a really stupid metal song ... and it turned out to be really fun. So fun, in fact, that I started writing more 'serious' metal tracks, and that’s ... how the music evolved."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/9615284925/qa-dump-01/ |title=QA DUMP #01 |work=jephjacques.tumblr.com |access-date=September 3, 2011}}</ref>

In chronological order, the Deathmøle albums are ''Moletopopolis'', ''Long Songs'', ''???'', ''Trial Period'' (EP), ''Amps'', ''Absent Gods & Creatures Foul'', ''Fear of Black Horses'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/3955332324/deathm-le-stuff |title=Deathmøle stuff |work=jephjacques.tumblr.com |access-date=March 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818224153/http://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/3955332324/deathm-le-stuff |archive-date=August 18, 2011 }}</ref> ''Meade's Army'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/9706208345/new-deathm-le |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715094146/http://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/9706208345/new-deathm-le |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |title=New Deathmøle |work=jephjacques.tumblr.com |access-date=September 2, 2011 }}</ref> ''Advances'', ''Permanence'' (ongoing)  and finally ''Jephmøle'' (ongoing). Each album typically has seven or eight tracks with Trial Period's three and Moletopopolis' fifteen being the extremes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.last.fm/music/Deathmøle |title=Deathmøle |work=Last.fm |access-date=March 31, 2011}}</ref> The music is Jacques' original work, with the exception of a cover of [[Low (band)|Low]]'s "[[Secret Name (album)|Two-step]]" on ''Long Songs''.

On August 11, 2013, Jacques launched a Kickstarter project with a goal of $9,500 to professionally record the Deathmøle album ''Permanence''. On September 10, 2013, the Kickstarter projects funding period ended with a total funding of $141,115 breaking all 10 of his listed stretch goals. Much of the funding came from fans of QC.<ref name=Kickstarter>{{cite web |title=Permanence: The New Album By Deathmøle |url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/168734274/permanence-the-new-album-by-deathmle |work=Kickstarter |access-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref>

==Honors==
{{see also|Questionable Content#Recognition}}
Jacques was the Artist Guest of Honor at the 2006 [[Albacon]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.albacon.org/2006/guests.html |title=Albacon 11 Guests |access-date=December 10, 2007 |date=September 28, 2006 |work=Albacon}}</ref>  His webcomic ''[[Questionable Content]]'' has been honored multiple times in the [[Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards]].<ref name="wcca">{{cite web |title=WCCA Awards |access-date=September 13, 2008 |url=http://www.ccawards.com/}}</ref>

==Involvement in internet controversies==
Jacques's relationship to major internet companies has twice gotten him attention from the kinds of high-profile media outlets that do not normally cover webcomic news. In 2017, he was part of a creator backlash against a plan by [[Patreon]], a subscription platform, to add fees to donations regardless of their size. He was extensively quoted in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' as one of the leaders of the creators objecting to this plan: "Jacques's average patron gives him between $1 and $2 a month. Creators like him, who rely on small payments, said the new system would discourage their very business model."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ohlheiser |first1=Abby |title=Facing a rebellion of furious creators, Patreon backs away from a new fee |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/12/13/facing-a-rebellion-of-furious-creators-patreon-backs-away-from-a-new-fee/ |work=Washington Post |date=13 December 2017}}</ref>

In 2022, Jacques again came to widespread attention when [[Twitter]] banned him for life for a prank at the expense of Twitter owner [[Elon Musk]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Drost |first1=Philip |title=This cartoonist was banned from Twitter for impersonating Elon Musk |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/elon-musk-twitter-impersonations-1.6648071 |work=Q&A |agency=CBC Radio |date=November 11, 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://deathmole.bandcamp.com/ ''Deathmøle''] on [[Bandcamp]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacques, Jeph}}
[[Category:American comics artists]]
[[Category:American comics writers]]
[[Category:American webcomic creators]]
[[Category:Artists from Maryland]]
[[Category:Writers from Maryland]]
[[Category:Artists from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Writers from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Hampshire College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Rockville, Maryland]]
[[Category:People from Northampton, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1980 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]