Frequently Asked Questions
Here we have the questions, which are asked. As for “frequent?” Hey, man. Don’t harsh the buzz. Wasn’t 2006-05-12 recent enough for ya?
Questions About The Strip’s Mundanity
What kind of name is Onzeker? It’s a Dutch word. I actually have no idea if it’s ever used as a surname or not, but it fits. Someday I’ll explain why.
How can Keith be Dutch? His grandmother’s Scottish! Well, technically Keith’s grandmother is American. The Macintires came over to America a couple of decades in advance of the Mayflower as fur trappers along the coast of Maine. Which, by the by, did happen. The idea that somehow no white man ever saw New England before the Pilgrims is just Pilgrimist propaganda.
However, Keith’s mother, Libby Macintire, married Keith’s father, who apparently had the surname Onzeker (though he was only a quarter Dutch in his ancestry himself). As a result, Keith — who is three quarters Scots, one eighth English, and one eighth Dutch, is effectively Dutch in the eyes of anyone who asks.
Of course, in part this is because Keith is American, born of a family that’s been bumming around this continent since the 1600’s. But for some reason, people care about this sort of thing in life.
Waiiiit a minute. Keith’s grandmother is a Macintire. That means Keith is related to Davan from Something Positive, right? No.
Oh, come on. Why else would you throw in ‘Macintire’? This is all a plan, right? No. I’ll confess an element of homage, but as far as I know, Gossamer Commons is just a webcomic over at Something Positive, and vice versa.
If you absolutely need proof, why not consider that Davan identifies himself as being of Irish descent, while Keith is of Scottish descent. So, if we’re going to assume that they’re related, that point of relation happened before the 1600’s. In other words, no. Get over it.
(For the record, Agatha “Aggie” Macintire also refers to Penny and Aggie. Elizabeth “Libby” Macintire Onzeker refers back to a girl I had a crush on in the first grade. Besides, I always liked the name Libby. I think we should stage a comeback for it.)
Keith doesn’t seem to do much with his day. What does he do for a living? Keith is a temporary employee at TemPower Associates in beautiful downtown Ithaca. So, on the days they have work for him, he has work. On the days they don’t, he doesn’t.
What’s the deal with Trudy’s father, Doctor Glick? Well, he’s a doctor. He’s also scary. Other than that? Keep reading.
Is Trudy really a prostitute, for shelter or otherwise? No. She does cultivate a number of casual partners, ostensibly because she can crash with them on days she doesn’t want to sleep outdoors.
What is Trudy’s socioeconomic status? Trudy is homeless. However, she seems to make a reasonable living (she had the money for a high end iPod, for example), generally from studio and session work as a jazz musician, supplemented with live gigs and street busking. The implication is she either has other reasons not to have an apartment, or other things to spend her money on.
Trudy says that Keith is “all the family she has left.” Are they related? Not by blood. However, they’re extremely close, like brother and sister.
Wait — all the family she has left? Is Doctor Glick dead? Wouldn’t that be an easy and convenient way for that to be true? Keep reading.
Questions About The Strip’s Magic
Who are the Fae/fairies/fair folk/Children of Fae/what have you? The fairies are creatures born of magic and mystery. They are living embodiments of wonder and magic in a world that sometimes seems too mundane.
Are fairies the only magic in the world? No. Not even close. There will be other magical and supernatural entities showing up in Gossamer Commons It’ll just take a little while.
What is the Mark of Death? The Mark of Death, in a literal sense, is a bloody smear across the forehead of a human being who sees a fairy in their natural form (ie — without glamour). Something about the sight of the fair folk in their native forms leads inexorably to human death and destruction. Only human beings are susceptible to the Mark of Death.
Why don’t the fairies pardon Keith, if they know he saved Sonata’s life? The fairies don’t have any choice in the matter. Once a nuclear bomb has been set off, you can’t pardon a tree in the path of the shockwave.
What sort of society do fairies have? Apparently, some sort of feudalism or monarchy. We know there’s a Fairy Queen, for example, and she seems to have significant power. Malachite is a Lieutenant of the Barony of the Lower Finger Lakes Region. Sonata’s father, Garrison, is the Baron of the region, and seems to be able to issue decrees (including granting Keith his Boon).
How does Keith’s Mark of Death know he’s got a boon coming before he dies? Doesn’t that mean the fairies are controlling his fate after all? The fairies have to actively ward off the death that’s coming to Keith. Think of them as putting Keith on life support. Sometimes, you can extend someone’s life for months or even years with the right machines and equipment, but their condition is still terminal and without that support death would be immediate and unpleasant. This is where Keith is, right now.
What is a Glamour? A Glamour is a woven piece of magic that surrounds a fairy, clothing them in the seeming of humanity. This is more than an illusion — the glamour also protects the fairy from cold iron, which is potentially deadly to the fae. Glamour-weaving is considered an artistic expression, and civilized fairies are usually expert practitioners of it.
What sort of Fairy is Malachite? Malachite is a Red Cap. They are so named because in antiquity, they would dip their caps in the blood of their victims, staining them red. They were supposed to be very fast, and quick, and strong, and they took delight in murder and bloodshed.
He doesn’t look like the description of Red Caps in the Encyclopedia Mythica/my reference materials. Not any more, he doesn’t.
So he used to look that way? That’s the implication.
What happened? That would be telling.
What is the ‘honor’ thing he’s got? Malachite is attuned to the flow of honor, in a magical sense. He acts with honor, he defends the honor of the fae, and he understands the honor that others possess… or fail to possess.
What sort of Fairy is Mercy? Mercy is a Corrigan — a fairy seer who can foretell the future and the present alike. Corrigans were known to steal away human children and leave fae dopplegangers in their place.
Questions About Other Stuff
How often does Gossamer Commons update? That’s currently a good question. Traditionally, we updated three times a week. These days, not so much. We’re working on it, however.
Why don’t you publish 5 days a week? Actually, our strips tend to be 6-8 panels in two or more tiers, so in a lot of ways we’re generating the same amount of artwork as a four panel strip produced 6 days a week. We don’t want to do a four panel strip (it’s not the kind of story we want to tell), so by keeping to three days a week of double-length strips, we find we have the pacing and execution we like.
But I don’t like that kind of storytelling. Well… don’t read it. We won’t be offended, I promise.
What kind of comic strip is this? Christ, I don’t know.
Is it supposed to be funny? Sometimes. Sometimes it’s supposed to tell a story, sometimes it’s supposed to be funny.
Does every strip serve the almighty Plot? There are three basic elements to the kind of comic strips we’re doing: characterization, story and humor. With luck, each strip will hit two out of three of those things. Sometimes, it’ll just be one out of three. Individual storylines might involve sitting around and drinking coffee or going to the mall. Chapters will involve something more significant. And with luck, the punchlines will be okay.
Who does what on this thing? Eric created the original story and plot, and writes the scripts. The artist — originally Greg Holkan, these days Peter Venables, Ben Brooks and Wednesday White — draws all of the art and co-plots the execution of every strip. The creative process is a partnership — Eric describes plot to various folks, who bounce back suggestions to Eric, who then throws a script to the current artist, who then bounces ideas and suggestions to Eric, who makes his own suggestions back. The artist then draws the strip, and bounces it off Eric, who makes any last second suggestions or requests (rare) revisions.
Greg Holkan, it is worth noting, is credited as co-creator to this day. He does various other bits and pieces. Wednesday White is also Webmaster and editor, and does massive cool bits.
I thought this was Eric’s story? Eric came up with original story and plot, but Gossamer Commons is a creative partnership.
Hey — is this story going through a Cerebus Syndrome? For those who don’t know, the Cerebus Syndrome refers to a comedic comic strip changing course mid-stream from funny to serious, in an effort to broaden and deepen characterization and the story. Gossamer Commons intends to be a story-driven comic from the beginning — it will often strive to be funny, but always in service to the story, so it wouldn’t constitute a Cerebus Syndrome. Whether or not it succeeds in its goals is more for you to say than us, however.
Who did the website? 
Wednesday White. She rocks. [EDIT: Not that much. She’s basically been building on ComicPress, a fantastic WordPress theme for those who dig on the Kubrick-derived stuff. –w.] The graphics came from Greg Holkan, who is amazing. Eric… um… showed up.
Do you have a forum/community/etc? We have ourselves a forum! It’s hosted by the good people at Talk About Comics! Go on and check it out!