S.A.Q. (Or "Somebody Asked" Questions)
Because my comic has not been round long enough to actually HAVE Frequently Asked Questions, I decided to put up a "somebody asked this question when they saw it" or a "Somebody Asked Questions" page. Here are all the little things that seem to bother my pre-readers...

Question: What does "Jibaku Shoujo" mean?
Answer: First off, hardcore Gundam Wing otaku should have gotten that straight off the bat. Jibaku Shounen, Heero Yuy's nickname, means "Suicide Boy" or more literally "Self-Exploding Boy". My use of Jibaku Shoujo is meant to be taken more literally as "Self-Exploding Girl". The title is in reference to both Kouji's explosive temper and outbursts of cheery violence, and her constant self-destructive tendency to get into situations that blow up in her face.

Question: Do you know these people? You're Kouji, right?
Answer: Yes, yes, these people actually exist. While I would LOVE to say I came up with all the characters myself, they are actually very exaggerated versions of my friends who have been good enough to let me use them in the comic (and a few who actually insisted). Yes, I am Kouji, although my bangs aren't that funky. As for the others:
-Tama: My bestest friend in the whole wide freakin' world, her real name is Kristin. She's only a little less cute in real life. Its barely noticeable. Tama herself is actually a hybrid of my friend Kristin and another one of my friends, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a complete sweetheart and I really wanted her in here too. Since she looks very similar to Tama, I just decided to combine the two. *WUV TAMA!*
-Gami: One of my favorite people ever. Loves her bishies, loves violence. Her name is Sarah. *I'll still fight her for Duo*
-Hoshi: The coolest chica in our local hemisphere, Allison has been plugging for the comic from the beginning. Only a little less psychotic then me, but calmer about it.
-Kire: My personal favorite person that's a boy. Chip loves gaming and geekiness, and is unceasing in his quests to make me "l33t". He's also one of the nicest people in the world and will be doing some guest strips later on. (God help us all.)
-Roku: Luke is Chip's best friend, a decent enough fellow. He's nice to most people, although he can be kind of a jackass to Chip. (I've been assured this is just a boy type thing.) *I adopted Roku! WAI!*
-Gen-chan: MY other bestest friend ever and HTML goddess, she had to move away to go to college in North Carolina. Happily enough, thanks to AIM, we can still talk nearly every day. (She will appear, hopefully, sometime mid-April.) *Yay! That's ME! Ph34r my 1337 5ki115 y0...etc...etc...*

Question: So this stuff actually happens?
Answer: Yes and no. While most of these things are based in truth, they are greatly fictionalized if true at all. For example, if I threw someone down and strangled them in real life, assault charges would be pressed. More importantly, they'd probably die. In the comic world, however, its just funny. (Of course I think its funny in real life too, but I'm a sick person and no one should ever listen to me ever.) As the comic goes on and I try to delve into things such as a romantic subplot (dahn-dahn-DAHN!) things will become more and more fictionalized.

Question: Umm...why do all these American kids have Japanese names?
Answer: I like Japanese names. In case you haven't guessed, I'm kind of a fan of the culture. I think Japanese is a very interesting language, and I love the way the words sound, so naturally I'd do Japanese names. As for how I picked the names:
-Kouji: My Japanese nickname from Sol. It means "orphan", which isn't too relevant to me, but is also the name of Kouji the bandit buddy from Fushigi Yuugi.
-Tama: Kristin's Japanese nickname, also from Sol. It means "kitten", and is also derivative of "Tamahome" from Fushigi Yuugi.
-Gami: Short for Shingami, Duo Maxwell's nickname. It means "God of Death". Sarah's a big Duo fan. *(Mumbles something rude) Hey, I'm the one who built him a shrine!*
-Hoshi: Means "star", a good nickname for the logical and whimsical Allison.
-Kire: Japanese for "Chip", the name of the boy in question.
-Roku: A funky romantization of "Luke", the other boy in the comic.
-Gen-chan: The Japanese nickname of the Japanese nicknamers, Sol! It's derivative of Genrou, or "Shadow Wolf", another name for the bishie Tasuki from Fushigi Yuugi. (And yes, we are all Yuugi fans.)

Question: Is Jen's Chinese Cuisine a real place?
Answer: It’s based on a place me and my friends frequent, a wonderful and inexpensive little Chinese place called Peking Dynasty. If your ever in the Columbus area and want some of the best Lo Mein you will ever eat, e-mail me and I'll send you the address. *I'm so very hungry for Sweet and Sour Chicken*

Question: What's that _____ mean on ____'s shirt?
Answer: Since I am a big fan of various bands and other comics, logos tend to crop up on my characters clothing. In this section of the page, Ill try to explain all the little cross-references on people shirts and stuff. Right now these are the references for comics 1-15. More as they appear.

KOUJI:
-Z in a box (Comic 1 "Mental Health") This is a reference to Jhonen Vasquez, spooky comic demideity and creator of "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac", "Squee!" and "I Feel Sick", one of my fave comic books at all time. The symbol means "Question Sleep", a sentiment I often agree with-particularly when its 3 in the morning and I'm trying to draw.
-Rasputina with bat wings: (Comic 4 "The Fortune Cookie Game") Rasputina is a nifty electric cello band. I highly suggest it, particularly the song Transylvanian Concubine. (Find the remixes! They rule!)
-That funky b in a circle (the Bjork symbol): (Comic 8 "A Confession) The symbol for Bjork, the Icelandic queen of the funk. Love her as I do! *All is full of love, baby!*

POE:
(co "Purity Of Essence", one of the parts of the psychosis of the insane general from Dr. Strangelove, one of the best anti-war movies ever. Its also a reference to a splinter group of militants in the Schoedingers Cat Trilogy, three really odd sci-fi books by Robert Anton Wilson. I highly recommend them.

JET:
(comic 11, "c00l3r th3n p0ng") I couldn't resist referencing the awesome comic book Tank Girl by Hewlett and Martin. The movies cool, but I like the comic book better cause Jet Girl gets to be more of a badass. Jet Girl always wears a military type helmet, thus the JET.

SHONEN KNIFE:
(The l33t arc) The spiffiest, cutest band ever! Ever ever ever! Straight from Osaka to California, they list their greatest influences as the Ramones and Nirvana. However, they sing about things like kittens and candy and summers days but manage not to be annoying about it. Definitely worth a listen for any fan of J-pop.

TAMA:
Piyo Piyo Chick (cast portrait) This is both a symbol of innocence (Piyo being the sound a baby chick makes in Japanese) and one of Tama's favorite manga, Maison Ikkoku by Rumiko Takahashi. This ones DEFINITELY worth a look if your a Takashi fan, or even if you aren't for that matter.

KIRE
The Minibosses (cast portrait) A very odd band of 30 year olds that sit in their parents basements and try to figure out how to play Nintendo music on their guitars. They have garnered quite the cult following, Kire being among the acolytes.

Question: What's with all the bisexuals in your comic?
Answer: Actually, there are only two, but it is a kind of small ensemble. They are there for two reasons. One, people my age can be very, very cruel and intolerant to homosexuals and I wanted to show some that weren't stereotyped in my comic. Two, the people that are bisexual in the comic are bisexual in real life, and I saw no reason to change that.

Question: Who's James Iha?
Answer: He is the guitarist for the now-defunct Smashing Pumpkins. (Grr...that makes me so sad...) He's a funny, smart, and incredibly kawaii individual with a very cute dog. *He's Kouji's future husband. Really.*

Question: Um, what does _____ mean?
Answer: I’m a 2nd year Japanese student, and also a rabid otaku. I have a tendency top word drop. Here is a list of probably every Japanese word that will show up in Jibaku Shoujo:

JIBAKU SHOUJO: Self-Exploding Girl
BISHONEN (BISHIE): Gorgeous boy, usually animated
BAKA: Idiot
BAKASHI: Idiotic
KAWAII: Cute
YAOI: Boy/Boy relationship
OTAKU: Hardcore Anime fan

Jibaku Shoujo is ©2001 Harmony Cox. All rights reserved. Don't copy without permission.


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