Joyce and Walky!

Let’s talk about Joe, and why he’s back in the story, I guess!

Back in Roomies!, Joe was abducted by Aliens, and that was just a fun story I did, and Joyce also getting abducted was just supposed to be this funny punchline.  But as I expanded the story and started bringing in more Alien elements, Joyce’s part in that story became way more prominent, because she was originally created to be this alien-fighting character who works for SEMME, and I was working towards that.  And Joe got purposefully marginalized in those developments because that’s not where his character is “supposed to go.”  He’s supposed to grow up and build Ultra Car and fly around in Ultra Car with Danny and shoot OTHER aliens.  At least, according to my stories circa elementary school.

But, well, Sal was exiting to become kinda weird for a while, and I needed a replacement, and It’s Walky! was old enough that I didn’t feel like adding such a major a Roomies! character back in in such a major way (versus the reappearance of Alex) was betraying the new webcomic’s sovereignty.  Plus, since he was kind of an outsider, he’d get to comment on stuff from a comedically unique perspective.  And, um, other developments.  As you’ll see.   Eventually, I figured I had to do what made the most sense for the story versus honor the way the characters segregated in my brain.

I’d add a little Joe into Shortpacked! as well, several years into that webcomic when it’d established its own identity.  I guess eventually you gotta add in a little Joe.

(and “electro-scrambler” is another Transformers reference, of course)