Jerry Holkins
Encyclopedia
Keith Gerald "Jerry" Holkins né Parkinson (born February 6, 1976) is the writer of the webcomic
Penny Arcade
and co-founder of Child's Play
, a multimillion dollar charity that organizes toy drives for children's hospitals. Holkins goes by the pseudonym
"Tycho Brahe." This is also the name of one of the two main characters of Penny Arcade, who is a cartoonized self-insertion
of Holkins. However, as the character of Tycho was not originally meant to represent Holkins, the two have few physical similarities; for example Holkins is bald, unlike Tycho. They are primarily similar in their various interests and attitudes.
Holkins writes news posts or rants which accompany each comic drawn by Mike Krahulik
. These newsposts/rants generally take the form of computer and video game commentary. Jerry is also featured in the Dungeons and Dragons 4E podcast, playing the CEO of Acquisitions Incorporated, "Omin Dran", a Cleric of the Goddess Avandra.
It has been mutually agreed between Krahulik and Holkins that Penny Arcade
would not be the same with just one of them. The two have been said to give an indication of the diversity of styles among gamers, with Krahulik representing action-oriented gamers and Holkins representing the more cerebral players.
Holkins' other exploits include being a lead singer/guitarist
in a band called The Fine Print, whose works are freely available over the internet and who have opened for Anal Cunt
in the past.
Holkins and Krahulik had the opportunity to play the new release of Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition in Seattle for a day with Chris Perkins from Wizards of the Coast
, Scott Kurtz of PvP
, and Wil Wheaton
.
Along with Krahulik, Holkins was included on the 2010 Time 100
for their work on Penny Arcade.
of the generic fantasy fiction that serves as the backstory of many fantasy game franchises. It was created by Holkins as a single PBWiki
page and rapidly grew in size as Penny Arcade fans joined in expanding the parody.
The tales of the Saga itself rotate around several (non-existent) bases: The original 13 'canon
' books, the Japanese anime
series, the American re-make of the anime, the collectible card game
, and even the odd life of the author himself, and such events as his several-year long "pills and booze binge." These are only the major pieces of the story, and other fragments abound.
A version of the wiki is available for purchase in the form of a reference guide to the 13 novel cycle.
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade (webcomic)
Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
and co-founder of Child's Play
Child's Play (charity)
Child's Play is a charitable organization founded by the authors of the popular computer and video games-based webcomic Penny Arcade that organizes worldwide toy drives to children's hospitals. Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins founded Child's Play in 2003 to improve the lives of sick children by...
, a multimillion dollar charity that organizes toy drives for children's hospitals. Holkins goes by the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Tycho Brahe." This is also the name of one of the two main characters of Penny Arcade, who is a cartoonized self-insertion
Self-insertion
Self-insertion is a literary device in which an author character who is the real author of a work of fiction appears as a character within that fiction, either overtly or in disguise....
of Holkins. However, as the character of Tycho was not originally meant to represent Holkins, the two have few physical similarities; for example Holkins is bald, unlike Tycho. They are primarily similar in their various interests and attitudes.
Holkins writes news posts or rants which accompany each comic drawn by Mike Krahulik
Mike Krahulik
Mike Krahulik is the artist for the popular webcomic Penny Arcade and co-founder with Jerry Holkins of Child's Play, a multimillion dollar charity that organizes toy drives for children's hospitals. He goes by the online moniker "Jon Gabriel" or "Gabe"...
. These newsposts/rants generally take the form of computer and video game commentary. Jerry is also featured in the Dungeons and Dragons 4E podcast, playing the CEO of Acquisitions Incorporated, "Omin Dran", a Cleric of the Goddess Avandra.
It has been mutually agreed between Krahulik and Holkins that Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade may refer to:* Penny arcade, a venue for coin-operated devices* Penny Arcade ** Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, a series of video games based on the webcomic...
would not be the same with just one of them. The two have been said to give an indication of the diversity of styles among gamers, with Krahulik representing action-oriented gamers and Holkins representing the more cerebral players.
Holkins' other exploits include being a lead singer/guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
in a band called The Fine Print, whose works are freely available over the internet and who have opened for Anal Cunt
Anal Cunt
Anal Cunt, also known as AxCx and A.C., was an American grindcore band that formed in Newton, Massachusetts in 1988. Since its inception, the band underwent a number of line-up changes. Known for its grindcore musical style and controversial lyrics, Anal Cunt released eight full-length studio...
in the past.
Holkins and Krahulik had the opportunity to play the new release of Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition in Seattle for a day with Chris Perkins from Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, Scott Kurtz of PvP
PvP
PvP, also known as Player vs Player, is a webcomic, written and drawn by Scott Kurtz, with around 100,000 unique visitors per day . On February 1, 2007, it became the subject of its own animated series.-Themes:...
, and Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
.
Along with Krahulik, Holkins was included on the 2010 Time 100
Time 100
Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, as assembled by Time. First published in 1999 as a result of a debate among several academics, the list has become an annual event.-History and format:...
for their work on Penny Arcade.
Epic Legends of the Hierarchs: The Elemenstor Saga
"Epic Legends of the Hierarchs: The Elemenstor Saga" (abbreviated as ELotH:TES) is a fan-driven parodyParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the generic fantasy fiction that serves as the backstory of many fantasy game franchises. It was created by Holkins as a single PBWiki
PBwiki
PBworks is a commercial real-time collaborative editing system created by David Weekly, with Ramit Sethi and Nathan Schmidt joining shortly thereafter as co-founders. Based in San Mateo, California, the company's original name stems from their belief that "making a wiki is as easy as making a...
page and rapidly grew in size as Penny Arcade fans joined in expanding the parody.
The tales of the Saga itself rotate around several (non-existent) bases: The original 13 'canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
' books, the Japanese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series, the American re-make of the anime, the collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
, and even the odd life of the author himself, and such events as his several-year long "pills and booze binge." These are only the major pieces of the story, and other fragments abound.
A version of the wiki is available for purchase in the form of a reference guide to the 13 novel cycle.
External links
- Original Penny Arcade strip from 2005-11-07
- ELotH:TES Official Wiki
- The Saga of The Saga from Wired, accessed November 22, 2005
- More info on the book project