Toontastic Fun Fact #8
- Mr. Toontastic
- Oct 15, 2021
- 3 min read
RYAN IS THE MAN!
At least, that's what I set him out to be.
You see...
Back in the day, I initially created the "Jean-Luc & Joey" series as a light parody of the video games and cartoons I enjoyed at the time. But I also wanted to put a very exaggerated spin on character types and personal behaviors. As I translated my works from comics to novels (and out of the planning stages), a lot of elements changed. Characters even changed somewhat too, Unlike a certain funky fox, a smooth bunny underwent a series of phanges before becoming the man he is today.
And that man is...
"The Ever-Lovin', Money-Grubbin', Lady-Killer... RYAN!"
Now before Ryan breaks in and starts overwriting the blog, there's a few things I'll mention about his evolution.
FROM SCRIPT TO STRIP TO BOOKLET!
In the beginning...
Ryan was actually set to be less of a mop-headed chauvinist, and more to be a typical best friend - the kind of guy who followed the leader, but never had a set path of his own. His hair was shorter, and the green tee with the black stripe didn't come to existence. In fact, he used to wear white as plain as the color of his fur.
It wasn't until the initial comic strips came along (Which are all archived here), where Ryan developed more of a personality. From 2010 to 2014, I made Ryan fleshed him out as much as any middle schooler could. I made him greedy. He loved women, but more to an extent that even I began to dislike. He never really cared for much of anyone except himself as its how he was grown up as a child. And while his fast-talking attitude was there from that initial evolution, the rest somewhat made a breeding ground for bad jokes and poor execution.
It got to a point where I just started to dislike Ryan's character... as well as some of the other Whackos, to be honest. And to quote an old joke I made back in 2016...
So, when 2014 came around, I revised the whole thing! Everyone got a shift in personality, and a new evolution. Since I wanted to test my mettle with wild, wacky, and wonderful stories, I decided to use and evolve these funny animal characters. Not only did it allow me to learn how to write these weird characters, but I got to flesh them out in ways I specifically wanted and more.
Ryan became less of a "jerkass" and more of a guy who's full of himself. He's still a lover of babes and money, but he has taken his time to interact with girls rather than just get straight to the point. It's called "schmoozing", an art in which some people should learn before trying to flirt. I mean, he hangs around 100% Julie and Melody, two girls who already probably have had their gears ground by his actions on the daily. As for his money schemes, he's (temporarily) given up his get-rich-quick antics in favor of making himself look like the flashiest "hero" that the country has to offer!
And to be fair... I can't blame him. Sometimes I think we should all strive to be like Ryan.
Sometimes, I wish he'd stop bugging me to be in every scene of the novels. Character writing, especially in books, is a difficult act to balance. Not everyone can get a word in through every scene, and yet I get constant letters and notes from him asking for better coverage of his good side. He'd better be lucky. I used to make him the butt of a couple of violent jokes. I'm not afraid to do it again!
Excuse me... But yeah, that's a little something about Ryan and how he's evolved from his inception to now. Now, he's not the only Whacko with a big evolution. But we'll get to that crazy guy in due time. Catch you later, and don't forget to...
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