Name: Thomas Radewagon, Also goes by Tom, Radewagon, and Rad

Synopsis: Conceptually, the oldest character in the strip. I created his basic look way back in the 8th grade (1993, I think) for a diorama project. Since then, he's been in all of my comic strip ideas. "My So Called Knife" is the first one of these where he is not the main character. His best friend is Jon, whom he finds to be a worthy cohort and a constant bringer of amusement into what he knows could very well be a rather dull existence. A good natured individual at heart, Tom is a romantic realist. He understands the divisions, that Jon is seemingly unaware of, between the concrete and the fantastical. He chooses, more often that not, to reject this truth.

Name: Kay, Also goes by.... Kay.

Synopsis: Kay is a character that really just ran off and did things I didn't want her to do. She was going to be a girl that Jon could obsess over but never get. Very early on, though, Kay's character changed dramatically. She was so excited by the odd nature of Jon and Tom's lives that she tried to mimic their absurdity by becoming a goth. She is currently Jon's girlfriend and no longer feels it is necessary to be outwardly strange in order to fit in; now doing so only because she enjoys the look. She is also the most honest and trusting of the cast. Basically, if the world fell to pieces and you wanted someone to make you feel loved, you'd go to Kay. She sincerely and openly cares about the well-being of those around her.

Names: Martian and Plant, respectively. Real names unknown.

Synopsis: The Martian was just supposed to be a one strip character. People really seemed to like him, though, so I was asked to put him in more strips. By now, he is one of the more prominent members of the cast. He was exiled from Mars for being too short and mentally unstable. I have plans for a full length comic book that tells the story of how he came to find himself on earth. Writing strips for him is incredibly fun. It's also too easy, so I try to use him only when absolutely necessary (i.e. strips too funny not to commit to paper). The plant is his "girlfriend." She doesn't really do much and is rarely featured for the aforementioned reason.

Name: Christina, Also goes by... Christina

Synopsis: Tom's ex-girlfriend, Christina, is loosely based on a real girl named Christina. As far as her comic representation goes, she is best defined by her dishonesty. Not in any way malicious, though, her dishonest nature is more in reference to how she lies about herself. Christina acts as though she exhibits the same kind of absurd disconnection that Jon does. Her reason for being their friend is mostly about the enjoyment she gets out of being in a surreal and exciting environment. This is very likely why she abandoned Tom when things started to get "serious." Serious, is, after all, exactly what she is trying to avoid by surrounding herself with Jon and Tom's world. Her biggest flaw is that she is "going on holiday" by pretending to be what she assumes her friends are also pretending to be; not realizing that to them, it's not a diversion. Christina and the Martian share a comradery of sorts for no other reason than their having good chemistry.

Name: Jen, Also goes by... Jen

Synopsis: Jen, Jon's ex-girlfriend, is loosely based on a real girl named Jen. She is heavily featured in the older strips and then ceases to appear after the break-up strip, which chronicles the real life break-up that transpired between her real life counter part and the author/artist of "My So Called Knife." In the early strips, she acts as a springboard, of sorts. She is constantly questioning Jon's nature and most of the humor in those strips comes from their inability to see things the same way. In many ways, she is Jon's nemesis in that she is the ultimate realist whereas Jon is the ultimate dreamer. Their relationship most likely persisted as long as it did because of their interest for how "the other half lived." Once the curiosity had been satiated, their relationship became a moot point.