CAST

Always, always, cheat.

 J. Thomas Blackwell

Thomas is the floor manager at the Marbleton branch of Megatainment chain of stores. He manipulates as much of what goes on there as he can for the benefit of the team. Thomas is looking for something that will give his life greater meaning. In his spare time Thomas writes and draws, but does neither particularly well as far as he’s concerned. Some of his work has been published under a nom de plume. People have a weird tendency to gravitate to him for help. Be it old ladies who need something off a high shelf at a store, or little kids who are desperate for attention.

I am what I am.

Edward Lincoln

Ed is the new guy. He’s short, and quick tempered because of it. It’s gotten him in trouble throughout his life. He’s an all around nerd, and very intelligent, though not studious. Jessica is his twin sister. He is very protective of her. For as quick tempered as he is Ed is actually kind of a pushover. It’s not hard to get him to do things because of his desire to be accepted. Jessie takes advantage of this to a degree that would be criminal if they weren’t related.

Perfect living offers no guarantee of a perfect death.

Carol Graves

Carol runs the store’s front counter… officially. In reality the rest of the team let her take care of anything they don’t feel like doing. She does so, virtually without complaint. Though outwardly abrasive she cares about her coworkers and their jobs. Her greatest weakness is ice cream. It pacifies her almost without fail. She isn’t particularly patient, and can decide she wants something right this second out of nowhere. God help anyone standing between her and whatever new goal suddenly pops into her head.

You be my sunshine and I'll be yours.

Nina Grace

Nina is the store’s optimist. Most of the time she can be found happily wandering around the book section, which she is in charge of. She enjoys life with a childlike glee, and is a big fan of Harry Potter. Though injured in her youth, Nina is still very athletic. Nina is about 6’3″ remarkably tall for a woman. Her positive nature gives little hint of how dangerous she can be when stirred to anger, or how passionate she can be when the mood moves her.

If you don't ask you don't get.

John Kepler

John fancies himself a ladies man. He’s not as quick on the draw as everybody else, but still manages to get a good shot in from time to time. The games section is what he’s been charged with operating, although it’s not an official position in the chain of command. John tries to act like he’s totally cool, but he’s secretly a total nerd. He is one of the few employees that still smokes. John is so used to striking out with girls that he actually gets weirded out if one comes on to him first.

You'll never see me comin'.

Jolene “Brooksie” Brooks

Jolene is the video manager, but she’s only been doing it a short while. She is shy, yet can be outgoing once she gets comfortable with her surroundings. “Brooksie” enjoys sneaking around, snooping on people, and not having to confront problems directly. Her knowledge of films is encyclopedic, and she is capable of reciting the dialogue of many word for word. On her breaks she enjoys going outside to smoke, usually with John. She has a plan to start making independent films by enlisting her friends to be her cast, crew, and whatever else she needs but doesn’t know about yet.

Teamwork is what happens when we all work... as a team...

Miguel “Mike” Hernandez

Mike used to be an assistant manager at the Megatainment home office. He’s having a hard time adjusting to being in charge. Most of the time he asks his staff for advice when confronted with a new challenge. Whenever he can Mike avoids confrontation. He enjoys professional wrestling. Carol has taken it upon herself to guide Mike in the ways of being a decent manager. Blind leading the blind…

There's too many damn people these days. Can't we shoot some of the homeless?

Reginald “Reggie” Watson Boothe

Reggie is a dick. Luckily he’s only around part time. He seems to have access to money, yet still wants to work more often. Though he tries to hide it, Reggie actually fears getting in trouble. If he was half as smart as he thinks he is he’d still be the smartest man alive. That said, he still listens to Thomas most of the time.

Once everybody likes something it stops being cool.

Wesley Asel

Wesley liked whatever you like before you did. He stopped liking it as soon as you started. If you ask him questions about whatever it is he’ll blow you off like he doesn’t want to talk about it, but in reality he just doesn’t know enough to debate you. He’s got a shady history with a lot of unconfirmed rumors in it. Wes is comfortable in most situations since his whole personality is based on adaptation. He becomes what he needs to be to ingratiate himself to whoever is around. On his own he fancies himself a hipster. Unfortunately he’s in Kansas, so he understands the culture in the same way your grandpa understands computers. Of course everyone else is about 5 years behind what’s cool on the coasts too, so he just seems a little douchey, which is what being a hipster is all about anyway, right? He’s the newest new guy after Ed, and is being trained by Reggie.

Strike firt. Strike fast. Strike hard.

Jessica Harlan Lincoln

Jessie is Edward’s twin sister. She’s in school but hasn’t decided why just yet. If it’s easier to get her way by acting cute and stupid Jess will go that route. In reality she is clever, but a bit clumsy. She’s not shy about her body, knows how good it looks, and is not afraid to use it to her advantage. On the other hand if the terms change suddenly she can be washed away in a wave of embarrassment. She tends to be a little shallow, but also seems to want depth in her life. If anyone can figure out how to have it both ways it’s Jess.

201 Comments

Love the strip! The art is good and the plot evolves well. From a start that could be seen as extremely generic the characters develop depth of personality at an excellent rate. Driven by their friendly antagonism and roughedged companionship, the group dynamic makes the reader feel strangely like a member of this odd family nearly from the beginning.
Read it all at one sitting and, while not an endurance feat, I would not have allowed a distraction to pull me away even if it had been MUCH longer. I am conflicted in as much as I am glad I found the strip when I did but also have a desire to have waited so that the initial read would be just that much more engrossing.
It may be needless to say after this but I’ll say it anyway… I’m looking forward to more!!!

Seconded. Just found the comic, and it’s likely to be near the top of my list. I love it so far, wish there was even more, and look forward to reading it from now on. Characters I care about, interesting developments, and good art. Doesn’t get much better than that.

Fourthed :D

Fifthed! with great enthusiasm!
And I feel compelled to emphasize that’s high praise from me considering the obscene number of webcomics I’ve read, and the fact that this one’s getting moved into the “check with every update list”

Oh, and I’m fully convinced that you started using color at that specific point for emphasis, and wanted to say that was brilliant.

and I don’t know how many other people have noticed it, but I LOVE the fact that one can navigate the archives using the arrow keys. It makes catching up so easy.

Now, since your comic puts the number of comics I enjoy that use RSS feeds past the critical point, I’m off to figure out an elegant way to deal with RSS feeds.

Awesome strip. Wish you were updating it again, but still. And Brooksie is utterly adorable!

Oops…. it was the archive that made me think you weren’t updating. Several of them link directly to the jetpack bear page, so I thought it wasn’t updating. Sorry?

love the strip, but DAMN….it makes megatokyo seem like its moving at fast pace….
just means a LOT of story packed into each day

I always thought it was weird how with most comics only one funny or interesting thing happens per day. It’s like, is there just silence and boredom when the camera goes away, or are there jokes we aren’t seeing?

I actually found this webcomic a couple of years ago and found it really good, and then forgot about it. :P
Finding it again, with alot more to read was cause for much joy!
I enjoy the characters, their growth and antics. It doesn’t hurt that Thomas ressembles Lupin either. :D

I must say I love your strip. I happened to stumble upon it yesterday when I called in to work due to a number of exhausting and aggravating reasons. The awesome that is your strip not only managed to cheer me up but I became addicted and spent hours reading every strip. Then when my boyfriend got home I made him read some. I love Nina and her HP obsession. ( I have one too.) Also Brooksie is a girl after my own heart, she makes me miss my blue hair. T.T Enough of my rambling though. Love the comic. You have something very powerful in your hands. The Jedi use their power for good; remember, with great power comes great responsibility.

So I heard about this comic came to check it out and i was surprised to find out I didn’t like it I loved it. Thats rare for me and especially in these times. I love the girls with their look and personalities the whole group makes u feel very involved and the story is very fun. I saw some of this on deviant art as well later and ur art is just so on point and I really am gonna study ur pacing and dialogue as I put my stories together becuz its truly something to marvel at and love and when I get some money I wanna support it however possible. Yeah I’ve been rambling but, it rocks my socks clean off into space. If that means anything at all. its okay I’ll stop now…

Hi JT! Found out about your comic from an ad on Shortpacked! yesterday and immediately started reading. Just finished the archives, waiting for tomorrow’s update, totally love your work. The dialogues are so damn witty, the characters are real funny and, well, honestly speaking, the girls are totally hot! ^__^ I immensely appreciate that they also look -real- though, and that the guys are cute too, which is only fair. I also enjoy how they’re all different, both physically and psychologically. They’ seem real -and that means you’re damn good, man. Keep up the good work! I’ll definitely keep reading and I might pester you again w/more comments later on so don’t think you’re off the hook so easily! ^___^ Rock on! M-

I’m glad to know someone came from SP! and read the whole comic. Money well spent. I’m also glad you enjoyed yourself. Many thanks for the kind words.

I seriously hope I’m not the only one comin’ over from SP! and loving your comic! And thanks to you for such a great work! ^___^

I got pointed to this strip by a friend of mine. I’m not sure which is more note worthy, how much I enjoy the strip or how much I cringe at the accuracy of it to real retail occurrences. Either way, great comic. I’ve got it Bookmarked in set in Thunderbird and am looking forward to future installments. Keep up the good work.

Just found this yesterday, and already caught up. It’s an amazing find and one I will recommend to every person I know that reads wc’s. this will be one of the few that I find bookmark worthy. Keep it up!

This comic is awesome, posting it to my friends on facebook now. I can see so many of me and my friends in this this comic and reminds me of my younger days working retail as well. Gratz on the awesome you can create, and please keep doing it! I now am glad to be counted among your fans!

Just found the comic today, and have been going through the archives. I am as yet unconvinced that Thomas and John aren’t Randal and Dante. I’m unable to hear them talk in any other voices.

The comic is 32 flavors of awesome, and I am enjoying the hell out of it. Not looking forward to running out of archive, so you’d better keep up the good work.

I wonder why there’s not a poll for favorite cast member…

My top three would be reggie, mike, brooksie…and john.

Anywho…love the comic.

Man, I missed this somehow. I totally talked to you lots of times though I think, so it’s probably okay… Anyway, many thanks for reading and participating in the comments.

I just read the entire comic from start to current in one night, and I can’t wait to read more!

Your character development is outstanding and I enjoy the art progression from it’s start to now.

BF has made its way into my top five favorite webcomics!!!!

Posting the link on my twitter. I think all my webcomic reading friends will love it just as much!!

I find it a bit disturbing that this may be the sixth comic I started reading when it has 666 pages. That aside, I rather like this comic, and Brooksie is adorable. Oh, and Nina actually scares me more than any of the other characters.

As with most of the folks above, I just found the strip yesterday. I stayed up into the wee hours getting caught up on the story. It is ranked easily in my top three favorites so far as current webcomics go. So glad to see a comic that is funny and well drawn, with such a well rounded cast of characters. Can’t wait for more..keep up the great work!

I keep 10 webcomics on my daily rotation to keep myself from feeling like I procrastinate too much – you just made the list! (Atomic Laundromat got booted if that strokes your pride)

I’m glad that I won out… but feel bad for the other guy. I’m not familiar with that one though. Anyway, thanks for trying me out. I appreciate it.

Is it just me, or is all of the lines in the character’s ears just numbers? Thomas is 4, Ed is 2, Carol is 6, Nina is 9, John is 3, Brooksie is 8…

That’s crazy talk… Maybe even the craziest of talks!

Don’t get me wrong, after I started reading your comic jumped way up in my list of awesome things to do at work besides work. I just notice things. >.>

Crave, I have to say this is a great comic. I love the direction it took from the beginning to now, and how your art style changed. In the beginning, i am going to say i kinda hated Thomas and Ed, they just seemed like two generic slackers, but once more characters came into the picture, and personalities started developing, i hit this page first thing in the morning on mondays, weds and fridays, sometimes even when i get home from class :)

This comic reminds me alot of when I worked at Fry’s Electronics, and what is really funny, we had a jerk of a sales associate who was made Manager of my department named… wait for it… Reggie! And this reggie and your reggie seem alot alike lol. I wonder if you knew him :P

Anyways thanks for giving me ANOTHER distraction from my homework, You have made it onto my speed dial page along with LICD, CAD, Questionable Content, and XKCD my top 4 favorite comics, and you have hit number 5! You out rank Penny-Arcade now :)

Keep up the good work Crave and I can’t wait for the drama to unfold when someone eventually finds out about Thomas and Carol… my bet is on John figuring it out first… because brooksie or reggie would be too obvious :)

Just came across this website today, and absolutely love it. I’m very sad that I’ve reached the limit of the archives and now have to wait, I want to keep reading so badly. Kinda makes me sad though, wish my life were like this.

To put it simply you have a very excellent and enthralling comic the whole story has me hooked I just love reading it. Great job and continue on the marvelous comic!

Also big fan, mainly of the Clever Smart-assery in almost every page. As a clerk myself i understand most of the dawdling that takes place due to sheer boredom. Keep up the good work.

Just discovered your comic today and read from start to recent *whew*!
I absolutely love it!
Great stories/characters and, yes, Jo/Brooksie is an “awwwww” kind of sweetly adorable.
Looking forward to more!

Wow. I just found this comic yesterday and it’s really well done. My hat goes off to you sir. I was actually late to work yesterday because I couldn’t tear myself away. This is the first time I have ever felt compelled to write anything for/against a webcomic. I love all the characters, they all fit. The dialog is intellectual and is seething with sarcasm and wit. Your art style has a certain sharp warmth as well. Please continue to post, your work brings me joy and is appreciated, well appreciated to the extent that a continually updated free form of entertainment can bring a faceless viewer over the internet. Thanks.

Just finished reading your strip and enjoyed it very much. I will continue to follow it, but it is sad that I can’t read 40 or 50 at a time now :)

I just FELL in love with your comics! I don’t even remember where the hell I saw it in the first placeall I know is that yesterday morning I clicked on something that led me here and all of a sudden I click on first and just EAT EVERYTHING UP!

I was so sad that I had to go to work (ironically, in a french bookstore that has a video and music section also :p) and not get to continue reading! When I cam back I just hopped on my computer and didn’t go to sleep till in the wee huors of morning. Guess what I’ve been doing for the past 4 hours! All 728 pages of awesomeness (+plus those little bonus arts)!

On top of everything yuor comic inspires me to get back to my sketching and drawing. I needed something to give me the nerve to practice and improve.

AGHHH in all I LOVE THIS! I need more lol. And john reminds so much of this guy I worked with, he was in the music department :p

It pleases me to no end knowing how much you enjoyed the comic. Thanks for reading.

Strangely, I’ve been drawing John since I was little, but I worked with a guy that was so much like him when I was older that it was kind of bizarre. It was like working with someone I created in a way. XD

Anyway, I hope your art quest goes well. Let me know how things progress.

I found this comic by accident while reading concession comic…and after reading it all up to its current issue, I’ve developed a crush on Carol <3, she has that smart attitude, but I can tell she's a caring person for her special friends underneath

Aha! So advertising there does work! XD

I’m sure Carol would be flattered to know you were able to see past her gruff exterior and into her squishy innards.

actually I gotta be honest, even though in reality I have a crush on carol in your comic, brooskie wooskie is my fave <3, timid yet open and cute at the same time, tbh…I can kinda see her taking an IQ quest, and scoring like a 300 or something, she definitely seems like she has a hidden genius of a mind underneath that shy wall of shyness she has XD. But yes, I've fallen in love with this comic and its only been like 2 or 3 days since I found out…sadly it was on the same day I believe that concession ended :'c….but I have a question to ask you, the author, if you're not too busy, and its something I hope wont annoy you, do you take commissions to have their own character introduced in the comic? Lol

Concession ended? Weak. They seemed to be a good place to have an ad up.

I think you’re right on the money about Brooksie too, by the way. X3

Anyway, no I don’t let people pay to get into the comic. XD I do, however, let readers have me draw them an icon for twitter or what have you. Just email me an image of yourself and I’ll send back a little icon for you to use. I’ve also done ones of characters if they prefer.

If you just want a commission I do those too, but you gots to pay.

Well…concession was around for a while, and the author gave everyone in so many words, their own happy ending I guess so I suppose it’s alright lol, but theirs other places out there to advertise, like furthia high and deviant art and such. As for the icon thing, is that free? o.o, if it is then you’re really nice lol, but idk if I wanna do that, would like it but wouldn’t wanna be greedy, annnddd I gots another question if I may :3, If they are indeed in a retail store, then I have yet to see the customer service worker lol, am I to presume that responsibility lies with carols fists? XD

Yeah, the icon thing is free. after the first one you gots to pay though.

Carol is the guest service manager, which in Megatainment talk IS guest service. Because just calling her guest service wouldn’t be obtuse enough.

I suppose that makes sense lol, but Carol is anything but servicing to the guests of the store, and cool I might do that, also I might comission ya also, I would love to see myself being in the store in your style XD…unfortunately I see myself as a mixture between reggie, mike and john, so…..IDK *insert retarded face here* lol, btw you’re alot nicer then most web comic artists, I’ve read quite a bit of them and you’re one of the first to actually reply to your readers

Well, In her defense, you’ve only ever seen her interact with one kind of creepy customer. For all we know she may be the best at guest service in the store. The story really isn’t about that part of work though.

As far as the replying thing goes, I think I’ve just been luckier than most webcomic people and haven’t had anyone come along trying to ruin things for everybody. Seems like a lot of creators pull away after something happens that sours them on fan interaction.

Or they may just be dicks who can’t make time for the people who support their work. X3

After spending the time to read this wonderful web comic to date. I don’t remember how I got here but one of the most wonderful accidents EVER. Never thought a story about normal people could be engrossing and funny as hell entertaining. Great work and thank you so much for sharing it with those lucky enough to find it.

I cant reply to our previous conversation anymore so I’ll just post a new comment, about the carols sister thing, I know, I was just thinking silly thoughts, sorry

As usual when i find a new comic i enjoy, theres the mixed feelings…i love reading it and enjoy it….right up until that horrible point where i press the ‘next’ button and a new image doesn’t come up, and i realise that’s it, i’ve finished the archive and have to wait for each new nugget of comedy goodness :P

Keep up the good work, really enjoying it…and if you could somehow put out 50 or 60 strips a day, that would be great, thanks…..

great comic man this is my new number one favorite comic right in front of LFG and the adventures of doctor Mcninja great story telling keep it up man!

I love the strip. stumbled upon you while i was sitting doing nothing at my second job at like 2 in the morning. and now its one that i check every day just in the hope you may have uploaded an extra strip. keep up the fantastic work here and sorry about the grammar and spelling but i’m at work again and its 1:30 in the morning and its bad enough keeping my eyes open let alone making my brain work lol

Be it old ladies who need something of a high shelf at a store, or little kids how are desperate for attention.

Shouldn’t that be little kids /who/ are desperate for attention? Haha

so yeah, I no longer can remember which comic I was reading that linked here (treading ground? QC? Something Positive? no idea) and considering how many comics I read on a nigh daily basis (15+ right now and growing. eventually my entire day will consist of reading comics online, I’m sure.) it does say something that I make sure I catch up every week or more often. You seem to be one of the undiscovered gems that’s just waiting to be discovered by the interwebs at large. give it long enough and I’m sure your readership will break the server….I mean, grow exponentially. keep up the good work.

oh, I feel that I should mention that I identify with thomas on way to many levels….He is the third character that some of my friends SWEAR are based off of me.

I wonder if we’d get along or not like each other since I’m so similar to him. They say a lot of times when you don’t like someone it’s because you see the stuff you don’t like in yourself. If only there was some science we could do. XD

Anyway, I hope you keep enjoying my stuff. Thanks for the kind words.

We should probably never meet. If I saw myself walking down the street, there would probably be blood. But then again, I have close friends who are similar to me. So either they or I have no taste. being a somewhat arrogant ass, I’m gonna go with them.

I found your comic originally on Drunk Duck. Much as I like some of the features on that website, they seem like a poor host a lot of the time. Takes forever to load! Also, when a gem like this isn’t even in the top Ten (or “Ten Spot”) there’s gotta be something wrong there. Glad you offer an alternative. I made the switch. It’s not that much harder to just bookmark another website, anyway. ;)

Your work is witty, funny, sexy, and just plain fun to read.
They way it’s written makes you feel like a part of the conversations and wise cracking that goes on.

Your work ethic is inspiring. I could think of more, but then you’d be stuck reading it!

I’ll be reading. ;)

-kyle

I certainly appreciate you taking the time to express your feelings about my work. Glad to know you like it so much.

I’m not Drunk Duck’s biggest fan, but they’ve bailed me out a few times when the main site has been down. It’s still a good staring place for drawing in new people.

Carol reminds me of Faye from QC in her big bodiedness and attitude.

Ed needs to go for it already, I mean, even I, the man who’s only ever noticed one girl who liked me would notice this.

I can sympathize with Tom not wanting to screw his friend’s sister but… COME ON. She’s clearly a geeky hottie. The holy grail for any geek.

Also, brooskie is adorable.

Oh my precious Nina. She is the same height as me and just as optimistic……yes I’m swooning goddammit!! XD

Ticky-tack spelling corrections for ya.
“Be it old ladies who need something of a high shelf at a store, or little kids how are desperate for attention.” Should read “Be it old ladies who need something OFF a high shelf at a store, or little kids WHO are desperate for attention.” I’m a little OCD so I noticed…

And of course – great strip. It’s the only one I read consistently anymore. You have a way of making the characters relatable so that people can care about them even if they are fictional.

love the comic. just one weird thing: the cast page says that nina is (quite) athletic but so far it has yet to be shown in the comic

People often have attributes that one never observes. I didn’t want her to walk around with a basketball all the time, or something. XD

Small typo in wes’ bio:
“Wes in comfortable in most situations since his whole personality is based on adaptation. ”

Wis *is* comfortable.

I love this comic, I had just linked a friend the cast page and he caught it, so… there ya go~

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