Jerry Holkins
Keith Gerald "Jerry" Holkins is the writer of the webcomic Penny Arcade. 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. 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.
His style contrasts with that of Penny Arcade artist Mike Krahulik, with Holkins assuming the role of the lead and Krahulik the sidekick. However, it has been mutually agreed between the two that Penny Arcade wouldn't 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.
Along with Krahulik, Holkins was included on the 2010 Time 100 for their work on Penny Arcade.
“Playing video games and making comics didn’t look like raw materials for success. In fact, what we were doing looked very similar to fucking around.”
“Don't say another goddamn word. Up until now, I've been polite. If you say anything else--word one--I will kill myself. And when my tainted spirit finds its destination, I will topple the master of that dark place. From my black throne, I will lash together a machine of bone and blood, and fueled by my hatred for you this fear engine will bore a hole between this world and that one. When it begins you will hear the sound of children screaming--as though from a great distance. A smoking orb of nothing will grow above your bed, and from it will emerge a thousand starving crows. As I slip through the widening maw in my new form, you will catch only a glimpse of my radiance before you are incinerated. Then, as tears of bubbling pitch stream down my face, my dark work will begin. I will open one of my six mouths, and I will sing the song that ends the Earth.”