Tycho

Jerry Holkins’ comic alter ego (named after the astronomer Tycho Brahe) is bitter and sarcastic. His eyes are sienna brown and he’s almost invariably clad in a blue-striped sweater, Tycho enjoys books, RPGs, large words and deflating Gabe’s ego. According to himself, he erodes the very soul of humanity as a hobby. He is a rabid fan of Harry Potter. He also often plays Dungeons & Dragons (the website’s banner illustrates him holding a 20-sided die). He has on several occasions made reference to his scarring childhood in which his mother physically abused him and blamed him for his father’s leaving due to his body “swelling with evil” (in fact, puberty), as well as his parents taking him on a family road trip to such places as Idaho’s largest “shitfarm”. It has been mentioned that one of his aunts, believing him to be gay, constantly sends him homo-erotic material. Tycho also has a drinking problem. After a dream, Tycho is seen to be host to an evil spirit, signified by his eyes glowing red when it comes to the fore; this theme is repeated over the course of the strip. Recent strips have also revealed that he may have an unhealthy sexual obsession with long animal necks: at one point, he believes that his wife has found giraffe pornography on his computer, and he calls their necks “slender.” A more recent comic, a commentary on alleged spyware in Battlefield 2142, depicts players being shown ads relevant to the content of their computers. Gabe’s ad is for a Martha Stewart product (which he explains as the result of his wife using his computer), while Tycho’s is for badboysbigbirds.com – “Big Heads in Deep Holes” – and depicts an ostrich with its head buried in a hole. Tycho is also the host of “Too Damn Late with Tycho Brahe,” a parody of the Tonight Show. Though originally co-hosted by Gabe, “Too Damn Late” appears to have been reworked because of Gabe’s difficulty controlling his body near guests.

Other Media

Poker Night at the Inventory

Tycho is among the four opponents in the Inventory’s Texas Hold ’em Tournament. He sits on the far right of the table right next to Heavy Weapons Guy. During certain games, Tycho will use his bracelet as betting money giving the player a chance to win it if the player can beat him with a better hand.