As If! is a webcomic about growing up in the 1980s, written by Jet Wolf (a.k.a. Nikki Purvis) and drawn by Mimi (a.k.a. Amy Mebberson). The comic's humor is primarily based on 80s pop-culture references and the universal high school maladies of crushes, dances, and peer pressure, among others.

Plot Synopsis

The comic begins with the meeting of Hunter and Angela, two very different teenage girls who quickly become friends through a mutual state of misfit-ness. Together they face the challenges of high school in the 80's, along with Sandy, one of Hunter's old friends, and Tony and Peter, two boys who go to their high school.

About the Authors

The comic speculates what life would've been like had the authors, Mimi and Jet Wolf, gone to high school together instead of meeting over the Internet years later, as they did. Jet Wolf officially left the comic on February 24, 2004, letting Mimi fly solo with the project, but still hosts and frequents the comic's forums. The comic did not degrade appreciably in writing or art quality since the change.

Art Style

As If! is hand drawn and inked in a near-realistic anime style, and colored in grayscale using Photoshop. Mimi, the artist, is a veteran of Sydney, Austrailia-based DisneyToon Studios, and has a background in animation. In the beginning, the comic was largely a four-panel, gag-a-day comic with loose continuity, but gradually shifted to longer, more involved storylines, and even expanded to full-page format for one particularly intense storyline.

Characters

Hunter: Jet Wolf's personification. A cynical, private person known for her cutting edge sarcasm and a willingness to puncuate matters with her fist. She is the offspring of a free-spirited Londoner and a Texan, and bears a deep contempt for her father, who felt that any form of accelerated learning was just a waste of good beer money. Nonetheless, Hunter's mother nurtured her daughter's fertile imagination and curiosity about the world around her. Hunter is an insatiable bookworm and shares her mother's passion for writing, though she's very reluctant to show anyone her work. While she maintains a "Lone Wolf" image to everyone around her, at heart Hunter cares very deeply for her friends.

Angela Pierce: Mimi's representation. A stark contrast to Hunter, Angela is a generally cheerful, enthusiastic person. Angela is a very talented artist, somewhat unorthodox cook (Dr Pepper S'mores, for example), and the last remaining ray of light in Hunter's ever-diminishing hope for mankind. She is naturally shy, and prone to ridicule and peer pressure despite her best efforts to fit in with her age group. Angel is also a very talented singer, and loves performing on stage; she landed the lead role in her school's production of Archy and Mehitabel, a musical about a cockroach and a stray cat. At home, she is subject to constant belittlement by her younger sister, Rosie, a pageant brat.

Sandy: Hunter's oldest friend, she and Sandy shared multitudes of common interests until junior high, when the sledge-hammer of puberty hit Sandy with full force. She ascended into the popular crowd, embracing makeup, hair, and trendy clothes while giving up almost everything she and Hunter once shared. That said, Sandy is still one of the only people who knows Hunter's inner thoughts best, and Hunter still finds herself confiding in her old friend from time to time. The bane of Sandy's existence is the constant attention of Tony, her self-professed "Unholy Servant".

Peter Herndon: Also known as "Dork-Boy", Peter is friends with Angela and longtime rival of Hunter. He's a video game junkie and generally upbeat kid who enjoys teasing Hunter, despite the number of times he's been stuffed into the trashcan. It is later revealed that Peter holds a crush for Hunter that dates back to the second grade. Like most adolescent boys, his affections manifested themselves in boyish teasing. Peter is hypoglycemic and allergic to peanuts.

Tony di Angeles: Peter's best friend, Tony is a more typcially masculine sort of guy, whose interests lie in cars, video games, girls, and most importantly, Sandy. Tony comes from a large Italian-American family, and his grandparents only speak Italian. He oftentimes plays the big brother role to Angela, who often comes to the boys for advice when Hunter and Sandy prove too much for her. He acquired this sensitivity at home, since he has his own little sister, Francesca.

Rosie: Angela's manipulative and terrorizing younger sister. At six years old, Rosie is a seasoned veteran of the child beauty pageant circuit, and constantly wishes she didn't have to share her parents' attention with her "uncool" older sister. Rosie chose her career in pageantry herself, and is unusally self-motivated for her age.

Uly: Hunter's beloved puppy, found in the vacant lot across from the schoolyard. Named after Ulysses.

Availability and Publishing Woes

As If! is available in its entirety on the official website. In 2004, after several self-published special issues, Mimi signed with Afterburn Comics to publish As If! in book form. The contract was short-lived, however, and Afterburn released As If! from the contract because of unmet deadlines on their part. As If! is on extended hiatus as of March 11, 2005. Although no new comics are in production, the bonus material from the aborted book is currently being posted every Tuesday and Thursday, including the previously print-only Issue 300 special, in which Hunter and Peter go on a date. As of October 22, 2005, 19 out of 23 pages have been released.

External links

Offical Site

The Heart of the Flames - Jet Wolf's personal website.